The status of efforts to repatriate undocumented Burmese nationals in Bangladesh was discussed late last month at an inter-ministerial meeting, according to a Bangladesh News Agency (BSS) report.

The meeting was held on October 27 at Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, chaired by Foreign Minister Dr Dipu Moni, though specific details of the government’s plans were not revealed.

Refugee leaders say the status for Burma’s Rohingya community has remained one of consistent suffering, much like the political situation in Arakan State.

“We flee to neighboring countries to avoid harassment by military rulers,” said a refugee leader from Leda camp.

“We will return to our homeland when the situation is favourable for us. We do not want to live in a small hut without any future.”

Another refugee leader said that Bangladeshi authorities fail to grasp the challenges that Rohingyas face in their home country.

“The concerned authorities of Bangladesh have been trying to repatriate refugees forcibly. I think that they do not know the actual situation of the Rohingya people in Burma,” the leader said.

“Repatriation is not the only solution to the refugee problem. The Bangladeshi government has other issues, such as citizen status, security and equal rights for all ethnic peoples.”

Meanwhile, authorities have continued to restrict the movement of refugees.

Officers of the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) have stationed themselves at the gate of the Nayapara camp and have barred refugees from leaving the camp.

A resident of Nayapara camp said officers from Bangladesh’s detective branch (DIB) have entered the camp to observe conditions among the refugees. The operation was ordered by the head of the camp and the Township Nirbahi Officer (TNO) of Teknaf.

Officers from the BDR and DIB have also been seen at Leda camp observing conditions and interviewing camp residents.

More than 200 Rohingya refugees, including many who have resided for several years in Bangladesh, have been arrested since October 23 by the BDR and police in Teknaf, Shapuri Dip, Cox’s Bazaar and from the Leda and Kutupalong while trying to get employment, said a refugee leader from Kutupalong camp.

Some of the detained have since been released, while others remain in custody. The families of the arrested say they have had trouble getting food and other necessary resources, and that no humanitarian assistance has been made available to them.

More than 12,000 refugees live in Leda camp, while an estimated 40,000 more live in Kutupalong, most of whom get little or no humanitarian assistance. Camp residents support their families by seeking work outside the camp, said one refugee camp resident who asked not to be named.

Refugees say that authorities have been more aggressively preventing them from seeking work outside the camps since October 26, and that even local Bangladeshi villagers have detained refugees who are discovered outside the camps.

“It is an appalling situation in the camps, as many children are crying for food and their mothers are weeping and holding their children,” said a local police officer who declined to be named.

The arrest of refugees has declined since November 1, one refugee said, but they remain scared.

“They dare not go out of the camp because of fear of arrest by BDR or police or even local people.”