United Nations refugee agency UNHCR said thousands of newly arrived Rohingyas have been admitted to Bangladesh after spending up to four days stranded near its border with Myanmar, reports BSS. "By last night (October 19) Bangladesh border guards reported that over 6,800 Rohingyas had passed through Anjuman Para border village in Cox's Bazar district. Thousands more are said to be on their way from Myanmar," UNHCR spokesperson Duniya Aslam Khan told a press briefing in Geneva on Friday.
The most vulnerable among the new arrivals are bussed from the border to a transit centre near Kutupalong camp. At the centre, UNHCR and its partners provided food, water, medical checks and temporary shelter.
Other new arrivals walked to Kutupalong camp, where they spent the night in existing structures and buildings.
"UNHCR and its partners continue to work with the Bangladesh authorities on the new Kutupalong extension site. Site planning and development are underway to allow more Rohingyas to move in as different zones within the site are readied. Tube wells and latrines are being installed to give the newly arrived access to clean water and sanitation facilities," Khan added.
To target assistance and protection interventions, UNHCR is continuing its joint family counting exercise with the Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commission. More than 247,606 forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals have so far been counted and the exercise is now taking place in Kutupalong Extension.
"We hope for timely and generous donor support at the pledging conference for Rohingya crisis on 23 October in Geneva. The joint response plan requires US$434 million to meet the life-saving needs of all Rohingyas took shelter in Bangladesh and their host communities - together an estimated 1.2 million people - for the difficult months to come. UNHCR's portion of that plan amounts to US$83.7 of additional funds until the end of February 2018," UNHCR spokesperson said.
Since the onset of the current emergency, UNHCR, upon the request of Bangladeshi authorities has expanded its response and operations, presence and staff throughout south-east Bangladesh.