Crimes recorded in the Rohingya camps - including murder, kidnapping, rape, robbery, human trafficking and narcotics trade - have soared in recent years, according to media reports.
The killing of three Rohingyas again reminds us that the law and order situation in the Cox's Bazar camps is getting deteriorated and complicated day by. Three Rohingyas were killed and two others were injured in clashes at the Rohingya camp in Cox's Bazar's Ukhiya on Tuesday (5 December).
Over one hundred fifteen Rohingyas were killed in the last six years in internal conflicts among these gangs while 110 others including three women died in gunfights with security forces. Earlier, the killing of Mohammad Mohib Ullah, a prominent community leader who campaigned for the Rohingya’s safe repatriation, brought the issue of security and crimes in the camps into sharp focus both at home and abroad.
Growing violence and crimes
can go beyond control,
if an immediate measure is not
taken in this regard
After the murder some measures were taken to bring the security situation under control. But the steps could not stop criminal activities there yet. So, the growing violence and crimes can go beyond control, if an immediate measure is not taken in this regard. Since August 25 in 2017, Bangladesh has been hosting over 1.2 million forcefully displaced Rohingyas in Cox's Bazar district and most of them arrived there after a military crackdown by Myanmar, which the UN called a "textbook example of ethnic cleansing" and other rights groups dubbed as "genocide".
Since then, several Rohingyas formed at least 20 gangs, who are now involved in serious crimes like arms and drugs peddling, human trafficking, gold smuggling, kidnapping and killing. They are also committing robbery, burglary, cyber crime, sexual harassment and running illegal SIM and hundi trading.
After the dusk, the refugee camps become safe haven for all criminal activities and a sense of foreboding fills the air. Apart from law and order, the environment of Ukhia in Cox's Bazar, which has a deep forest, has been ruined due to staying the forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals.
Myanmar, however, has not taken back a single Rohingya in the last six years yet while repatriation attempts failed twice due to trust deficit among the forcibly displaced people about their safety and security in Rakhine state.
As it is a big threat to our national security, all stakeholders should sincerely work to find a solution to the Rohingya crisis. The UN, other foreign countries and right bodies now should come forward and extend all out cooperation to Bangladesh in order to ensure smooth relocation of Rohingyas.