Browsing Tag
Bangladesh
17 posts
Six killed in Rohingya camps after ICC prosecutor visit
Six Rohingya people were killed in clashes at a Bangladesh refugee camp after an ICC prosecutor visited to gather testimony.
The violence involved rival insurgent groups operating in the camps. Funding cuts and repatriation efforts further complicate the situation.
Cyclone Mocha death toll rises to 60 in Myanmar
The death toll from Cyclone Mocha in Myanmar has reached 60, with more expected as over 100 people are still missing. Villagers in affected areas, including Rohingya Muslim minority communities, are waiting for aid while trying to rebuild their homes.
The cyclone, packing winds of up to 195 km/h, caused widespread destruction and disrupted communication in Rakhine state. The UN refugee office is investigating reports of casualties among Rohingya living in displacement camps, while neighbouring Bangladesh, home to Rohingya refugees, experienced minimal impact.
The rising sea surface temperatures may have contributed to the cyclone’s intensity.
Myanmar port city cut off in Cyclone Mocha aftermath
Cyclone Mocha struck a major port city in Myanmar, cutting off tens of thousands of people from communication. The storm, the most powerful in the Bay of Bengal in over a decade, caused extensive damage in Myanmar and Bangladesh but spared Rohingya refugee camps.
Efforts to assess the situation and provide relief were hampered by disrupted communication and infrastructure.
Rohingya team visits Myanmar in refugee return scheme
A Rohingya refugee delegation visited new facilities in Myanmar on Friday as part of a plan to repatriate the persecuted minority. Bangladesh is currently home to around one million Rohingya who fled a military crackdown in Myanmar in 2017.
Both countries signed an agreement to repatriate the Rohingya later that year, but the UN has warned that conditions were not suitable for repatriation.
The Rohingya are sceptical of the plan, as they fear their safety and citizenship rights will not be recognised by Myanmar authorities.
Led by China, more countries targeting citizens abroad: US study
A US democracy research group, Freedom House, has reported that an increasing number of countries, including China, Turkey and Russia, are using abductions, violence and deportations to silence dissent among their citizens living abroad.
The report identified 854 direct incidents of “transnational repression” carried out by 38 governments since 2014, with China responsible for 30% of all cases.
The report calls for governments to develop plans to stop transnational repression, including targeted sanctions and restricting security assistance. Bangladesh and Djibouti were identified as first-time perpetrators in 2022.
HRW urges Bangladesh to halt Rohingya repatriation plan
Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called for Bangladesh to halt its plan to repatriate Rohingya refugees to Myanmar, citing the risks they would face upon return.
A delegation from Myanmar’s military regime recently visited Bangladesh to interview potential candidates for return, but HRW warns that any return to Myanmar would put the lives and liberty of refugees “at grave risk” due to the ongoing military junta’s massacres around the country.
