Staff Reporter :
Killing incidents, drug dealings and human trafficking which have been taking place in the Rohingya camps in different times are breaching the internal security issues since their arrival in Bangladesh in 2017.
It is reported that a Rohingya volunteer was killed by the miscreants in the dead of night in the Ukhiya camp on Tuesday. The deceased was identified as Zafor Alam, Armed Battalion spokesperson Faruk Ahmed of the camp No. 18 confirmed it.
He said that the Rohingya volunteers who were engaged in patrolling duty in Camp No. 18 wanted to know the identity of a number of ‘miscreants’ who were strolling around the camp area in a suspicious way at around 3am on Tuesday.
At one point the miscreants indiscriminately stabbed leaving Zafor Alam killed on the spot and two others injured.
The wounded Rohingya man was rushed to the Chattogram Medical Hospital. It is presumed that the Rohingya armed miscreants carried out the attack.
On the other hand, some miscreants opened fire in camp No. 7 in Ukhiya on Tuesday night, leaving Halim seriously injured.
Officer-in-Charge of Ukhiya Police Station Sheikh Mohammad Ali said, the wounded Rohingya was sent to Chattogram Medical College Hospital.
He said that the incident might occur due to establishing dominance or the sequel of enmity.
With the passage of the time, frequent terror acts, arms fighting, drugs dealings, human trafficking in the Rohingya camps are posing serious security threats to the camp people and the local civilians.
Police and other sources said that different Rohingya groups are active inside the camps and these groups often locked in arms fighting over establishing supremacy inside the camps to carry out their illegal activities including drug dealings.
According to police, at least 115 Rohingyas including prominent Rohingya leader Mohib Ullah were killed reportedly since the exodus of the Rohingyas into Bangladesh after being persecuted by the Myanmar Army.
Some 2,438 cases were filed with the local police stations in Cox’s Bazar over the violence in Rohingya camps from August 25, 2017 to August 20, 2022.
Of the cases, 115 over murder cases, 1,644 drug cases, 185 arms cases, 88 rape cases, and 39 abduction cases.
Both Bangladesh and the International community have expressed deep concerns over the escalating criminal activities in the camps.
Police have found that such criminal offences are occurring because around 34 Rohingya camps are located alongside the impassable and hilly area of the Bangladesh -Myanmar border.
Due to this accessibility, it has become difficult for the law enforcers to contain the criminal offences strictly and taking this opportunity of the lack of surveillance, the different terror groups have made the camps a hub of criminal activities.
Sensing the gravity of the terror acts and drug dealings, the government is considering the deployment of army in the camps, if necessary, to contain terror acts and drug trafficking.
Even on 28 August, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal in the Secretariat said that Bangladesh Army could be deployed in Rohingya camps, if necessary.
“The police, RAB, BGB, Ansar and APBn are working in the camps to contain terror acts. If necessary, the Army will be deployed. They will also carry out drives both inside and outside the camps if situation demands,” he added.
He also mentioned that steps would be taken to track the mobile phones of the Rohingyas to prevent any imminent criminal activities following prior information.
“The mobile phones of the Rohingyas would be tracked in a bid to resist the illegal activities in the camps,” he said.
He also held the Myanmar military junta responsible for the rise of illegal drugs in the country for Myanmar’s patronisation of drugs including Yaba pills smuggled through the borders.
