Police rescued three Rohingya children while being trafficked to Malaysia via the Teknaf coast of Cox’s Bazar recently. The law enforcement agencies rescued about 60 thousand Rohingya people from different places of the country and five thousand others, who were being trafficked to Malaysia via Teknaf coast of Cox’s Bazar in the last five years, according to media reports.
It is clear to all that the organised international criminal networks in association with the local human traffickers are still luring Rohingyas to go to Malaysia for better life. So, the Rohingyas are desperate to reach Malaysia illegally resulting in tragic and frequent deaths in their perilous journey through the sea.
Uncertainty over the repatriation of the displaced Rohingya people has led them to take the dangerous sea route to reach Malaysia amid risk of life. As the ongoing political turmoil and armed conflicts in Myanmar has made the repatriation of the displaced Rohingyas more difficult, they are getting frustrated and demoralised day by day.
By using the dangerous sea route, traffickers are helping Rohingyas to reach Malaysia where they start working as illegal immigrants. Many of them perished or went missing at the rough sea during their journey.
organised international criminal
networks in association with the
local human traffickers are still
luring Rohingyas to go to Malaysia
for better life.
But they are still taking dangerous journeys through the Bay of Bengal to reach Malaysia. The sea route from Bangladesh to Malaysia via Thailand was first used by Rohingyas in the mid-1990s.
Earlier, Bangladesh coastguard and navy team had also rescued many Malaysia-bound Rohingyas, including women and several children, from trawlers which either sank or abandoned in the Bay of Bengal. All must keep in mind that the human traffickers in both countries are a highly powerful coterie. These are heinous crimes and grave violations of human rights. We strongly demand that the world community come forward and take stringent measure to root out human traffickers.
It should be the priority of all countries across the globe to work together to this end. Bangladesh government has developed temporary shelters for the Rohingyas in the Bhashanchar Island with all the facilities where 30,000 Rohingyas have so far been shifted.
But, local people of Cox's Bazar are facing serious difficulties and suffering a lot because of them (Rohingyas). The relocation arrangements cannot be a permanent solution. The repatriation process should be started immediately. How long will Bangladesh bear the burden?