Local people in Ukhiya and Teknaf are adversely affected financially due to the arrival of hundreds of thousands of Rohingyas, making them unhappy if not hostile, according to individuals concerned including inhabitants, people’s representatives, government officials and NGO workers.
Since August 25 last year, over 6.55 lakh Rohingyas crossed in Cox’s Bazar from the Myanmar State of Rakhine to save their lives from the atrocities orchestrated by the security forces, local Buddhist mobs and people belonging to other ethnic groups. This figure is in addition to estimated 3.5 to 4 lakh Rohingyas from Myanmar already living in the district for a long time.
Among the manifold problems the local people are facing, economic challenge is the most apparent, the individuals told The Independent.
It is very difficult to determine as to how many local people are being affected by the Rohingya influx, But, according to the acting upazila chairman of Ukhiya, about 4.5 lakh people of his upazila and Teknaf have become outnumbered by the presence of about 10 lakh Rohingyas.
The most serious problem the local people are facing is the high prices of food. Even during this peak vegetables season, people cannot buy any of the vegetables below Tk 50 per kilogram. Generally, per kilogram of vegetables is priced at Tk 10-15 during this season of the year. To make things worse, nowadays vegetables have even become scarce. Many vegetable vendors sit empty handed as most of the vegetables are taken to the Rohingya settlements for sale.
While the affluent part of the host community can cope with the sudden food inflation, it is getting very difficult for the people belonging to the lower income tier.
Another aspect impacting the locals is employment. Most of the jobs in the informal sector have already been taken up by the Rohingyas, who arrived before the two recent influxes – last year and 2016.
The newly-arrived Rohingyas are yet to start taking jobs, but locals fear that with time they will take many of the jobs that currently employ the locals, if the past is any guide.
The sectors already dominated by the Rohingyas are transport, hospitality, agriculture (day labourers), and construction (day labourers).
Employers are interested in hiring Rohingyas because they are ready to work at half of the wages of the local labours. For instance, a Bangladeshi construction or agriculture labourer used to earn Tk 500 to 600 per day. But, a Rohingya is happy to do this in half of the amount.
Despite the economic hardship faced by the local people due to the presence of large number Rohingyas, they are unhappy but not yet hostile to the new arrivals from Rakhine. But, the continuation of the prevailing situation may
make things different. Therefore, the administration and the international organisations working on the ground should pay proper attention to the financial problems faced by the host community. Their cooperation is extremely important for smooth operations of the activities to mitigate the suffering of Rohingyas, who have already suffered enough.
When contacted, Deputy Commissioner of Cox’s Bazar Ali Hossain told The Independent that he is aware of the problems faced by locals.
“Yes, it is true the local people are having some problems. But, we are in a crisis that was created from the other side of the border. Our host community is showing generosity to people in danger,” he said, adding that the government’s efforts will be there to make lives of the affected locals easier.