United States urged to resolve Burmese refugees in Bangladesh

Posted on | juni 11, 2011 | 2 Comments

Bangladesh formally requested United States to exert diplomatic pressure on Burma to repatriate thousands of ethnic Muslim Rohingya languishing in refugee camps in the country for decades, a breeding ground of Islamic extremism and human trafficking.

Food and disaster management minister Abdur Razzaque briefed journalists on Thursday after a holding crucial meeting in the capital Dhaka with the visiting U.S. assistant secretary of state for population, refugee and migration Eric Schwartz.

Dhaka requests Washington to open consultation with Burma (now Myanmar) for the repatriation of some 300,000 documented and undocumented Rohingya refugees living in untold miseries.

The Burmese Muslims are housed in three camps near Cox’s Bazaar, the sea beach resort bordering Burma in the south-east. The camps are run by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees with support from international aid agencies.

Schwartz categorically told Bangladesh authority that the solution to the repartition of Rohingya refugees lies primarily with Bangladesh to encourage Burma for voluntary repartition of the refugees.

Bangladesh minister instead insists that U.S. should exert pressure on Burmese military junta for the repartition of the refugee. “We are already socially and economically burdened after hosting these refugees on humanitarian ground for so many years,” Razzaque told reporters.

The visiting U.S. assistant secretary of state requested Bangladesh authorities to register the undocumented refugees since the stateless people have been living in an inhuman condition too.

He said that the refugees living here is a political headache for the region, as well as for United States in the war against terrorism. The undocumented Rohingya refugee’s is a breeding ground for recruits for the Islamic terror network.

He assured that unless there is a change of military junta towards a political solution in Burma, the United States will continue to support Bangladesh for sheltering the Rohingya refugees.

Schwartz expressed concern over scanty food ration, inadequate shelter and poor healthcare facilities for the refugees who started entering Bangladesh since 1991 when Burma military junta drove away the ethnic Muslims from the southern Rakhaine state of Burma.

Recognizing the issue as a humanitarian disaster, Schwartz said the regime in Burma systematically denies human rights and human freedom of the Rohingya and also of pro-democracy Burmese.

An estimated 236,000 out of over 250,000 Rohingya refugees have returned to Burma in early 1990s, but persistent political persecution in their country have forced them again to take shelter in neighboring Bangladesh.

The process for refugee repatriation was halted for years because of the reluctance of military authority in Myanmar.

AUTHOR: Saleem Samad
URL: http://bangladeshwatchdog.blogspot.com
E-MAIL: saleemsamad [at] hotmail.com

Category: refugees, South Asia
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Comments

2 Responses to “United States urged to resolve Burmese refugees in Bangladesh”

  1. Azmi
    juni 11th, 2011 @ 15:48

    I request to the world community, EU, USA, NATO and UN to consider this case seriously and to do an special operation against the Burmese criminal military regime to bring them on International Criminal Court in Hague.It should be the final battle of this game otherwise all innocent ethnic groups will sufffer and die without reason in Burma.
    Azmi
    Frankfurt-Germany

  2. Rafique
    juni 12th, 2011 @ 13:35

    Today Rohingya still feeling in camp medicine is one of the most important source for human daily life. It is also one of the fundamental rights acknowledged by the UN convention. Without medicine or medical care human life not expected at all. But medical care providing in Rohingya Refugee camp in Bangladesh is very criticisable. There is no alternative source of medical care.

    Camp hospital : There are two primary health care centres in two official camp in Bangladesh known MoH. There are one medical officer, two assistant doctors and a medicine supplier leading by one MBBS known as Medical Team Leader (MTL) in each camp. Refugees get so limited medicines from MoH because of the doctors’ negligence. If patients become worst they admit them to IPD. Its also liked that. By the lack of proper treatment at least ten normal refugee die in a year. Only patients of fever, diarrhea, and normaly disease get treatment.

    Sometimes some serious patients get opportunity to get refer to Cox’s Bazar Sadar Hospital or Chittagong Medical Hospital for the thousands requests of camp management committee members. If doctors of respective hospital get that the patients need to come again they do not able to go again in the main time. Overs 100 patients are suffering from such cases. Its great matter of regret that though sack of sweat dropping efforts of theirs guardians they could not get proper treatment. One of the patient, suffering from kidney normality, Md Yousuf of block A said that he has been suffering from this disease for 6 year and have not get proper treatment. He also said, ” If I could die this moment it will be the best to get rid of suffering”.

    Moreover, it’s more difficult when a refugee passes away. It’s extremely risky to bury the decease in the cemetery of refugee camp. Local Bangladesh people usually file cases against the relatives of the decease for burying in their claimed lands; and any kinds of help from the camp authorities are rarely available for the people of the camp.

    Imagine about the situations. Think about the rights of a diseased person. Think about the rights of a decease.

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