While talking to the reporters at his Secretariat office in the capital Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal on Sunday said Bangladesh Army troops would be deployed in Rohingya camps to stop drugs from being smuggled into Bangladesh if necessary. It is worth mentioning that The number of yaba pills, a contraband drug, smuggled into Bangladesh from neighbouring Myanmar has surged by two and a half times under the current military regime compared to the amount reported during the rule of ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
The recent reports of drug trade and increasing violence in the Rohingya camps are deeply concerning. It is disconcerting to note that over the last one year, the Armed Police Battalion (APBn) have seized more than 2 million yaba tablets and a large cache of firearms from 11 Rohingya camps in Ukhiya upazila of Cox’s Bazar. Certainly such a situation calls for serious actions to curb crime in the Rohingya camps.
The recent reports of
drug trade and increasing
violence in the Rohingya camps
are deeply concerning
It is alleged that Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar have turned into hotbeds of crime. According to media reports, criminal gangs, active in the camps, often lock into bloody confrontations over control of markets, Yaba smuggling, and human trafficking. Also, Rohingyas have been engaged in serious confrontations with locals over supremacy of drug smuggling
The authorities concerned should take necessary measures to beef up security as much as possible and catch the perpetrators especially the gangs that are carrying out criminal activities. Considering the prevailing situation, law enforcement agencies should take immediate actions to establish law and order in the Rohingya camps and surrounding areas.
Over the last five years, displaced Rohingyas have appeared as a serious burden on the economy and environment of Bangladesh. Needles to say, Bangladesh wants to resolve the Rohingya crisis through peaceful negotiation and the country expects similar reciprocity from Myanmar and international community.
It is crucial that the international community continues to maintain pressure on Myanmar to create a conducive environment so that the Rohingya refugees can return to their homeland with safety, security and dignity. We expect a more vigorous role of the international community on the diplomatic front to compel Myanmar to take back the Rohingyas.
