Staff Reporter :
Rohingyas want to ensure their rights as citizen of Myanmar before repatriation from their temporary camps in Cox’s Bazar.
They made this demand while talking with the visiting UN Special Rapporteur on human rights situation in Myanmar Yanghee Lee in different Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar on Saturday.
Yanghee Lee listened to the Rohingyas horrific experiences of torture in Myanmar.
The UN envoy visited Damdamia Rohingya camp in Teknaf around 9:00am. Later, she also visited Nayapara and Roikkhang Rohingya camps.
Later she talked to 20 Rohingyas – 10 men and 10 women-at the reception centre of Teknaf Nature Park.
Rohingyas described about the tortures on them conducted by Myanmar Army and Buddhists terrorists to the visiting UN special rights envoy.
Ayesha Khanam, who fled from Balibazar area, Maungdaw, Myanmar, said to Lee that the Army and Buddhist terrorists conducted genocide on them.
“They started mass killing, gang rape and burned our homes. However, we managed to flee from there,” Ayesha said.
She urged the UN special envoy to ensure their rights as the citizen of the country and every safety before their repatriation.
“Without making ensure our fundamental rights to live their, it would not be justice to return us to the country,” she said.
The other Rohingyas said that without ensuring fundamental rights before their repatriation no one should return them in huge life risky conditions. “It is better to kill us here but not send us before ensuring our rights,” one of them said to Yanghee Lee.
Officials of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and international donor agencies were present.
The UN envoy later visited Nayapara and Roikkhang Rohingya camps. Yanghee Lee arrived Friday in Cox’s Bazar on a three-day visit to see rights situation of Rohingyas living in different camps there.
She began her Bangladesh visit on Thursday vowing to fulfill her mandate despite the Myanmar government’s refusal to work with her.
Yanghee Lee said, “The government of Myanmar has accused me of being bias, while at the same time denying that human rights violations have taken place in Myanmar.”
The UN envoy said she is determined to carry on her duties to the best of her ability.
She said that this is very important task of helping the victims of human rights violations and abuses in Myanmar, as mandated to her by the United Nation. After her Bangladesh visit until January 24, the Special Rapporteur will visit Thailand where she will stay till January 30. The special envoy said, “I have a responsibility to speak on behalf of these victims, and I will not be deterred.”
“This is why I am going ahead to visit neighbouring countries to reach out as far as possible to all victims and witnesses to learn of their experience,” she said.
Sources said, following her visit, the human rights experts will present a report to the Human Rights Council in March, 2018.
