Chittagong, Bangladesh: Arakanese Rohingya asylum seekers are facing a crisis of food in Cambodia, said Mohamed Tayub, an asylum seeker in a mobile phone interview.

“As an asylum seeker, we are unable to work for survival. If we are given refugee status we will get facilities, but, now we are facing food crisis, he added.  

A total of 32 Arakanese Rohingya asylum seekers reached Cambodia since January 2010, he said.

“All the asylum seekers had given interviews to the concerned authority including UNHCR and hope to get refugee status, but when we don’t know,” Tayub said.

The Jesuit Refugees Service (JRS) in Cambodia provided us shelter (rooms), water and electricity and UNHCR provides for health care, said another asylum seeker Abdul Kahled.

“We are living now at No. 255, ST-598, Sangkat Phnom Penh Thmei, Khan Russey Keo, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, “he said.

“JRS provided us food for two months, when we arrived in Cambodia but now it has stopped giving food as the organization has no more funds to support us, he said.

“We also requested and applied to the UNHCR for food but, UNHCR is only providing us health care,” said Abdullah, another asylum seeker who has two children with him.

“We are requesting our community organizations from outside Burma to help us,” Tayub told Kaladan News.

Ms. Chris Lewa, Director of Arakan project visited the Arakanese Rohingya asylum seekers in Cambodia on May 19 to 23. She tried to get support from other INGOs. But, she failed to resolve the crisis and told asylum seekers to request Arakanese Rohingya organizations in exile for support and to resolve the food crisis, according to a letter from asylum seekers from Cambodia.

Image: June-03

Caption: Arakanese Rohingya asylum seekers in Cambodia