Rohingyas registered in refugee camps are prohibited from leaving the camp; In the meantime, some refugees took refuge in camps at the zero line on the Bangladesh-Myanmar border – this has come out in a survey.
The Rohingyas who were displaced six years ago in the face of Myanmar military operations and stuck at zero line on their way to Bangladesh, are unregistered.
Besides, according to international rules, Bangladesh or Myanmar’s administration and law enforcement forces cannot play any role at the zero line. No one has the right to go there.
The International Committee of the Red Cross and Red Crescent (IRCRC) took care of about 4,500 Rohingya from 630 families trapped in the camp there. They lived on the ration given by this organization.
Recently, about 3000 Rohingyas have fled from the zero line camp due to the conflict between the armed organizations of Rohingya citizens of Myanmar, ‘Arsa and RSO’, and came to Bangladesh.
Through survey and investigation, it is now seen that nearly two thousand of them were already registered in various refugee camps. But due to various reasons, they left the refugee camp and took refuge in the zero line camp.
Why did they move out of ‘mainstream’ refugee camp life and live in ‘comparatively less socialized and more insecure and vulnerable’ ground zero camps?
In response, the Refugees, Relief and Repatriation Commission (RRRC) in charge of taking care of Rohingya refugees registered in 33 temporary camps in Teknaf and Ukhia upazilas of Cox’s Bazar and the law and order force Arms Police Battalion (APBN) in charge of Rohingya security have given different reasons.
At one stage of the ongoing conflict on the Myanmar border, on January 18, there was a massive firefight between the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) and the Arakan Rohingya Solidarity Organization (RSO) at Konarpara Zero Line Camp in Naikxyongchari Upazila. One person was killed and two Rohingya including a child were injured.
That day the entire camp was set on fire. Then the Rohingyas were forced to leave the camp with only their lives in hand. A part of them came and took shelter at Tumbru border of Naikxyongchari upazila of Bandarban. There, they have been living a subhuman life for the past two weeks hanging temporary awnings under the open sky.
A National Task Force Committee was formed with representatives of the administration, RRRC, law enforcement and international organizations to take action on these Rohingyas. The committee first completed their calculations on Sunday and Monday.
On Tuesday, the Refugee, Relief and Repatriation Commission (RRRC) announced the results of the survey and said that 2,970 members of 558 Rohingya families fled from the zero line and took shelter in Tumbru. The task force decided to shift them to various camps in Ukhia and Teknaf.