Ali Asif Shawon
March 9, 2023
Rohingyas walk on a road at a refugee camp in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, on Wednesday, August 11, 2021 Allison Joyce/Dhaka Tribune
What is the impact of the recent Rohingya aid fund cut?
Now Rohingya people will sell their cheap labor in our market and our Bangladeshi day laborers will lose their job options. It will have a chain reaction which will have the cohesion build-up process between the host and guest community decline. Social tension will arise.
Why is the humanitarian fund for Rohingya declining?
Humanitarian funds basically depend on emotion. After a certain time emotion varies. In 2017, the UN declared the Rohingya crisis a level-3 crisis, which means the topmost emergency. For example, after the earthquake, Turkey is now at level-3. Right now, the Rohingya issue is at level-2, which means a non-emergency crisis. By this time, several disasters have happened worldwide. This is why the focus has been shifted to different areas.
Now Rohingya people will sell their cheap labor in our market and our Bangladeshi day laborers will lose their job options. It will have a chain reaction which will have the cohesion build-up process between the host and guest community decline. Social tension will arise.
Why is the humanitarian fund for Rohingya declining?
Humanitarian funds basically depend on emotion. After a certain time emotion varies. In 2017, the UN declared the Rohingya crisis a level-3 crisis, which means the topmost emergency. For example, after the earthquake, Turkey is now at level-3. Right now, the Rohingya issue is at level-2, which means a non-emergency crisis. By this time, several disasters have happened worldwide. This is why the focus has been shifted to different areas.
Is there any development on Rohingya repatriation?
There is no such development to share with you. We are having some discussions and meetings but the outcome is not fruitful yet.
What are the obstacles to repatriation?
The problem lies in Myanmar and the solution is also their responsibility. We are innocent victims and the situation in Myanmar has never been congenial for repatriation.
What is the birth rate in Rohingya camps and what measures are taken for birth control?
The birth rate in Rohingya camps is higher than ours. The Bangladesh government's family planning department, UNFPA and some international NGOs are working in the camps to control the birth rate. The acceptance rate for family planning has doubled in the Rohingya camps and right now it's more than 60 percent. Previously it was below 30 percent. The birth rate is still high as yearly around 30,000 Rohingya babies are born. In 2022, the number was less than 30,000.
What is the law and order situation in the Rohingya camps?
In the last five-six months, almost 20 people were killed in the camps. The law enforcement situation is not as we want it to be. Earlier, attacks took place at night and now it is happening also in daylight. One of the main reasons is frustration. Due to the delay in repatriation, Rohingya people are getting frustrated and getting involved in criminal activities like armed groups and smuggling groups. As it's a border area, drug peddling is also very common. Rohingya youths are very vulnerable to any type of criminal activity.
What about human trafficking conditions inside the camps?
The majority of the Rohingyas think if they cannot get back to Myanmar and cannot be integrated into Bangladesh society, they have to flee to another third country for a better life. Human trafficking is a vast criminal racket…it's tough to uncover it. We can arrest a few members of the racket but the ring leaders are always big fish. They are connected with several international gangs.
What is the solution to this crisis?
There are three ways to solve the refugee crisis: repatriation, integration with the host community and resettlement in a third country. Our government has chosen repatriation as the solution. Repatriation and integration together are a contradictory policy because integration affects the repatriation process.
What is the impact of the Rohingya crisis on the security aspects?
There is no such development to share with you. We are having some discussions and meetings but the outcome is not fruitful yet.
What are the obstacles to repatriation?
The problem lies in Myanmar and the solution is also their responsibility. We are innocent victims and the situation in Myanmar has never been congenial for repatriation.
What is the birth rate in Rohingya camps and what measures are taken for birth control?
The birth rate in Rohingya camps is higher than ours. The Bangladesh government's family planning department, UNFPA and some international NGOs are working in the camps to control the birth rate. The acceptance rate for family planning has doubled in the Rohingya camps and right now it's more than 60 percent. Previously it was below 30 percent. The birth rate is still high as yearly around 30,000 Rohingya babies are born. In 2022, the number was less than 30,000.
What is the law and order situation in the Rohingya camps?
In the last five-six months, almost 20 people were killed in the camps. The law enforcement situation is not as we want it to be. Earlier, attacks took place at night and now it is happening also in daylight. One of the main reasons is frustration. Due to the delay in repatriation, Rohingya people are getting frustrated and getting involved in criminal activities like armed groups and smuggling groups. As it's a border area, drug peddling is also very common. Rohingya youths are very vulnerable to any type of criminal activity.
What about human trafficking conditions inside the camps?
The majority of the Rohingyas think if they cannot get back to Myanmar and cannot be integrated into Bangladesh society, they have to flee to another third country for a better life. Human trafficking is a vast criminal racket…it's tough to uncover it. We can arrest a few members of the racket but the ring leaders are always big fish. They are connected with several international gangs.
What is the solution to this crisis?
There are three ways to solve the refugee crisis: repatriation, integration with the host community and resettlement in a third country. Our government has chosen repatriation as the solution. Repatriation and integration together are a contradictory policy because integration affects the repatriation process.
What is the impact of the Rohingya crisis on the security aspects?
The government is ensuring enhanced arrangements and has increased the number of law enforcers to tackle these problems. If the situation does not improve, the Rohingyas will become a security threat to Bangladesh as well as this region. It isn't a humanitarian crisis alone, it's a political crisis too. There was big politics behind this crisis, and that's why they are now here in Bangladesh.
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