KALADAN NEWS

Dated: Wednesday, May 25, 2005

 


About 10-thousand refugees inundated in Teknaf flash-floods

 

Teknaf, May 25: About 10-thousand unofficial Rohingya refugees in Teknaf of Cox’s Bazar District have been inundated due to flash-floods and onrush of water from Naff River, said Mr. Tin Soe, from Teknaf when contacted over phone yesterday evening.

 

Due to excessive rainfall and gusty to squally wind coincided with the tide of Naff River inundated the whole makeshift camp of Dhumdamia, yesterday at about 2:00 pm. The huts of the refugees were floating on flood water in that all the huts had been made of plastic sheets.

 

The goods and utensils of the refugees have been washed away by the floodwater and gusty to squally winds while the children, women and elders have been facing acute difficulties in the camp.

 

The refugees made their camp at Dhumdamia of Teknaf in last October 2004, after shifting from Teknaf upazila as the local goon’s disturbance to the refugees. They are not registered neither by UNHCR nor Bangladesh authority. So, they are deprived of helps from any quarter as Bangladesh authorities do not allow any NGO or organization to help in the camp.

 

There are about 10-thousand of 1,100 families refugee are staying in the camp while a report of the Center for Development Studies (CDS), Dhaka, Bangladesh said that over 600,000 unofficial Rohingya refugees are staying across the country.

 

When asked a refugee woman named Sakina Khatun said, “Sometimes, police arrest male refugees without any ground and file cases against them with false accusations while they go outside of the camp for works to support their families.”

 

Similarly, the official refugees of the Nayapara and Kutupalong go out of the camp for works to maintain their families. 4 refugees from Kutupalong camp were arrested by police on May 19, accusing them spying for Burmese government while they were working nearby village of the camp. Later on, they were sent to Cox’s Bazar jail through Ukiya Police Station.

 

A refugee named Mariam Khatun said, “I have no husband and he died since one year before. I have one son and two daughters and there age is under 10. Now, our huts are demolished by gusty wind and inundate by flood. I have no food to feed my children. I do not know how to feed them and where to go to stay this night.”##

 

 

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