Rohingya refugee numbers swell in southeast Bangladesh

Rickety camps in southeast Bangladesh are overcrowded with Rohingya refugees. (AN photo)

COX’S BAZAR, Bangladesh: Southeast Bangladesh is flooded with Rohingya refugees, their numbers increasing daily as they flee a brutal military crackdown in neighboring Myanmar.
They are exposed to the elements day and night, facing gusty winds and heavy rainfall during the current monsoon season.
Those who arrived at the end of August were able to find space in refugee camps to build makeshift tents, typically 10 feet by 15 feet for 10 people on average.
But with overcrowding, thousands are now unable to find or make shelter, and tents are filled with as many as 20 people.
“We were already a family of eight in one tent until my cousin Mohsin arrived with nine relatives,” 42-year-old Ahsan Ullah told Arab News.
With this huge influx of refugees, the local population is feeling the burden. “We’re worried how we can manage this large number of refugees,” Zahangir Kabir Chowdhury, a local official in the Ukhia Thana area, told Arab News.
“The price of rice has risen by 10 taka ($0.12) per kilogram in this locality. The refugees are dominating the local labor market, and the law and order situation is worsening every day,” he said, adding that these concerns have been conveyed to the authorities.
Senoara Begum, another local official in Ukhia Thana, told Arab News: “We’re in big trouble. Our life and property are in danger as some of these refugees are joining criminals involved in smuggling and other unlawful activities.”
Meanwhile, Turkey’s First Lady Emine Erdogan and Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Thursday visited Kutupalang refugee camp in Ukhia Thana.
Erdogan lauded the Bangladeshi government’s handling of the refugee crisis, and said Turkey will do all it can to help.