Narinjara News

Burmese Refugees observe World Refugee Day

Cox’s Bazaar, 21^st June 03: Burmese Rohingya refugee children at Nayapara Refugee Camp in the southeastern part of Bangladesh brought out a colourful rally in observance of the World Refugee Day yesterday.  Forgetting the squalid environment of the camp where the barest minimum necessity to keep body and soul together the children beaming with smile came out in a procession inside the camp premises and a discussion was also held on the significance of the day, said our correspondent.

With colourful festoons and banners the refugee children whose citizenship is not yet undecided and all the members of the camp attended the ceremony.  About fifty children also joined a painting competition.  Later the children organized a cultural programme.  Present in the occasion were officials of the UNHCR Bangladesh, Concern, and MSF (Holland).

Though the repatriation of Burmese refugees have recently been stepped up, there is no guarantee, according to a number of international NGOs including Forum-Asia and Refugees International, as to the nationality status of these Rohingyas who both Burma and Bangladesh deny as their own. 

About twenty thousand refugees are still in the Nayapara and Kutupalong camps of the Cox’s Bazaar district.  The number of illegal Burmese refugees in Bangladesh has never been taken into account, sources said.

This year the UNHCR commemorated World Refugee Day with the theme “Refugee Youth: Building the Future” to highlight the plight of the refugee population worldwide.  #