Reza Mahmud from Cox’s Bazar : Rohingyas are still pouring into Bangladesh through the borders from Myanmar further worsening the conditions of the country’s southeastern border district Cox’s Bazar, where more than 400,000 Rohingyas have already arrived after fleeing violence in Rakhine State since August 25. More than 500 Rohingyas reached Bangladesh after crossing Naf River on Wednesday morning. Most of them were elderly people. An engine boat carrying the refuges reached Shah Pori Dweep last night and later they walked for Teknaf by a hilly road. They reached Bangladesh with whatever they could carry, some even with livestock. A large number of Rohingyas are also preparing in the Myanmar side to make the perilous crossing, said the refugees who crossed into Bangladesh on the day. Conditions have already worsened in the border district where the majority of refugees are living in desperate circumstances. The fresh influx will further worsene the situation, officials said. They said the district administration is facing intense pressure to deal with the huge number of Rohingya refugees, as it lacks manpower and logistic shortage. The newly arrived Rohingyas are sharing accommodation with other families in six previous makeshift settlements and refugee camps, six spontaneous settlements, and with host communities in Ukhia and Teknaf. They are in immediate need of food, health services, WASH facilities, protection, and cash for work modalities, according to International Organization for Migration (IOM). Multiple outbreaks of unrest in October 2016 and August 2017 in the Rakhine State of Myanmar triggered large influxes of Rohingyas crossing into Bangladesh through the borders in Teknaf and Ukhia upazilas of Cox’s Bazar.
