<i>Rohingya refugees</i>
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The Rohingya refugee problem in Bangladesh has been a long pending one. It is now 17 years that they have been in Bangladesh without proper international attention. Following the latest influx during 1991-92, Rohingyas took refuge in Bangladesh. Then about 258,000 Rohingyas were registered by the government of Bangladesh and granted refugee status through an executive order, however, without any proper legal sanction. In addition to that thousands of Rohingyas arrived here and mixed with local population over the years. Some estimates suggest that there are about 300,000 nationals of Myanmar (mostly Rohingyas) outside the official camps who are 'illegally' staying in the Cox's Bazar, Bandarban and Chittagong districts. The UN refugee agency, the UNHCR, which is mostly responsible for lingering the problem, came into operation here in 1992. There are now some 26,000 plus refugees in two official camps in Cox's Bazar. The government of Bangladesh manages these camps with assistance from the UNHCR and other donors. According to an official record of the government and the UNHCR, so far about 237,000 refugees have returned to Myanmar. However, local people believe the opposite: almost all of the so-called repatriated Rohingyas came back to Bangladesh later on and continued to live here and there in greater Chittagong district and far away to greater Barisal district. Birth rates among those Rohingyas, whether in the camps or outside, are reportedly very high. The UNHCR and relevant UN agencies are ignorant on this issue. The Rohingyas are an ethnic group from the Northern Rakhine State (formerly Arakan State) of Myanmar. They are persecuted in their home country, Myanmar. Out of about 2.5 million Rohingyas, two million are reportedly now out of the country of their origin. They are in Bangladesh, Malaysia, Pakistan, India, Thailand, the USA and in different Middle Eastern and European countries. It is very unfortunate that the international community including the UN agencies and countries like the USA, UK, China, Thailand and India have failed to perform their due role with regard to restoration of democracy and human rights in Myanmar. These countries have their respective business and other interests with the present military regime of Myanmar. Given the scenario of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, there has been no repatriation since 2006. In 2005, only 92 persons went back. On the other hand, there is a move to make the problem linger. Some vested and interested groups including some religion-based local political parties and international agencies are behind this. They are reportedly negotiating with the government of Bangladesh for an arrangement to have permanent shelter for the remaining Rohingya refuges here. (If it were granted it would be an added burden to a poor country like ours indeed. This will encourage others to come to Bangladesh). It is learnt that the UNHCR authority is expecting the present caretaker government to execute their plan : to have local integration (e.g. naturalization) for the remaining camp refugees. They are also planning to pressurize the government to open up the two-refugee camps, so that the refugee population could mix with local population. In the mean time, a group of nearly 10,000 'unregistered' Rohingyas have been provided shelter by the government on the reserved land of the forest department. Now, some so-called development partners (in fact, they do consider themselves as colonial masters) have reportedly been pressurizing the government for refugee status for those groups. The people and the government of Bangladesh, which has been extending shelter generously to the Rohingyas for a long time, should be vocal now against any proposal for having permanent shelter for them in Bangladesh. The political parties should also take up the issue for the interest of the country. The government should extensively talk with its Myanmar counterpart for taking back the remaining Rohingyas now staying here in Bangladesh recognised as refugees or staying here illegally. The developed countries should come forward as well in this regard without any vested interest and share the burden through resettling a significant portion of the remaining refugees in their respective countries, if they really have any concern about the Rohingyas.
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