Kaladan News
Dated:
UNHCR’s Asia-Pacific Director Visits Rohingya Refugee Camps
Cox’s Bazar: December 04: UNHCR’s
Asia-Pacific Director Janet Lim will visit the refugee camps on the first week of
this month, said a refugee leader from Kutupalong
camp of Cox’s Bazar district, he did not mention his
name for security reason.
She will visit the camps to
observe the situation of the refugees and to decide about the two Rohingya refugee camps after a series of incidents against
a UN staff in October led to a government crackdown on refugees on 18th
and 19th of November 2004, officials said.
She will be accompanied by other
UNHCR Heads from other countries giving refuge to Rohingya
are also expected to arrive during Lim’s 9-day trip, said sources.
Lim will probe the incident that
started on September 23 when a UN staff from WEP, a Bengali woman was insulted
by a group of Rohingya refugees in the Kutupalong Camp in Ukhiya, under
Cox’s Bazar district, officials said.
But, refugees said, “When a
Bangladeshi woman from WFP tries to take photos of some Majees
(collaborator of camp officer) accompanied by other refugees with a position of
receiving ration with empty sacks for their documents. But, she has to pay “soaps and firewood” as
ration that day. But, she does not give anything in the sacks. So, we drive her
out of the camp.”
In addition to the recent
violence in the Kutupalong refugee camp, the
Malaysian governt’s giving 10,000 Rohingya
refugees status and work permit has added new twists to the issue of their
repatriation, sources said.
At present, the situation of the
two refugee camps ---Kutupalong and Nayapara----is normal after the government’s crackdown on
18th and 19th of November 2004. But, the refugees who had
fled from the camp to avoid arrest and harassment of police or who were the
participants in the clashes are not yet allowed to enter the refugee camp and
their ration books were also seized by the authorities, said a refugee from the
Kutupalong camp who is preferred not to mention his
name for his security reason.
In the two refugee camps in Kutupalong
and Nayapara abour 20,000 Rohingyas of Burma origin are taking shelter on
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