'Rohingyas fleeing camps in search of food and jobs'

Mohammed Mizanur Rahman has been serving as the Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner (RRRC) since September 2022. He also served as an additional RRRC from 2017 to 2020. 

In an interview with The Business Standard, Rahman spoke about the current efforts of repartition, food rations and the state of affairs of Rohingyas in Cox's Bazar. 

How many Rohingya are in Bangladesh?

Over one million Rohingya live in Bangladesh while 9,62,000 Rohingya are registered in Cox's Bazar camps. 

Do you believe WFP food rationing affects the Rohingya? 

Definitely. The World Food Programme (WFP) is providing food to 9,62,000 registered Rohingya in camps. The WFP's monthly food allowance was $13 per person per month. Later, for taka devaluation, they adjusted it to $12. 

In March 2023, it was adjusted to $10 and again adjusted to $8 per head, per month, in June 2023.

If you convert $8 to Taka, that amounts to around Tk850. If we are to count three meals for a person in a day, that's 90 meals for a person in a month. The price per meal is around Tk9. It is not possible to eat a meal with Tk9. 

It may raise the question of how they are eating. There are some who do get to eat but are suffering from malnutrition.

Around 52% of those in the camps are under the age of 18 and 52% are female. [And], ultimately, they are suffering from malnutrition. Out of desperation, they are going out of the camps in search of food and work.

They provide services at a cheaper cost [than non-Rohingya day labourers] and this is pushing local labour out of the labour market. It affects our society and raises concerns about social security. They are doing illegal work in search of a livelihood, and theft and kidnapping are [also] happening.

The worst thing is drug peddling. Some smuggle drugs into the country as carriers, having made connections with the drug smugglers in our country. They exchange locally made arms and bring those into the camps. For this, there is also inter-camp conflict [leading to] many killing each other. 

The concern is also human trafficking — trafficking is happening within the country and abroad using sea routes.

Has the international focus shifted?

Definitely, the focus has shifted to other regions. The Prime Minister has generously opened the borders and saved thousands of people from genocide. As a result, Bangladesh faced economic and, of course, internal law and order challenges. Our appeal to the international community is that they should stand by Bangladesh, not only financially but also politically. This is a very justified demand from Bangladesh.

Recently, you visited Rakhine. What have you seen there?

It was a proposal from our government to show the arrangements in Myanmar to the representatives of the Rohingyas who will be repatriated. Myanmar did not agree at the time, but later they expressed their eagerness. Along with the Rohingya team, we went there. They showed us some so-called model villages where Rohingyas will stay, through transit, after the repatriation. 

These homes are not permanent in nature and may be built by the Japanese, Chinese or Indian governments, using PVC sheeting.

I have seen in Maungdaw that most of the residents are Rohingya. Around 70–80% are Rohingya who are doing business. The villages that are near the Bangladesh border are empty. There is some wreckage of homes, which proves there were houses [there] earlier.

How many people can live in the model village?

They told us about 15 villages, but only two of them have homes. Around 1,000 people can live in these two villages. I estimated that the 15 villages can house roughly 4,000 people. I posed the issue, "Where is the housing for a million people?" They said that it will be done gradually. 

The Rohingya people also highlighted the same concern.

Do the Rohingyas want to return to these model villages?

During the visit, the Rohingya raised the question of why they would go from camp to camp. They want to return to their place of origin. We have requested the Myanmar government to come and solve the concern of the Rohingyas. 

Following that concern, a follow-up visit was held, which we named "Come and Talk." The Rohingya were dissatisfied with answers to questions about their place of origin, as they were told by Myanmar that they have to stay at those model villages. 

Some media reports say money is being given to the Rohingya to go back. Who will give the money?

I am not clear who will give the money. Bangladesh is facing a dollar crisis. If a foreign national returns to their country, why will Bangladesh give them money? If Myanmar wants to give money to their citizens to return, they can do it. It was not discussed with me. 

How many of the Rohingya here in Bangladesh want to go back?

All want to go back if they [Myanmar] say they will take them back to their place of origin and make the process of citizenship easy. They know camp is not a place to live with any dignity.

When will the repartition start?

I cannot say any deadline, but I believe repatriation will take place. Firstly, the present environment is not good, compared to the model villages in Myanmar. Secondly, to establish their rights, they have to go back to their own country.

What is the present law and order situation in the camps? 

Management of all our camps, administration and law and enforcement agencies, are in great difficulty. Around 14 to 15 groups have been formed centred on the smuggling of drugs, local weapons, human trafficking and kidnapping. However, all the Rohingyas are not drug dealers; there are good people too. Local people are also involved in drug dealing.

Is there any influence from Myanmar on the camp situation in Bangladesh?

There is a possibility of collusion across the border as people from the same groups are present in Myanmar. Arms and drugs are reportedly coming from the border, with some being homemade and sophisticated.

How are you working to control law and order in camps? 

The government is very serious about controlling the law and order in the camps; three battalions of armed police and senior officers have been deployed here. 

[Additionally], over 2,000 police personnel are also deployed. In addition to the district police, different agencies, including the BGB, are here. After all these deployments, we cannot control the law and order as per our expectations. For this, the government is thinking of a more coordinated approach. 

Do you think the situation at the camps is a threat to the security of Bangladesh? 

If the crisis continues and if we cannot improve the law and order situation, it will definitely have an impact. But it is also true that keeping those who have a history of atrocities and genocide in camps, in difficult geographic locations, is highly risky. 

What is the solution to the crisis?

Any refugee crisis has only three solutions: repatriation, integration and third-country resettlement. 

With a small country with 170 million people, a lack of resources and a demographic dividend, it is difficult to integrate a large number of refugees. Examples of successful integration include Turkey and Jordan working with Syrian refugees, who have a significant number of medical, engineering, and IT professionals. 

Can you cite an example [from] the Rohingya community of one physician or engineer? They are agriculture labourers and fishermen. Do we need more?

Working on resettlement is going on but how many people will be resettled in a third country? It might be 5,000 or 10,000 at best. But every day 100 new children are born in the camps. So the only option we have is repatriation. 

The main reason for the exacerbated state of law and order situation, drug smuggling and human trafficking, is hopelessness. They don't have any dreams – we have to keep their dream that they have a country to go back to alive. For this reason, repartition must take place, at least as a symbolic solution. At least 500 people need to be repatriated to keep their dream that they have a country they can go back to.