Simultaneous marches and rallies were allowed to take place on Sunday, a day before World Refugee Day, despite a ban on rallies following a 100,000-strong protest in August 2019. The “Bari Cholo” campaign included 23 Rohingya camps, 21 in Ukhiam and two in Teknaf Upazila, a government official told the Bangladeshi newspaper The Daily Star. Nearly one million Rohingya are confined to bamboo and tarpaulin huts in 34 miserable camps in the southeastern part of the country, without work, poor sanitation and little access to education. “We do not want to stay in the camps. Being a refugee is not easy. It’s hell. Enough is enough. “Let’s go home,” said Rohingya community leader Sayed Ulah in a speech at a rally. Police said that thousands of refugees, including young children, were involved in the marches, stood on streets and streets with placards that read “It is enough! “Let’s go home.” A widow living in a Rohingya camp in Uki, who identified herself as Rabeja, said her community was grateful to Bangladesh for hosting her. “But we want to return to our homeland. “We want to return to our hometown as soon as possible,” he said. Previous repatriation efforts have failed with the Rohingya refusing to return to their homeland until Myanmar guarantees rights and security to the largely Muslim minority. Investigators into a United Nations investigative mission into the killings and forced mass exodus of Rohingya Muslims to Myanmar concluded in 2018 that criminal investigations and prosecutions of Myanmar’s top generals for crimes against humanity and genocide are justified. Under the banner of a “clearing operation”, the Rohingya communities were attacked. The Human Rights Watch reported that at least 200 Rohingya villages were destroyed and burned by the army, and an estimated 13,000 Rohingya were killed. More than 890,000 Rohingya refugees are housed in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, the world’s largest refugee camp complex. About 92,000 Rohingya refugees live in Thailand, 21,000 in India and 102,000 in Malaysia. The Rohingya are also part of the 576,000 internally displaced people in Myanmar.
“With safety and dignity”
Additional Refugee Aid and Repatriation Commissioner Shamsud Douza told Al Jazeera that the Rohingya refugees wanted to remind the world of their plight on World Refugee Day on Monday. “They made peaceful demonstrations. These were over before 12 noon. “From our side, we did not create any obstacles, but the law enforcement authorities were closely monitoring the situation,” he said. UNHCR spokeswoman Regina de la Portia said most Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh said they wanted nothing more than to return to Myanmar. “But they also say they do not think it would be safe to do so yet. “Today they showed to show their desire to return and draw attention to their needs,” he said. De La Portilla, however, said the solution to the displacement lies in Myanmar. “The Rohingya refugees want to return when they can to do so voluntarily, safely and with dignity. This means when their rights are guaranteed. “Currently, the situation in Myanmar is still fluid and the conditions for a safe and sustainable return are not guaranteed,” he said. “We must all work together, including the United Nations and the international community, to step up our efforts to make this possible.” Additional report by Faisal Mahmud
