10 lakh Rohingya muslim refugees reach Bangladesh, economy in jeopardy

After the eruption of massive Rohigya Muslim crisis in Myanmar, till now over six lakh twenty seven thousand refugees have entered Bangladesh since last August after fleeing from the terror stricken Rakhine province of the Buddhist nation where hundreds of thousands of Rohingya muslim women, children, old aged and those suffering from various ailments have been killed mersilessly with their houses, huts and tenements burned by the Myanmar army and police. This was in retaliation to the attack by certain hard core Rohingya extremist groups killing more than thirty Myanmar guards and burning of police posts last August say the authorities.

This figure of 6.3 lakh Rohingya muslims in extremely shattered condition is in addition to the 3 lakh already existing refugees in Bangladesh. The prime minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina has drawn out a detailed plan to rehabilitate over one lakh refugees in the Thengar char area near the sea, currently the flooded plain for which the government of Bangladesh has earmarked a whopping budget of 278 million US dollars. This vast plain area near the sea of Bay of Bengal is scaytered in 30 thousand hectares.

The government has plans to construct thousands of hutments and about 120 health centres here in order to adjust and accomodate a vast number of Rohingya Muslim refugees having sought refuge in Bangladesh after fleeing in badly shattered condition from the Rakhine province of riot torn Buddhist nation Myanmar. The US, UK and the UN authorities have condemned the despicable killings of Rohingyas in strongest possible terms and has termed these genocidal attacks as ethinic cleansing.

The United Nations Human Rights Commission is also extending all possible financial and medical support to the refugees and the Bangladesh government. The already weak and trembling Bangladesh economy has been badly affected by this ongoing refugee crisis and the subsequent economic burden confronted by it. This is the worst refugee crisis any country of the globe has ever witnessed with over ten lakh refugees landing in Bangladesh in just a year or two. It may be recalled that the Rohingya province of Myanmar is dominated by a vast muslim population and the crisis has its roots since the government of Myanmar declared the former’s citizenship as illegal.

The situation took the ugly turn when oneof the hard core group called Rahingya Muslim Liberation Front killed 20 to 30 Myanmarese guards at the border posts last July/ August and burnt majority of the Army posts at the Myanmar Bangladesh Border. Since then the government of Myanmar let loose its terror in Rakhine province killing hundreds of Rohingyas and birning theor houses leading to the mass scale i flux of refugees under pitiable shattered condition to Bangladesh and India. While Bangladesh is worst affected by the massive Rohingya influx , India too has over 40 thousand refugees.
SUNIL NEGI