The leaders of Rohingya refugee camps
in the Ukhia region of Cox’s Bazar District in Bangladesh called a three-day
work strike on Monday to pressure the UN’s refugee agency to include “Rohingya”
on the ID cards it has been issuing them.
In a statement, they said it was crucial that
they be identified as ethnic Rohingya on the cards because they were being
persecuted in Myanmar precisely because of their ethnicity.
Myanmar does not recognize the Rohingya as an
ethnic group and calls them Bengali, implying they are illegal migrants.
Bangladesh faces refugee anger over term
'Rohingya', data collection https://reut.rs/2Akn3h2
“This named [sic] is banned in Myanmar, but
it should not be banned here.” the statement says.
“We are very worried about the bio-data that
UNHCR wants to collect (finger prints, iris scans, properly documents). We
believe UNHCR can share this data for repatriation with Myanmar government and
the Myanmar government can use it for label us as ARSA member or as ‘Bengali
foreigners’ like in the past, or to make trouble for our families,” it adds.
Rohingya Muslims in Bangladesh protest over
ethnicity recognition
Read more: https://lnkd.in/gXjXfYi
ARSA, the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, a
militant armed group, launched a coordinated attack on several police posts and
a military base in Myanmar’s Rakhine State in August 2017. The military
crackdown that followed has driven some 700,000 mostly Rohingya to Bangladesh,
many with reports of arson, rape and murder at the hands of Myanmar police and
soldiers.
Rohingya say Bangladesh, aid agencies must
stop collecting information for Myanmar: https://lnkd.in/gPKX-44
“Rohingya will stay at home for three days
and stop working in our many different jobs and positions as Majhis, INGOs and
UN staff and volunteers, fixers for international people, teachers, health
workers, mullah, builders and labour men, and shop keepers,” the statement
says.
In Demand of Ethnic Recognition as Rohingya, a Silent
Protest was held at Makeshift Camps https://lnkd.in/dUbHuYZ
They say they also want the UNHCR to stop
forcing Rohingya refugees to take the cards, to stop barricading refugees
inside Camp 21 for refusing to take the cards, to stop collecting their
biometric data for the cards, and to not share the biometric data they have
already collected with Myanmar.
“We want to discuss with UNHCR and
Authorities to address our demands,” the statement says. “We are tired of
hearing members of international community and UN says that the Rohingya
refugees do not have any leaders. We want to be consulted.”
Suu Kyi must fulfill responsibility to
Myanmar to resolve Rohingya issue
Bangladeshi Refugee Relief and Repatriation
Commissioner Mohammad Abul Kalam said the cards were intended to help the
refugees receive and access services and that they had no reason to protest
because recent plans to start sending them back to Myanmar were postponed.
A senior Bangladesh government official,
speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to
the media, said officials planned to meet with the camp leaders soon to resolve
the dispute.
Firas al-Khateeb, a spokesperson for the
UNHCR in Cox’s Bazar, told The Irrawaddy that agency staffs were on the ground
to find out if the strike was being observed.
Ukhia Police Station Sub-Inspector Milton Dey
said there has been no violence in the camps since the strike was called.
Syed Alom, a Rohingya refugee and community
leader, said the strike was only being observed in parts of Ukhia where the
cards have been handed out so far, including Thayngkhali. He said Rohingya
volunteers were still at work in camps in Kutupalang.
Source: Collected from multiple medias and direct collections through WhatsApp Media Groups, edited by @mir_sidiquee
Source: Collected from multiple medias and direct collections through WhatsApp Media Groups, edited by @mir_sidiquee