50-acres of forestland for Rohingyas in Cox’s Bazar

Rohingyas taking shelter at fields available near the Bangladesh-Myanmar border on Wednesday.
Rohingyas taking shelter at fields available near the Bangladesh-Myanmar border on Wednesday.
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Chttagong Bureau :
Cox’s Bazar district authorities wants to make 50 acres of Balukhali forestland available for Myanmar refugees fleeing a brutal crackdown in Rakhine state.
Refugees who fled Myanmar during previous violence are already living there, Additional District Magistrate Khaled Mahmud said. The land owned by the Forest Department was made available for refugees who had fled a much-smaller army offensive by Myanmar security forces last year, he said.
“Several thousand refugees who came last year are living there.
The ones who are fleeing now will also be allowed to set up there.” “The Rohingya refugees have been asked to set up around the older camps instead of being scattered all over the area.” Around 125,000 mostly Muslim Rohingya refugees have fled to Bangladesh following renewed violence in Rakhine state, UN workers have said.
They have set up numerous tiny plastic-sheet tents in the five kilometers between Ukhia’s Kutup-alang and Thaingkhali. There are similar slums in Teknaf’s Howaikyang Union and surrounding places.
The refugees have been coming across various border points, locals said. The slums popping up in random places pose a threat to the law and order situation, they said.
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