Rashida, 30, is the mother of six children. She and her family live in the Leda refugee camp, in Bangladesh. She has difficulty feeding and taking care of her children since her husband was arrested and put in the Cox’s Bazar jail by Bangladeshi authorities, she told Kaladan Press in a recent interview.

Her husband, Hashim Ullah, 35, was arrested at the Leda check-point by the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) border guards, in early morning on October 24, while he and other refugees were on their way to Teknaf to look for work as laborers. Hashim wanted work as a rickshaw puller.

Over 50 Rohingya refugees from Leda camp were arrested by the BDR that day while on their way to find work so they could feed their families, who have no food ration because they are illegal refugees. The BDR took them to the Teknaf police station, but later they were sent on to the  Cox’s Bazar jail, by Teknaf police.

“My husband frequently goes to Teknaf for rickshaw pulling because I don’t get support from any agency and I must feed and maintain our children. But, if my husband does not do work every day, I and my children have to starve,” she said.

“In my family there are eight of us, four daughters and two sons. One daughter is the oldest, but my two sons are small. So, only my husband can earn money in my family.

I live in a small hut at Leda camp with my six children, but I face so many difficulties. I can’t provide food for my children. Because I can’t go to outside the camp, I can’t go to the mountain to collect fire wood for fear of arrest by the BDR and violence from local people,” she said.

“It makes me cry that I can never go out from my house and can’t leave the camp to earn money and collect firewood. Now, how can I feed and maintain my children in the camp? May be I will die begging for my children.”

On 2nd November 2010, she went to Cox’s Bazar jail to see her husband. She went with other refugees for safety.

“I gave my husband some biscuits to eat and clothes to use. But he cried saying, ‘who will care for my children, who will feed to my children and who will release me from the jail? Why am I languishing in this jail for no reason?’” Rashida said.

“Ten years ago, I fled to Bangladesh from Burma because of religious persecution, forced labor, marriage restriction, movement restriction, extortion, and arbitrary arrest by the military junta,” she said.

“I believe Bangladesh is a Muslim country. Why is the Bangladeshi government harassing the Rohingya refugees inside Bangladesh, just like the military junta inside Burma?”

A community member from Leda camp said, “The Rohingya refugees of Leda camp frequently go to Teknaf as laborers and rickshaw pulling because they don’t get support from anyone. They must do this to feed their children. If they don’t find work outside the camp, they have to starve with their family members.”

“If the crackdown continues, refugees may die in the  future,” he said.

A refugee teacher says nearly 100 refugees were already arrested and sent to Cox’s Bazar jail.

Over 10,000 Rohingya refugees have been living in the Leda camp for two years. The Muslim Aid agency provides medical care, water and camp management services.

A community leader says “Relatives of the arrested people went to Muslim Aid and complained about the arrests. They told the refugees that they don’t know why the BDR harasses the unregistered refugees of Leda camp. It is not known if Muslim Aid will secure their release from jail. People don’t know.”

He also said no INGOs have taken steps to secure their release or complain about the crackdown on unregistered refugees of Leda camp by Bangladeshi authorities.

Toyuba, the mother of five children, said her husband, Md. Alam, 30, was also arrested at the Leda check-post by the BDR, on October 24.

Her husband had suffered bouts of madness and was very ill a week ago. He felt a little better and was also going to Teknaf for work as a rickshaw puller. Unfortunately he was arrested by the BDR and handed over to the Teknaf Police. Later he was sent to Cox’s Bazar jail.

“I am very afraid for my husband because sometimes he loses his mind. If he becomes mad in the jail, who will take care him?”

From October 24 to 3rd November, she has only been able to cook four meals because  she had no rice in her hut.

Toyuba went to Cox’s Bazar jail to see her husband. He is very unhappy in the jail. He cried a lot after seeing her, she said.

“It makes me cry because I don’t know how I will feed my children or get my husband out of jail. I have no elder son to help,” she said during the interview.

“So, I would like to ask the Bangladesh authorities and the international community to release my husband and other refugees from the jail, and open the road so the men can look for work.

On other hand, Fatema Khatun, the mother of three goes outside the camp to beg for alms because her husband can’t work.

“If the Bangladeshi government continues this harassment of refugees, how will we live? I think many refugees will die in the future if the UNHCR and the international community do not help us refugees,” Fatema said.