Kaladan News

Dated: Saturday September 6, 2003

2858 Rohingya Refugees Returned Home in August and till 4th September

Teknaf, September 6: Some 2858 Rohingya refugees

returned to Burma in August and until 4th  September

from Kutopalong and Nayapara refugee camps of Cox’s

Bazaar District, according to our sources.

Foreign Minister M. Morshed Khan yesterday said, 6,000

of the 23,000 refugees had already returned home and

the rest go soon, while talking to journalists at a “

Face- to- Face” programme at the local press club

organized by Chittagong Reporters Council.

The refugees returned to Burma through Teknaf border

under the supervision of the UNHCR. But, the

repatriation is not voluntary, source said.

A total of 238, 443 Rohingyas have so far returned

home, while some 17,000 refugees awaiting repatriation

at makeshift camps at Kutupalong of Ukhia and Nayapara

of Teknaf Upazila, according to our correspondent.

“ The government of Burma assured us for taking some

confidence building measures so that the returnees

don’t trek to Bangladesh in future,” Foreign Minister

said.

Referring to Bangladesh’s relations with neighbors, he

said Dhaka wanted peaceful co-existence with

neighboring India and Burma.

Referring to the “ look-east diplomacy” of the present

four-party alliance, he said Bangladesh with the East

Asian countries like Burma, Thailand, China, Malaysia,

South-Korea, Indonesia and Vietnam and through

increased trade, business and investment. ##

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