KALADAN NEWS

Dated: Monday, February 09, 2004

24 MORE BURMESE ROHINGYA REPATRIATED FROM BANGLADESH CAMPS

Cox’s Bazar Feb-09: UNHCR and the Bangladesh camp officials jointly repatriated 24 more Burmese Rohingya refugees to their homes in Arakan State of Burma from the official camps in Bangladesh on 5^th February 2004, said Mr. Shah Jahan, a repatriation staff of the Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner (RRRC).

These 24 Rohingya refugees belonging to 4 families were from the two camps of Kutupalong and Nayapara --- 2 families from each camp. But all the members of the each family were not repatriated and they continue to stay in the camp with all refugee facilities under the same MRC numbers, he further said.

Despite the talks of voluntary repatriation by the UNHCR and camp officials, the process of forced repatriation still exists, said a refugee from Kutupalong camp.

After a fire that broke out on “Women Center” in Kutupalong camp on 3^rd February 2004, these 24 refugees had agreed to go back to their home, as they felt insecure in the camps, he further said.

According to RRRC record of 7^th February 2004, a total of 19,625 refugees from 2,984 families are still remaining in the two camps. Of them 8,017 belong to 1,187 families in Kutupalong camp and 11,608 are from 1,797 families in Nayapara refugee camp. ##

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