Rohingya refugees will not be allowed to have their own mobile phone SIM cards. The state-owned mobile phone operator, Teletalk, will set up public call offices (PCOs) at the refugee camps for their convenience.  "Teletalk will install PCOs at every Rohingya camp, where they can make phone calls inside Bangladesh at the lowest tariff," state minister for posts and telecommunications, Tarana Halim, said at a press briefing at the Bangladesh Telecommuni-cation Regulatory Commission (BTRC) office yesterday (Saturday).    

She said Teletalk has started work at the camps and will establish a 2G network and PCOs within three days. Bangladesh has given the Rohingya people shelter and other facilities on humanitarian grounds. "We are extending our hand, so that they are not deprived of communication," said Tarana Halim.

The state minister, however, said the Rohingya people will not be allowed to buy their own mobile SIM cards, as Bangladesh has completed biometric SIM verification, using the database of national identification cards.     

"Our decision at this moment is not to allow them (Rohingyas) to buy SIM cards. Their biometric registration at the camps is going on and the government will take the final decision later," she said.

Replying to a query regarding the use of mobile phone connections by the Rohingya refugees, Tarana Halim said: "As per the biometric registration system, those connections are not supposed to be activated. But some people have sold their SIMs verified with

own identity to Rohingya people for more money. This is a crime.”   

She said they are initiating the process to detect the SIMs being used by Rohingyas. “We will collect the data of SIMs which have been activated since July 1. We have the list of retailers, so we can easily detect the actual number of SIMs.”   

Referring to the operation of mobile courts for controlling the sale of SIM cards, the state minister said: “Those selling SIMs and the actual owners will have to take the responsibility if any crime is committed using the SIM. It’s a punishable offence.”    

Tarana Halim cautioned mobile phone operators that they will face legal action if they are found involved in selling SIM cards to Rohingya refugees. The BTRC’s acting chairman, Md Jahurul Haque, senior officials and representatives of law enforcement and detective agencies, as well as departments concerned, were present.