Rohingyas in Middle East trying to obtain Bangladeshi MRPs

A number of Myanmar citizens, known as ‘Rohingyas’, staying in different countries of the Middle East,  are trying to obtain Bangladeshi passports to stay abroad, said sources in the home ministry and the immigration and passport deparment. 

Usually they apply for Bangladesh machine read passports (MRP) using fake names and addresses in the Bangladesh missions abroad.
This has been detected in the scrutiny of the home ministry here.
Every three to four months, several lists of people staying in the Middle Eastern countries, especially in Saudi Arabia, are sent from Bangladesh mission offices to the home ministry to check their identities for ‘no objection’ certificates to issue Bangladeshi MRPs for them, the sources added.
Intelligence agencies, especially the Special Branch (SB) of police, have found that permanent and present addresses of those people and their close relatives are fake in most cases.
Earlier, the consul-general of the Bangladesh Consulate General office in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, sent a list
of 86 people staying in Saudi Arabia to the home ministry, asking for their identities as they have enrolled for Bangladeshi MRPs.
On inquiry, only 46 among them were confirmed as Bangladeshis, while the addresses of the rest were found to be fake, according to a letter issued by the home ministry on April 4, 2016. Sources said those whose addresses could not be verified were Myanmar citizens (Rohingyas) who have used Bangladeshi addresses to get Bangladeshi MRPs to stay abroad, sources said.
The consul general of the Bangladesh mission in Jeddah sent a list of 16 people staying in Saudi Arabia to the home ministry, asking for their identities, and the ministry accordingly has asked the SB for investigation.
In a letter, Md Zakaria Biswas, vice-consul and head of chancery of the Bangladesh consulate general office in Jeddah, said: “Many Rohingyas have been staying in Saudi Arabia using Bangladeshi passports with Hajj, Umra and job visas. Many are staying illegally after the expiry of their respective visas. Many Rohingyas have taken Burmese ID cards and Burmese seals on their passport to get special benefits in Saudi Arabia."
"These people could not show any evidence like sending remittances or purchase of saving instruments for anybody in Bangladesh. Lots of complications have arisen over their identities and permanent addresses in Bangladesh and that is why it has become difficult to renew their passports along with the inclusion of names of their children in their passports,” the letter stated.
“If any Bangladeshi passport holder has taken the Burmese ID card, he/she would require permission of the home ministry on renewal of their passports,” it added.

Talking to The Independent, home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said the ministry has already instructed the authorities concerned to issue MRPs after proper verification.
“Everybody (Bangladeshi citizen) has the right to get an MRP, and we are issuing travel advice only after police verification,” he said. 
Sources in the immigration and passport department said a number of Rohingyas had received MRPs  from 2011 to 2013 from different 
passport offices including regional offices in Cox’s Bazar, Comilla and Noakhali. Most of them left the country as Bangladeshi workers to different countries, particularly the Middle East.
Investigations by the Detective Branch (DB) and the Special Branch (SB) of police have shown that several Rohingyas were given MRPs. The report says Azim Ullah, father of Mubarok Amin, passport office enrolment No. 219564; Gamira, father of Abdul Amin, passport office enrolment No. 219554; Amina Khatun, father of Abdul Jabbar, passport office enrolment No. 219562; and Chenuar Begum, father of Shahab Mia, passport office enrolment No. 218090—all of Noapur village of Comilla—applied to the passport office in Comilla seeking MRPs.
Following the investigation, the SB informed the authorities that all of them were Myanmarese citizens. 
The passport department also cancelled over 6,000 passports including AC 4353672 (Tareq Mohammed), AC 772705 (Nasima Khatun), AC 9617058 (Mohammad Rafiq), AC 0471062 (Hafez Mohammad Abdullah), AC 6385677 (Md Sayed Ullah), AC 7494794 (Md Badiul Alam) and AC 3772706 (Noor Khatun).
Sources in the expatriate and overseas employment ministry said a number of Rohingyas, who had crossed over to Bangladesh from Arakan (Rakhain) state of Myanmar, were working by posing as Bangladeshi citizens in different Middle Eastern countries by using Bangladeshi passports. 
The Saudi government beheaded two Rohingyas for committing criminal offences in that country in 2012.
In 2010, the authorities seized 31,205 handwritten passports from the regional passport office in Mymensingh. 
Hundreds of Rohingya refugees keep entering Bangladesh through different border points along the forested and mountainous frontier with Myanmar.
According to relief ministry statistics, 25,534 Rohingyas are staying in three registered camps—Nayapara and Leda in Teknaf and Kutupalong in Ukhiya.
According to residents of Cox's Bazar, more than 500,000 Rohingyas live outside the camps. They mingle with the local people and speak almost the same language.

Rohingyas in Middle East trying to obtain Bangladeshi MRPs

A number of Myanmar citizens, known as Rohingyas, staying in different countries of the Middle East, are trying to obtain Bangladeshi passports to stay abroad, said sources in the home ministry and the immigration and passport deparment. Usually they apply for Bangladesh machine read passports (MRP) using fake names and addresses in the Bangladesh missions abroad. This has been detected in the scrutiny of the home ministry here. Every three to four months, several lists of people staying in the Middle Eastern countries, especially in Saudi Arabia, are sent from Bangladesh mission offices to the home ministry to check their identities for no objection certificates to issue Bangladeshi MRPs for them, the sources added. Intelligence agencies, especially the Special Branch (SB) of police, have found that permanent and present addresses of those people and their close relatives are fake in most cases. Earlier, the consul-general of the Bangladesh Consulate General office in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, sent a list of 86 people staying in Saudi Arabia to the home ministry, asking for their identities as they have enrolled for Bangladeshi MRPs. On inquiry, only 46 among them were confirmed as Bangladeshis, while the addresses of the rest were found to be fake, according to a letter issued by the home ministry on April 4, 2016. Sources said those whose addresses could not be verified were Myanmar citizens (Rohingyas) who have used Bangladeshi addresses to get Bangladeshi MRPs to stay abroad, sources said. The consul general of the Bangladesh mission in Jeddah sent a list of 16 people staying in Saudi Arabia to the home ministry, asking for their identities, and the ministry accordingly has asked the SB for investigation. In a letter, Md Zakaria Biswas, vice-consul and head of chancery of the Bangladesh consulate general office in Jeddah, said: Many Rohingyas have been staying in Saudi Arabia using Bangladeshi passports with Hajj, Umra and job visas. Many are staying illegally after the expiry of their respective visas. Many Rohingyas have taken Burmese ID cards and Burmese seals on their passport to get special benefits in Saudi Arabia. These people could not show any evidence like sending remittances or purchase of saving instruments for anybody in Bangladesh. Lots of complications have arisen over their identities and permanent addresses in Bangladesh and that is why it has become difficult to renew their passports along with the inclusion of names of their children in their passports, the letter stated. If any Bangladeshi passport holder has taken the Burmese ID card, he/she would require permission ofthe home ministry on renewal of their passports, it added. Talking to The Independent, home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said the ministry has already instructed theauthorities concerned to issue MRPs after proper verification. Everybody (Bangladeshi citizen) has the right to get an MRP, and we are issuing travel advice only after police verification, he said. Sources in the immigration and passport department said a number of Rohingyas had received MRPs from 2011 to 2013 from different passport offices including regional offices in Coxs Bazar, Comilla and Noakhali. Most of them left the country as Bangladeshi workers to different countries, particularly the Middle East. Investigations by the Detective Branch (DB) and the Special Branch (SB) of police have shown that several Rohingyas were given MRPs. The report says Azim Ullah, father of Mubarok Amin, passport office enrolment No. 219564; Gamira, father of Abdul Amin, passport office enrolment No. 219554; Amina Khatun, father of Abdul Jabbar, passport office enrolment No. 219562; and Chenuar Begum, father of Shahab Mia, passport office enrolment No. 218090all of Noapur village of Comillaapplied to the passport office in Comilla seeking MRPs. Following the investigation, the SB informed the authorities that all of them were Myanmarese citizens. The passport department also cancelled over 6,000 passportsincluding AC 4353672 (Tareq Mohammed), AC 772705 (Nasima Khatun), AC 9617058 (Mohammad Rafiq), AC 0471062 (Hafez Mohammad Abdullah), AC 6385677 (Md Sayed Ullah), AC 7494794 (Md Badiul Alam) and AC 3772706 (Noor Khatun). Sources in the expatriate and overseas employment ministry said a number of Rohingyas, who had crossed over to Bangladesh from Arakan (Rakhain) state of Myanmar, were working by posing as Bangladeshi citizens in different Middle Eastern countries by using Bangladeshi passports. The Saudi government beheaded two Rohingyas for committing criminal offences in that country in 2012. In 2010, the authorities seized 31,205 handwritten passports from the regional passport office in Mymensingh. Hundreds of Rohingya refugees keep entering Bangladesh through different border points along the forested and mountainous frontier with Myanmar. According to relief ministry statistics, 25,534 Rohingyas are staying in three registered campsNayapara and Leda in Teknaf and Kutupalong in Ukhiya. According to residents of Coxs Bazar, more than 500,000 Rohingyas live outside the camps. They mingle with the local people and speak almost the same language.