Rohingyas find ‘ready shelter’

Human greed feasts on human tragedy at Ukhia in Cox’s Bazar. The plight of Rohingyas fleeing ethnic cleansing back home in Myanmar is being exploited by some unscrupulous people to mint money across the border in Bangladesh.
These sharks are clearing the forest-covered hills at Ukhia to build rows of new huts in the vicinity of the Kutupalong Rohingya camp, which was established in the early 1990s.
These new huts are being built to house the hordes of refugees fleeing their homes in Rakhine state in Western Myanmar and crossing the Naf river to sneak into Bangladesh. But far from any humanitarian motive, the greedy builders are renting the huts to the hapless refugees for anything between Tk. 500 to Tk. 1,000.
And with no options left, the fleeing Rohingyas are paying the money demanded for the simple structures of bamboo, wood and corrugated sheets with polythene sheets. After all, these shelters have come as a “safe haven” to the tired and weary people, who have witnessed their homes and
hearths vanishing in flames and strafing by helicopter gunships of the Myanmar military.
One such refugee, Abdullah, was busy giving finishing touches to his “new home” with the help of his wife, Marium Begum, yesterday. Abdullah disclosed that he has rented the hut carved out on the slope of a hill from a local trader, Abdul Malek. Abdullah said though the rent has not been fixed as yet, he may have to pay Tk. 300 to Tk. 400 per month.
And it seems even public representatives are making money out of the refugees. A member of ward-9 of Rajapalong UP, Bakhtiaruddin, has been accused by the locals of helping raise 200 such makeshift homes.
Bakhtiaruddin, however, denied the allegations, saying most of the Rohingyas arriving from Myanmar were passing their days under the sky in an inhuman condition. “I have sought help for them from the government,” he added.
And all this is going on despite strict vigilance by Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) personnel, who have been forcing refugee boats to turn back towards Rakhine state. The more desperate, however, make a dash to enter Bangladesh at any cost by hoodwinking the border guards. They sneak into Bangladesh through the thick forests and alleyways down the hills or crossing the Naf and rivulets by paying hefty amounts to crooks on both sides of the border.
The BGB has denied this. But NGOs in the area estimate that over 21,000 refugees have entered Bangladesh since violence was unleashed against them following an attack on a Myanmar border police camp in October by suspected Rohingya militants. Some of the escapees are hosted by their relatives on this side of the border.
These fresh waves of refugees, however, worry their counterparts who had sought sanctuary in Bangladesh earlier. “These new refugees may lead to a deterioration in law and order,” cautioned the convenor of Rohingya Resistance Committee Hamidul Huq Choudhury. “The labour market too would go into their hands, throwing many local workers out of jobs,” he added.
Police, too, are aware of the problem. ASP (Cox’s Bazar) Mohammad Afruzul Huq Tutul told The Independent that Detective Branch personnel were working in the Rohingya camps. “Action would be taken against those who are sheltering the illegal immigrants from across the border,” he said.
Though the situation in Rakhine state has cooled down a bit, attempted infiltration by the Rohingyas is unabated. BGB said over 100 boats carrying refugees have been turned away so far in December itself. Yesterday, as many as 65 Myanmarese nationals were sent back from the border at Ukhia. Six of their boats were turned back on the Naf.
Commander of Teknaf BGB, Abu Zar Al Zahid, said these boats carrying Myanmarese citizens were trying to infiltrate into Bangladesh. Each of the boats was carrying 12 to 15 Rohingyas, he added. Commander of 34th BGB Battalion of Cox’s Bazar, Imran Ullah Sarker, claimed that the numbers of Rohingya infiltrators have declined due to heightened surveillance by the border guards.

Rohingyas find ready shelter

Human greed feasts on human tragedy at Ukhia in Coxs Bazar. The plight of Rohingyas fleeing ethnic cleansing back home in Myanmar is being exploited by some unscrupulous people to mint money across the border in Bangladesh. These sharks are clearing the forest-covered hills at Ukhia to build rows of new huts in the vicinity of the Kutupalong Rohingya camp, which was established in the early 1990s. These new huts are being built to house the hordes of refugees fleeing their homes in Rakhine state in Western Myanmar and crossing the Naf river to sneak into Bangladesh. But far from any humanitarian motive, the greedy builders are renting the huts to the hapless refugees for anything between Tk. 500 to Tk. 1,000. And with no options left, the fleeing Rohingyas are paying the money demanded for the simple structures of bamboo, wood and corrugated sheets with polythene sheets. After all, these shelters have come as a safe haven to the tired and weary people, who have witnessed their homes and hearths vanishing in flames and strafing by helicopter gunships of the Myanmar military. One such refugee, Abdullah, was busy giving finishing touches to his new home with the help of his wife, Marium Begum, yesterday. Abdullah disclosed that he has rented the hut carved out on the slope of a hill from a local trader, Abdul Malek. Abdullah said though the rent has not been fixed as yet, he may have to pay Tk. 300 to Tk. 400 per month. And it seems even public representatives are making money out of the refugees. A member of ward-9 of Rajapalong UP, Bakhtiaruddin, has been accused by the locals of helping raise 200 such makeshift homes. Bakhtiaruddin, however, denied the allegations, saying most of the Rohingyas arriving from Myanmar were passing their days under the sky in an inhuman condition. I have sought help for them from the government, he added. And all this is going on despite strict vigilance by Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) personnel, who have been forcing refugee boats to turn back towards Rakhine state. The more desperate, however, make a dash to enter Bangladesh at any cost by hoodwinking the border guards. They sneak into Bangladesh through the thick forests and alleyways down the hills or crossing the Naf and rivulets by paying hefty amounts to crooks on both sides of the border. The BGB has denied this. But NGOs in the area estimate that over 21,000 refugees have entered Bangladesh since violence was unleashed against them following an attack on a Myanmar border police camp in October by suspected Rohingya militants. Some of the escapees are hosted by their relatives on this side of the border. These fresh waves of refugees, however, worry their counterparts who had sought sanctuary in Bangladesh earlier. These new refugees may lead to a deterioration in law and order, cautioned the convenor of Rohingya Resistance Committee Hamidul Huq Choudhury. The labour market too would go into their hands, throwing many local workers out of jobs, he added. Police, too, are aware of the problem. ASP (Coxs Bazar) Mohammad Afruzul Huq Tutul told The Independent that Detective Branch personnel were working in the Rohingya camps. Action would be taken against those who are sheltering the illegal immigrants from across the border, he said. Though the situation in Rakhine state has cooled down a bit, attempted infiltration by the Rohingyas is unabated. BGB said over 100 boats carrying refugees have been turned away so far in December itself. Yesterday, as many as 65 Myanmarese nationals were sent back from the border at Ukhia. Six of their boats were turned back on the Naf. Commander of Teknaf BGB, Abu Zar Al Zahid, said these boats carrying Myanmarese citizens were trying to infiltrate into Bangladesh. Each of the boats was carrying 12 to 15 Rohingyas, he added. Commander of 34th BGB Battalion of Coxs Bazar, Imran Ullah Sarker, claimed that the numbers of Rohingya infiltrators have declined due to heightened surveillance by the border guards.