Dhaka: The Dhaka office of the UNHCR cancelled its World Refugee Day programme for urban refugees, mostly Burmese. The reason for the cancellation was that there would not be any activities (performances) from the urban refugee community, according to a telephonic message from the UNHCR to the refugees.

“We received a telephonic message from Dhaka UNHCR on Monday saying that the UNHCR has cancelled the World Refugee Day programme for urban refugees,” a Burmese refugee said.

The UNHCR Dhaka office was supposed to observe the World Refugee Day for urban refugees at the Raowa conference room, VIP Road, Mohakhali Dhaka, from 9 am to 1.30 pm, on June 21.

The UNHCR invited all urban refugees to attend the function. It also promised to provide 1000 Taka as traveling expenses to a refugee if he or she came to Dhaka from the rural areas of Bangladesh. But for refugees staying in Dhaka, the UNHCR was to provide 70 Taka each.

“We were preparing to attend the refugee day programme in Dhaka but we just postponed our travel plans after the UNHCR cancelled the programme. I think there is something serious behind the cancellation of the World Refugee Day programme but I am not aware of the details,” the refugee said.

However, the UNHCR will distribute sanitary gifts to women refugees who are over 12 years old. T-shirts will also be distributed to urban refugees on the day.

Even though the UNHCR Dhaka office cancelled the programme for urban refugees it will hold the biggest World Refugee Day programme for Burmese Muslim refugees (Rohingya) at two refugee camps located in Cox’s Bazaar district in Bangladesh.

Currently the relation between UNHCR Dhaka office and urban refugees is not very smooth due to what Burmese refugees call the discrimination practiced by UNHCR Dhaka office against Burmese urban refugees.

“I heard that the UNHCR Dhaka office cancelled the World Refugee Day programme after receiving secret information that urban refugees plan to boycott the programme. So the UNHCR authorities cancelled the programme because it was pointless to hold it without refugees participating,” said U Tun Kyaw, a Burmese refugee.

The palpable tension between UNHCR and urban refugees has increased after the UNHCR stopped subsistence allowance to newly recognized refugees for six months. The UNHCR has also not come up with resettlement programmes for urban refugees despite many camp refugees having the chance to resettle in third countries.