KALADAN NEWS
Date: April
14, 2005
Unusual Encouragement for Refugee Repatriation
Cox’s Bazar,
April 14: Bangladesh
camp authorities increased encouragement for the voluntary repatriation of Rohingya Arakanese refugees to Burma.
On April 11, 2005, a family consisting of 4 members was
voluntary repatriated from Nayapara camp, with high
encouragement of concerned authorities of Bangladesh,
said a refugee from Nayapara camp.
Repatriated family head is
identified as Ms Mostafa Khatun,
a widow from Block No. E, Shed No. 19/4 of Nayapara refugee camp, hailed from Inn Din Village (Andang), Maungdaw south, Arakan State, Burma.
She left Burma
in 1991-92 and has been staying in refugee camps until she was repatriated. She
was unable to take her eldest son Shafi Ullah (25) with her, as she was afraid that her son will be
oppressed, if he goes back to Burma,
said Nur Mohammed, a refugee from the camp, who has
close relation with the repatriated family.
In this repatriation, camp
officials could be able to encourage her to repatriate on a verbal agreement of
her son’s safety in the camp after her repatriation to Burma,
he further added.
“I am very happy to go back to my
ancestral homeland, but I am afraid that I will be oppressed by the military,
as the young people are mostly targeted in Burma.
Some of my colleagues in Arakan were oppressed after
repatriation. UNHCR cannot give our life guarantee, even cannot ensure our
basic rights there”, said Shafi Ullah,
who is the son of Ms Mostafa Khatun
and was left at the camp.
From Bangladesh
side, the repatriated family was provided some blankets, clothes, jars, plates,
plastic glass, lamp, plastic sheets for house roofing and mats. Besides, Taka
15,000 has been provided to the family head and Tk.
2,000 per each, and some other household things. From Burma
side, all the repatriated refugees will be provided ration for six months and
will be allowed to build houses in their original places, said a Maji of Nayapara camp.
On April 4, another family
consisting of 9 members was also repatriated from Kutupalong
refugee camp. These two batches of refugees went to their home voluntary, said
a refugee from Kutupalong Camp.
Another refugee from Kutupalong who is still waiting for repatriation said, “A
family consisting of 10 members is repatriated in last December 30, 2004 from Kutupalong camp. We come to know that he is not allowed to
build his house in his original place. His half construction house is stopped
by the military two months ago and asks him not to continue until further
instruction from the army. This family is identified as Jafar
Ahmed, from Meetike (Medai-Fanirsara)
village
of Maugdaw
north, Arakan
State.
In 1991-92, over 250,000 Rohingya refugees crossed Bangladesh
border and took shelter in Bangladesh.
Of them, the vast majority were repatriated since the first repatriation had
taken place on September 22, 1992.
According to the record of
Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner (RRRC) office, at
present, there are 20,427 refugees of 2,956 families have been living in two
official camps of Kutupalong and Nayapara.
When asked an officer of the
UNHCR from its Cox’s Bazar office about the
repatriation of refugees he refused to give any information and was also
reluctant to give his name.
According to Center of
Development Studies (CDS) of Bangladesh,
there are about 600,000 Rohingyas are unofficially
living in Bangladesh.
Besides, over 10,000 unofficial refugees who are staying in makeshift camp (a
roadside camp) at Teknaf, a border town of Bangladesh. ##
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