Stranded Rohingya refugees taken to Palongkhali camp

Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has started taking in the new assemblage of the Rohingya refugees from the no man's land bordering Ukhiya upazila of Cox's Bazar. The refugees were stranded at Anjumanpara border point area in Palongkhali union about four days ago as the BGB men stood guard to bar their entry. Finally, the authorities are letting them in and the first batch of the stranded refugees finally made their way to Palongkhali refugee camp around 11am on Thursday. Ali Hossain, one of the refugees, told the Dhaka Tribune that they were given a ride to the camp by the BGB men. A BGB personnel, preferring anonymity, said that they had started transporting the Rohingya to the camp following instructions from the higher-ups. The refugees were given cholera vaccines before their entry into the camp. Ukhiya Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Md Nikaruzzaman said some humanitarian assistance have been provisioned for the newly arriving refugees. However, he did not disclose the exact number of the refugees brought to the camp on Thursday. The UN on Tuesday claimed between 10,000 and 15,000 new refugees had arrived at the border in the two preceding days. A portion of the refugees had managed to cross a five kilometre distance inside Bangladesh territory through Anjumanpara border point before the BGB blocked their way four days ago. Many among them reportedly had managed to slip past the border guards and made way into the camp over the last four days.