Rohingyas
PM seeks more international support to ensure Rohingya repatriation
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday reiterated her call to the international community to do much more to ensure safe, sustainable and dignified return of over one million forcibly displaced Rohingyas from Bangladesh.
“Bangladesh has been hosting 1.1 million forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals. This humanitarian crisis poses a serious security threat,” the prime minister said in her recorded speech at the 78th Session of the UNESCAP.
Also read: Rohingyas must not be forgotten while focusing on Ukraine: Grandi
“We expect enhanced focus and active support of the international community for safe, sustainable and dignified return of these displaced people,” she told the session meeting under the theme ‘A common agenda to advance sustainable development in Asia and the Pacific’.
She said that when the world is struggling to recover from the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Russian-Ukrainian conflict came as a huge blow to the global economic and social stability.
“The poor and developing countries are experiencing the brunt of the war. The war must be stopped immediately and joint actions are needed to tackle the situation,” she said.
She mentioned the pandemic battered the health systems and economies of most of the countries across the world where the poor and developing countries were the worst sufferers.
“In Bangladesh, while tackling the pandemic, we have tried to strike a balance between lives and livelihoods. Our timely and prudent interventions greatly helped manage the macroeconomic stability,” she said.
While many countries in South Asia experienced negative or nominal GDP growth, she said, we maintained a commendable growth during the pandemic.
She mentioned that Bangladesh is expecting over 7 per cent GDP growth in 2021-22.
“We have already brought almost all targeted population under vaccination,” she said.
Rohingyas must not be forgotten while focusing on Ukraine: Grandi
Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, has said they must not forget other difficult situations in the world including the Rohingya crisis that need the attention and resources while focusing on the "catastrophic emergency" in Ukraine.
In a video message released on Sunday night, Grandi said he came to Bangladesh to emphasize it once again like what he did in Afghanistan and Cameroon recently.
“I came to Bangladesh because this is such a priority partner country for the UNHCR and the Rohingya crisis is such a priority crisis,” he said. His five-day visit to Bangladesh began on Saturday.
Grandi, who last visited Bangladesh in March 2019, said it is very useful to visit projects and talk to the Rohingya, religious leaders from the community, environmental activists and people who have been in Rohingya camps for many decades.
Everybody has different perspectives but there is a strong sense of uncertainty about the future, he said.
READ: Rohingyas from India: Dhaka sends “note verbale” to Delhi
Grandi said most of the Rohingyas want to go back to their country - Myanmar which is just across the river.
“They want to do this only if their security is guaranteed and if their citizenship is recognized. These are virtually stateless people at this moment,” he said, highlighting the importance of their freedom of movement and access to services after their return to Myanmar.
The High Commissioner will meet with representatives of the government of Bangladesh to discuss the ongoing response for Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar and Bhasan Char.
He will also highlight the need for sustained international support when meeting with key donors and partners who support the humanitarian response in Cox’s Bazar and Bhasan Char.
During his visit to the camps and to Bhasan Char, Grandi will meet with Rohingya refugees to discuss their needs, challenges and hopes for the future.
Grandi is accompanied on his visit by Indrika Ratwatte, UNHCR’s Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, and Herve de Villeroche, Senior Advisor to the High Commissioner.
Rohingyas from India: Dhaka sends “note verbale” to Delhi
Bangladesh has asked India to take measures to halt entry of the Rohingyas as Dhaka reported the arrival of some Myanmar nationals in the past weeks.
“We’ve sent a note verbale,” Mashfee Binte Shams, Secretary (East) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told UNB on Sunday.
Earlier on Tuesday, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen said a good number of Rohingyas are coming to Bangladesh from India through fenced areas in recent times which he described as a matter of worry.
“Unfortunately, many Rohingyas are coming to Bangladesh from India,” he said, adding that those Rohingyas went to India in 2012.
Bangladesh is currently hosting over 1.1 million Rohingyas in Cox’s Bazar district and Bhasan Char Island.
READ: Filippo Grandi in Bangladesh to call for support for Rohingya refugees
Momen said the Rohingyas who are coming after nine years have heard that they will have good food facilities in Cox’s Bazar.
He said their relatives in Cox’s Bazar apparently conveyed to the Rohingyas in India that they are living happily in Cox’s Bazar with good food supply. “As a result, they (Rohingyas) are getting into Bangladesh in groups.”
The foreign minister said the bad news is that they are coming through fenced areas through brokers at both ends of the Bangladesh-India border.
He said recently a total of 18 Rohingyas have been detained and they are coming in groups. “We have to engage more security forces to stop them.”
Momen said the government is not only seeking support from the Chinese government but also from other countries including the US, Japan, Malaysia and Cambodia.
He said the Rohingyas should go back to Myanmar as they are Myanmar citizens. “They don’t go there but come here," he observed.
Rohingyas from India coming to Bangladesh: FM
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Tuesday said a good number of Rohingyas are coming to Bangladesh from India through fence areas in recent times which he sees as a matter of worry.
“Unfortunately, many Rohingyas are coming to Bangladesh from India,” he told reporters, adding that those Rohingyas went to India in 2012.
Also read: Three Rohingyas who fled Bhasan Char detained, sent back
Momen said the Rohingyas who are coming after nine years have heard that they will have good food facilities in Cox’s Bazar.
He said their relatives in Cox’s Bazar apparently conveyed to the Rohingyas in India that they are living happily in Cox’s Bazar with good food supply. “As a result, they (Rohingyas) are getting into Bangladesh in groups.”
The Foreign Minister said the bad news is that they are coming through fence areas through brokers at both ends of the Bangladesh-India border.
He said recently a total of 18 Rohingyas have been detained and they are coming in groups. “We have to engage more security forces to stop them.”
Responding to a question, Momen said the government is not only seeking support from the Chinese government but also from other countries including the USA, Japan, Malaysia and Cambodia.
Also read: Dhaka seeks Seoul’s "extra initiative" for Rohingya repatriation
He said the Rohingyas should go back to Myanmar as they are Myanmar citizens. “They don’t go there but come here.”
Bangladesh is currently hosting over 1.1 million Rohingyas in Cox’s Bazar district and Bhasan Char Island.
US may influence ASEAN to persuade Myanmar to stop atrocities, take Rohingyas back: Momen
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen has stressed that the US may influence the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) members to persuade the Myanmar government to stop atrocities on its nationals and take the Rohingyas back to their land.
The issue came up when United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Deputy Administrator Isobel Coleman and Deputy Assistant Secretary of the US Bureau for Population, Refugees, and Migration Scott Turner met Momen at the Foreign Service Academy Monday.
The foreign minister appreciated the announcement of the US government to contribute $152 million under the Joint Response Plan (JRP) 2022 for the Rohingya crisis.
Isobel deeply appreciated Bangladesh for hosting such a large number of displaced people from Myanmar.
READ: Bangladesh keen to increase engagement with ASEAN: PM
There are potentials in Bhasan Char which need to be further developed, she said.
Isobel stressed improving the provision of basic education, livelihood, communication, and transportation facilities on the island.
Momen thanked USAID for their continued support for the Forcibly Displaced Myanmar Nationals (FDMNs), Bangladesh’s official designation for the Rohingyas.
As Bangladesh and the US celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties, Momen said he looks forward to 50 years of effective and robust partnership with the US.
He requested USAID to initiate a project to study the feasibility of the rehabilitation and forestation of the coastal embankments.
Bangladesh considers continuation of learning of Rohingyas under Myanmar curriculum
Bangladesh says it considers continuation of learning under Myanmar curriculum as an effort to keep the children engaged in productive and capacity building activities which would work as incentive for their early voluntary repatriation.
"Prolonged presence of a huge number of persecuted people entails serious ramification on the economy, environment, security, and socio-political stability of Bangladesh and beyond," said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a press statement on Thursday regarding misrepresentation of Bangladesh government’s arrangement of learning facilities for the Rohingya children.
The government says it appreciates the international community's cooperation to facilitate early, sustainable, and voluntary repatriation of the Rohingya to their ancestral land in Rakhine State of Myanmar and it is also the expectation of the Rohingya.
The government of Bangladesh places great importance on ensuring access to education for all especially for girls and in a similar vein.
Also read: Rohingya boy drowns in Bay of Bengal
The government is facilitating learning activities for the Rohingya children inside the camps.
However, it is of deep concern that disinformation is being propagated about the learning facilities for the Forcibly Displaced Myanmar Nationals (FDMN) or Rohingya children when the government of Bangladesh is working with the UN agencies to gradually bring learning facilities under Myanmar curriculum, streamline the volunteer teacher’s engagement and adopting policies for their capacity building, MoFA said.
Reports of closure of learning facilities, barring teachers or students to attend there are false and fabricated, it said.
The government of Bangladesh has arranged learning scopes for the Rohingya children inside the camps through around 5617 learning facilities all of which are in operation and neither Education Sector Operators in Rohingya Camps nor UNICEF (lead agency for education) raised any concern about closing any learning facility.
The FDMN children study under the UNICEF and BRAC developed curriculum called ‘Learning Competency Framework and Approach (LCFA)’ in the camps completely free of charge. Since the end of last year, a pilot project, called Myanmar Curriculum Pilot (MCP), has been rolled out in Rohingya camps which follows Myanmar curriculum and is conducted primarily in Myanmar language.
"It would gradually replace the LCFA. UNICEF is the lead agency to roll out the Myanmar curriculum inside the camps free of charge in the learning centers in a phased manner for grades one to twelve," MoFA said.
The government bodies with the support of the UN agencies are arranging learning in accordance with Myanmar curriculum which would allow every participant to continue to be exposed to their culture, mother tongue, and national identity.
It would facilitate reintegration in their ancestral society in Rakhine State smoothly upon their voluntary return, MoFA said.
Besides, it said, students in need of special help like the disabled, or adolescent girls who face difficulties attending learning centers because of the conservative mindset of their families, can attend alternate learning facilities described as community-based learning centers.
"Learning in those centers can also take place exceptionally in the event of medical emergencies, or natural disasters."
Rohingya volunteer teachers are conducting teaching and additional volunteers are being engaged and being trained to teach the Myanmar curriculum.
The host community representatives may be recruited for subjects that cannot be taught by Rohingya volunteers under Myanmar Curriculum, MoFA said.
The government of Bangladesh and the UN is finalizing a policy to further streamline the volunteer teachers' engagement and make it more fruitful.
Also read: Perpetrators must account for vicious crimes against Rohingya: UN
"As the Myanmar curriculum rolls out at different grades, efforts should continue to ensure a standard curriculum is taught to all students, and to ensure education is provided to Rohingya refugees free of charge and no disparity is created among FDMN children in the name of education. To ensure that the government of Bangladesh discourages operation of any private coaching centers or Moktobs inside the camps where learning activities are conducted in exchange of money, does not necessarily follow the Myanmar Curriculum or is even suspected to spread ideologies with ulterior motives."
Dropout rates in the established learning centers are increasing due to the unexpected operation of those coaching centers.
Promotion of such coaching centers would turn learning into a business commodity, MoFA said.
Following the Covid-19 related global health advisories, the learning centers were suspended in the highly congested Rohingya camps and were reopened as pre-covid conditions as the corona virus situation improved.
Now all the educational facilities are running on a regular basis like other educational institutions of Bangladesh.
Besides, schools and offices remain closed on weekends and national holidays globally.
Covid-19 induced suspensions and enjoying holidays on weekends or government holidays, suspension of unauthorised business ventures in the name of education should not be treated as an effort to impede learning facilities for Rohingya children, MoFA said.
Two Rohingyas held with drugs worth Tk 6.40cr in Cox’s Bazar
Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) on Thursday claimed to have detained two Rohingya refugees with drugs worth Tk 6.40 crore in Cox’s Bazar.
The detainees have been identified as Sirajul Isalm, 28, son of Abul Kashem, a resident of Mochni camp, and Syed Salam, 38, son of Faruk Ahmed of Jadimora camp in Teknaf upazila of Cox’s Bazar.
Also read:One more arrested over six-murder in Rohingya camp
Over a kg of crystal meth and some 40,000 pieces of Yaba have been seized from their possession, the BGB said in a release.
Tipped off, a team of BGB-2 conducted a drive at Jaliardwip along the Naf River and detained the two along with the drugs, said commanding officer of BGB-2, Lieutenant Colonel Sheikh Khalid Mohammad Iftekhar.
Also read: Rohingya mason killed in Ukhia camp
The BGB also seized a boat, one cell phone and few fishing nets from their possession. "Legal steps will soon be taken against the detainees,” said Khalid.
Danish crown princess interacts with Rohingyas, host community
Danish crown princess Mary Elizabeth on Tuesday visited Rohingya camps and interacted with the refugees and host community members.
The princess traveled to Rohingya camps by a car from Cox's Bazar town and observed soil erosion control and environmental restoration activities of the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) through tree plantation at Camp 5.
Also read: Cox's Bazar: Danish Crown Princess Mary to meet Rohingyas, host community Tuesday
Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner Shah Rezwan Hayat and other officials welcomed the Danish princess at Camp 5 who also visited camps 6 and 8.
The princess arrived in the beach town Monday afternoon. Shortly after she arrived in Dhaka on Monday morning, the princess met Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her official residence Gonobhaban.
She will travel to the Sundarbans Wednesday to meet the forest officials and people affected by climate change.
136 Rohingyas held while escaping from Ukhia camp
Police have arrested 136 Rohingyas who were trying to escape from Ukhia’s refugee camps on Monday.
They were all prepared to escape from camps through the Cox's Bazar-Teknaf road, police said.
Ukhia Police officer-in-charge Ahmed Sanjur Morshed said the 136 Rohingyas were held during a search drive in Ukhia on the eve of their departure from the camp. They were later transferred to Kutupalong transit camp.
READ: 1,544 more Rohingyas leave for Bhasan Char
Palangkhali Union Parishad chairman M Gafur Uddin Chowdhury said as the army checkposts on the Cox's Bazar-Teknaf road were lifted thousands of Rohingyas were leaving the camps every day and spreading across the country.
According to sources, since August 2017, there used to be four army checkposts on the Cox's Bazar-Teknaf road. As the checkpoints were lifted recently, Rohingyas are leaving the camp fearlessly.
Over 1,500 more Rohingyas reach Bhasan Char
Another batch of 1,535 Rohingya refugees reached Bhasan Char in the 13th phase on Thursday.
This took the total population of Rohingya refugees at Ashrayan Kendra in Bhasan Char to 29,116.
The Rohingya men, women and children reached Bhasan Char by five naval ships in the noon, said Md Rafiqul Islam, Officer-in-Charge of Bhasan Char police station.
The Rohingyas were taken to their respective clusters on arrival, he said.
Read: PM vows to uplift Bangladesh to a developed nation
Earlier on Wednesday the 27 buses left Ukhia Degree College campus with the Rohingya citizens and reached Patenga in Chattogram around 10 pm.
Bangladesh is currently hosting over 1.1 million Rohingyas in camps in Cox’s Bazar and Bhasan Char. Most of them fled to this country since August 25, 2017, when the Myanmar military launched a brutal offensive targeting the Muslim ethnic minorities.