During his visit to Cox’s Bazar’s Ukhiya camp last year Inspector General of Police (IGP) Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun said police stepped up security to maintain law and order in the Rohingya camps. Necessary instructions were given to police officials in this regard. Police would not spare any criminal in the Rohingya camps.
In fact the incidents like murder, abduction, rape, mugging and drug peddling are taking place regularly in the Rohingya camps as the law and order continues to deteriorate there. We voice deep concern over the deteriorating law and order in the Rohingya camps. Within the span of 12 hours, armed criminals on Sunday murdered two Rohingyas in Cox’s Bazar’s Ukhiya camp.
The killing of two Rohingyas again reminds us that the law and order in the Cox's Bazar camps is deteriorating and getting complicated day by. Several incidents of killings happened across the refugee camps in the last seven years. At least 20 organised armed gangs are now active in the Rohingya refugee camps.
A police official tasked with security in the camps blamed the killings on the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), an armed group fighting the military in Myanmar. The internal clashes in Myanmar are impacting the security situation in the camps.
In the last three months alone at least 14 Rohingyas were murdered in the camps. The number of murders in the camp has increased compared to last year.
Earlier, the killing of Mohammad Mohib Ullah, a prominent community leader who campaigned for the Rohingya’s safe repatriation, brought the issue of security and crimes in the camps into sharp focus both at home and abroad. After the murder some measures were taken to bring the security situation under control. But the steps could not stop criminal activities there yet.
Murder, abduction, rape,
mugging and drug peddling
are taking place regularly in
the Rohingya camps
So, the growing violence and crimes can go beyond control, if an immediate measure is not taken in this regard. Since August 25 in 2017, Bangladesh has been hosting over 1.2 million forcefully displaced Rohingyas in Cox's Bazar district and most of them arrived there after a military crackdown by Myanmar, which the UN called a "textbook example of ethnic cleansing" and other rights groups dubbed it as "genocide".
Since then, several Rohingyas formed at least 20 gangs, who are now involved in serious crimes like arms and drugs peddling, human trafficking, gold smuggling, kidnapping and killing. They are also committing robbery, burglary, cyber crime, sexual harassment and running illegal SIM and hundi trading.
These organised displaced Rohingya armed groups are also running juvenile gangs in order to serve their purposes. Besides, they are also grabbing the local people’s land in many ways.
After the dusk, the refugee camps become safe haven for all criminal activities and a sense of foreboding fills the air. Apart from law and order, the environment of Ukhia in Cox's Bazar, which has a deep forest, has been ruined due to staying the forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals.
They are reducing the forest by felling trees and causing great environmental hazards in the area. Myanmar, however, has not taken back a single Rohingya in the last seven years yet while repatriation attempts failed twice due to trust deficit among the forcibly displaced people about their safety and security in Rakhine state.
Therefore, Rohingyas are becoming frustrated due to protracted uncertainty over their repatriation which has a potential risk as it entices many of them to get involved in criminal activities. Around 45,000 Rohingya babies are being born every year.
Local people of Cox's Bazar are facing serious difficulties and sufferings because of them (Rohingyas). As it is a big our burden on national economy and security as well, all stakeholders should sincerely work to find a solution to this end.
