The UK has hailed Bangladesh for keeping its commitment to the voluntary, safe and dignified return to the Rohingyas to Myanmar.
In its ‘Human Rights and Democracy: The 2019 Foreign and Commonwealth Office’ report, the UK said Bangladesh maintained this commitment.
The report also highlighted the government’s steps to keep Rohingyas safe and secured in the camps.
Bangladesh is hosting over 1.1 million Rohingyas who fled ethnic cleansing in the Rakhine State.
Rohingyas are the world’s largest population of stateless people displaced by the actions of the Tatmadaw - the Myanmar army.
The report mentioned that there were reports of significant criminality in the refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar.
These included murder (around 30 cases), gender-based violence, abduction, illegal drug trading, and human trafficking.
The Bangladesh government introduced additional police stations, fences around the camps, and limited night-time patrols by mixed security forces, according to the report.
The UK committed an additional £117 million last year to help manage the protracted Rohingya crisis.
The total UK commitment since August 2017 when the latest crisis began stood at £256 million.
The UK also supported Bangladesh and other partners to enable the presence of Rohingya refugees at the International Court of Justice hearings on Myanmar in December.
