Narinjara News


Dhaka committed for return of Burmese refugees

Dhaka, 1 October: Minister for Disaster Management and Relief of Bangladesh, Chowdhury Kamal Ibne Yusuf, on Monday reiterated his country’s commitment to repatriate the Burmese refugees.

The minister urged the international community for a final settlement of the refugee crisis.  He stressed that the repatriated refugees needed “putting into place effective sustainable programme,” for reintegration once they are in Burma.

The minister is currently in Geneva leading the Bangladesh delegation to the three-day annual session of the UNHCR Executive Committee, said UNB. 

He is expected to hold talks with the High Commissioner for Refugees and other UN officials.  Bangladesh is a member of the 64-member Executive Committee of the UNHCR programme that determines the general principles, programmes and budget of the UNHCR and provides a forum for wide-ranging exchanges among governments, UNHCR and other partner agencies.

Out of the 250,000 Rohingya refugees who crossed from Burma in 1992, there are nearly 20,000 more left in two refugee camps in the southeastern part of Bangladesh, waiting for repatriation.

Many repatriated refugees have also been found in the border towns of Teknaf and Cox’s Bazaar on Bangladesh side who illegally returned disregarding the fear of being arrested complaining the absence of work and about the Burmese junta-imposed restriction on the movement of the Rohingyas.  Abdur Rashid, a trader from a village tract in the border township of Maungdaw on Burmese side said, “Without permission to move for work, education and even treatment of illness, the lives of the Rohingyas are just miserable.  We face the worst human rights violations, and sadly enough there is none to speak on our behalf.”  #