KALADAN NEWS

Dated-Sunday May 25, 2003

175 ROHINGYA REFUGEES REPATRIATED

Chittagong, May 25: A group of 175 Rohingya refugees

belonging to 27 families returned to their homes in

Burma on 21st May from Nayapara and Kutupalong refugee

camps, according to the Daily Star correspondent,

Cox’s Bazar.

Repatriation officials of Bangladesh government and

UNHCR representatives saw them off on the bank of Naff

River at Teknaf.

Burma immigration officials received them at Kayan

Chaung reception center Of Maungdaw Township.

With this, 2,33,903 Rohingya refugees have so far

returned to Burma, the officials said. More 21, 482

are waiting for repatriation at the two camps. Another

160 refugees are expected to return on 26th May. A

total of 1150 refugees will return home this month,

they said.

Over 2.5 lakh (0.25 million) Rohingyas crossed the

border and took refuge in Teknaf and Ukhia Upazilas

(sub- districts) in 1991 to 1992 to escape persecution

by Burma’s military regime.

“This is done forcibly by Bangladesh authorities, and

there is no rights to say anything against the

repatriation for UNHCR except seeing the on going

repatriation process with blind eyes,” said another

refugee to our correspondent preferring not to mention

his name.  

Editor

Kaladan Press Network

E-mail: [email protected]