Response of the Bangladeshi Government and the UNHCR
There has been little new information on the treatment of Rohingya refugee women in the refugee camps in Bangladesh since Human Rights Watch last reported on their situation in October 1993. The overall security situation in the camps improved considerably following the May 1993 agreement between UNHCR and the Government of Bangladesh, which gave UNHCR daytime access to all camps. The conclusion of a Memorandum of Understanding between UNHCR and Burma in November 1993 also allowed for a permanent UNHCR presence in Arakan to monitor the safety of the returnees. As of April 1995, nearly 200,000 refugees had been repatriated to Burma. Despite these developments, there are still reports of abuse in the camps and in Arakan.
In May 1994 a cyclone hit southern Bangladesh, causing severe damage in the refugee camps and an increase in disease among the refugees,mainly due to sanitation problems. Following the cyclone, the Bangladeshi authorities appear to have prevented speedy repairs in the camps; in some camps allegations continued that the already meager food rations were further reduced to "encourage" refugees to leave. In July, the UNHCR altered the repatriation process. The transit camps that housed refugees who had been interviewed by UNHCR officials and had expressed willingness to be repatriated were closed, and refugees were moved directly from the main camps. Registration was no longer conducted by UNHCR officials, but by the Camp-in-Charge.
During this period, nongovernmental relief organizations working in the camps reported an increase in the coercion and alleged forced repatriation of refugees. Bangladeshi authorities allegedly extorted refugees and beat and denied food rations to those who refused to return to Burma. Nongovernmental organizations also claimed that the UNHCR was not providing refugees with sufficient information regarding their right not to be repatriated involuntarily and the situation they might face in Burma. In October 1994, Human Rights Watch applied for permission to visit the refugee camps but received no response from the Government of Bangladesh. We also applied to visit Arakan, but the Burmese government never replied to our request.
Some Rohingya refugees have reportedly returned to Bangladesh after being repatriated. In April 1994 Bangladesh made an official complaint to Burma after nearly 200 Rohingyas returned. The "double-backers" said they had experienced further abuses by Burmese authorities, who would not permit them to return to their own homes. Once back in Bangladesh, however, the refugees were arrested as illegal immigrants.
In April 1995 the UNHCR presence in Arakan increased to a total of eighteen people. The UNHCR has stated that the situation in Arakan is now safe for the refugees to return and that forced labor requirements for Rohingya males, one of the main causes of the exodus in 1991, have been reduced to one day a week from four to five days per week. Throughout this period, the Burmese authorities have continued to deny the allegations of abuse which resulted in the exodus of Muslims from Arakan in 1991 and 1992.
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