KALADAN NEWS

Dated: Saturday January 10, 2004

Refugees Urged UNHCR, Information For Local Integrity

Chittagong, January 10: Burmese Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh have urged the UNHCR of Cox’s Bazar of Bangladesh to allow them to choose a suitable place where there is no hatred and national discriminations of Rohingyas for temporary settlement, according to a refugee leader.

In a letter sent to the UNHCR recently, they said, “ We, the refugees in Bangladesh have learned that who are really unable to go back to Burma due to fear of persecution, will be integrated in the localities of Bangladesh. We have also learned that from rumor that a decision has taken by UNHCR that it has already talked with some local leaders to integrate five families in a village with projects. We, the undersigned refugees are agreed with UNHCR about this information if it would be so.”

If it would be so, we will not get our educational rights as per Burmese Curriculum. We will get our rights if we can integrate a considerable numbers with together, then it will a way to establish school for our children.

On the other hand, it will be blocked for us forever to work in Burma to restore our constitutional and historical rights. We have suitable organization to provide us Burmese education as per Burmese curriculum, refugees said.

We, therefore, pray and hope that you would be kind enough to give us correct information through favorable consideration to the above subject and obliged thereby, refugees further added. ##

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