Sagar Biswas :
The government has decided not to provide any relief materials or cooperation to the unregistered Rohingya people with a view to running the rehabilitation programme in a well-coordinated arrangement.
Officials said about one lakh Rohingya nationals have so far been got biometric registration till Sunday. Though the registration started on September 11, it is taking too much time as most of the Rohingyas are unaware about the biometric technology due to lack of publicity by the authorities concerned.
At present, Rohingyas who have fled ethnic cleansing in Rakhine state are fighting each other for scarce space and basic necessities in the muddy camps taking shelter under polythene-covered makeshift houses. Especially, rain accelerates their anguish.
As a part of diplomatic effort, Home Minister Asaduzzamn Khan Kamal yesterday said that he will visit Myanmar this month to discuss immediate repatriation of the Rohingyas to their homeland.
Meanwhile, the local administration has started work to construct a temporary ‘mega camp’ on 5500 acres of Forest Department’s land by amalgamating the existing Kutupalong and Balukhali camps where about 10, 00,000 new Rohingya people will be accommodated, the officials said.
A large area, stretching about 18 miles, surrounding the mega camp will be enclosed with barbed wire fence, so that none could leave the camp without prior permission of the authority.
According to local sources, the quantity of relief is not enough in comparison to huge displaced people. They said crowds of people, children, men and women were running after the trucks, grabbing at whatever they can get. Their sufferings have been escalated while their need is unlimited.
In this regard, the UNHCR has opened appeals and Oxfam is calling for donations to its emergency fund. They also want governments everywhere to immediately boost aid for the Rohingyas.
Officials of Cox’s Bazar District Administration said that the Balukhali and Kutupalong camps will be amalgamated on security grounds. And for the same reason, some roads and other structures will be constructed under the supervision of Bangladesh army in the area.
Meanwhile, a top UN official has said that Bangladesh’s plan to build the world’s biggest refugee camp was “dangerous” because overcrowding could heighten the risks of deadly diseases spreading quickly.
“Bangladesh should instead look for new sites to build more camps. When you concentrate too many people into a very small area, particularly the people who are very vulnerable to diseases, it is dangerous,” Robert Watkins, the UN resident coordinator in Dhaka, told the AFP on Saturday.
“There are stronger possibilities, if there are any infectious diseases that spread, that will spread very quickly. It is much easier to manage people, manage the health situation and security situation if there are a number of different camps rather than one mega camp,” he noted.
Expressing apprehension, the United Nations recently said there is a possibility of “further exodus”. In this situation, UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs Mark Lowcock reiterated the UN’s appeal for access to the population in Rakhine, saying the current situation was “unacceptable” and that the crisis was one of the most “heart-rending”.
Not only that, Robert Watkins further said that continuing influx represented “a very big challenge” for the aid agencies as Bangladesh authorities reported 4,000 to 5,000 Rohingya were crossing the border daily, with 10,000 more waiting at the frontier.
When asked about UN’s apprehension, General Secretary of ruling Awami League Obaidul Quader on Sunday said, “We also fear about the fresh influx. Bangladesh has activated diplomatic channels. As the UN is apprehending the influx, so we think the UN will take stringent measures against it.”
“Bangladesh government has decided to keep open the border for the displaced Rohingyas until violence is stopped in Rakhine state…..I hope, China and India will extend their cooperation to end the crisis,” Obaidul Quader, also Road Transport and Bridges Minister, said.
