Kaladan News

Kaladan News

Dated: May 22, 2005

UNHCR has not yet Signed the Annual Agreement and Threatens to pull out its Operations in Bangladesh

Chittagong, May 22, 2005: The (UNHCR) has not yet signed the annual agreement with the disaster management ministry of Bangladesh for the current year and threatens to pull out its operation in Bangladesh after a series of reported violations of human rights in two refugee camps for Rohingyas in Cox’s Bazar, reports BDNEWS of Dhaka.

The repatriation of 20,000 Rohingya refugees, sheltered in the Nayapara and Kutupalang camps, will face uncertainty, if the disagreement over the human rights issues between the government and the UNHCR is not resolved, fear officials working in Dhaka in the UN agency, disaster management ministry and the Rohingya Repartition Commission.

“We have already discussed the issue with the UNHCR,” said Shamim Ahmed, chief of the ministry’s Rohingya refugee cell. He admitted that the annual agreement with the UN agency was yet to be signed.

“We have sent a proposal over the annual agreement to the UNHCR. After the agency’s approval, it will need endorsement of the government on some required matters”, he further said. He, however, hoped that the repartition of the Rohingya refugees would start soon after both the parties reached a consensus.

The deputy representative of UNHCR in Dhaka, Mulusew Mamo, expressed his dissatisfaction over human rights situation in the two refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar. He said the human rights situation in the camps was really bad.

‘The refugees in the camps have no freedom of movement... Virtually they are passing a captive life,” he said.

“We informed the Bangladesh government on the issue several times and hope that they will give more attention to the matter”, he further said. ##

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