Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh: The Rohingya Driving Committee of Ukiya union in Cox’s Bazar district convened a protest meeting over Rohingya refugees in Kutupalong area, inviting local people yesterday, said a refugee from Kutupalong camp requesting not to be named.
At the meeting, the committee members said that the Rohingya refugees have been creating myriad problems in local areas and are a burden on Bangladesh. Bangladesh people do not wish for them to stay on and want their immediate repatriation. They also want to stop Rohingya infiltration into Bangladesh with the cooperation of local people in border areas.
The Committee members such as--- Committee conveners Principal Hamidul Haque of Ukhiya Collage and Secretary Nur Mohamed Sikdar said that they submitted letters to 23 government departments of Bangladesh including the Prime Minister’s office, regarding their demands on Rohingya refugees, said another refugee from the camp.
The committee members also submitted a letter to Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner (RRRC) of Cox’s Bazar alleging that UNHCR and some NGOs are encouraging Rohingya refugees not to go back to Burma.
On being asked a refugee from Kutupalong camp said on condition of anonymity, “It is a false and fabricated accusation of the UNHCR and some NGOs. They never asked us not to go back to Burma.”
Every day, police from Teknaf go to Shapuri Dip and arrest Rohngya people from the work site. They go out to other places to work and support their family members. Some arrested Rohingyas, able to pay money to the police were released and some unable to afford the money have been sent to Cox’s Bazar jail. Police collected Taka 2,000 to 3,000 per head, for their release, said a freed Rohingya.
On December 28, at about 6:00 pm, 36 Rohingyas from Shamlapur of Teknaf union were arrested by police from the road while they were coming from fishing boat and were brought to Teknaf police station and released 34 persons after taking Taka 4,000 per each, but of them two others were sent to Cox’s Bazar jail, said a Rohingya from Shamlapur village.
Fishing boat Association of Shamlapur said, “Our business will be damaged if Rohingya are arrested arbitrary like that as we gave advanced money to the Rohingya laborers for the fishing season. If the concerned authority wants to arrest Rohigyas, we will cooperate to arrest the whole Rohingya families. But, we want our advanced money from concerned authority. We do not want to arrest single Rohingya excluding their family members.”
In short, Rohingyas are caught between a crocodile (Burma) and a snake (Bangladesh). They have no alternative place to go to. Nasaka extort money from Rohingya villagers in Arakan and police extort money from Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, said a politician from Maungdaw, who did not want to be named.
