Pirates and mafia help the Rohingya flee, at a price

“Our humanity compels us to help our fellow human beings. If we did not provide a route to escape, they would never be able to make it to Bangladesh.” Those are the words of a Bangladeshi boatman who told a Dhaka Tribune reporter he was charging Tk10,000 per head to ferry someone from Myanmar to Bangladesh. Regardless of the accolades Bangladesh has received for sheltering the Rohingya in their time of crisis, there is very little humanity among those who are helping them flee Myanmar. What began as mere profiteering during conflict has escalated to outright racketeering and piracy. Many crime syndicates are using their strongholds along the Cox’s Bazar coast to make lucrative offers to the Rohingya and are fleecing them of everything they have. Pirates are robbing boatloads of refugees in the Naf. Although many local people have extended a helping hand, groups of opportunistic men are exploiting the beleaguered refugees taking advantage of their helplessness. The Dhaka Tribune has found clear evidence of exploitation of refugees in Cox’s Bazar.

Nationwide syndication helps Rohingya trafficking

The term “nationwide syndication” refers to licensing content from one media to another. But in crime, the vast network and cooperation of different syndicates are facilitating the trafficking of Rohingya refugees from Cox’s Bazar to other parts of the country. Several sources inside a local crime syndicate have confirmed that they are charging between Tk20,000 and Tk50,000 to smuggle the refugees to anywhere else in the country. The syndicates cleverly relocate the interested parties, who are not eager to remain in the camps. The refugees are compelled to leave due to the squalid conditions and scarcity of food in the camps. Kutupalong is not the only over-populated refugee camp, as Teknaf Noyapara and Leda camps are also overflowing with refugees. As of Sunday, 21 Rohingya refugees were found in Manikganj and placed in police custody. Earlier on Saturday, police announced that the Rohingya should not be given shelter in private homes but only in camps. And on Friday, a family of 19 was found hiding in the house of a Rohingya man who had become a citizen in Bangladesh.

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6,000% increase in river crossing toll

Before the August influx of Rohingya refugees from Rakhine, crossing the Naf River on local boats used to cost around Tk100-Tk200. But a roughly 6000% increase has taken it to Tk5,000 to Tk10,000, depending on how generous the boatmen feel. Curiously enough, babies do not have to pay for their crossing. Regardless, there are numerous boatmen who have gotten rich overnight as just one boatload of refugees help them earn around Tk1.5 lakh to Tk7 lakh – depending on the boat capacity. Not all the people involved in the ferrying business on the Naf are simple boatmen. Criminals have found their niche and swooped in. A man from Shah Porir Dwip called Taher is the ringleader of the main ferrying syndicate. Sources among the local criminals and civilians alike claim Taher is essentially a Rohingya who has criminal ties to both Bangladesh and Myanmar. He, along with Dudu Mia and Bela Dacoit are the major figures in the crossing racketeering among hundreds of others.

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Pirates of the Naf

Once upon a time, Bengal was plagued by Magh pirates from the Arakan. Even today, the Bay of Bengal has pirates a plenty, from Bangladesh and Myanmar alike. Many of these pirates have found out that robbing fleeing refugees is a highly profitable venture, which they have taken to heart. A survivor of a boat capsizing last week told the Dhaka Tribune that the boatmen are in cahoots with the pirates. Once they set off from Rakhine, they alert the pirates to their positions and plan the ambush. The Dhaka Tribune had the good fortune of finding one of the pirates whose braggadocio helped to learn a lot about their new inland operation. The pirate said they have an extensive network with the smuggling syndicate and the boatmen. He had no qualms in sharing his experience of his recent looting. “The Burmese mafia and traffickers first set up a contract with their Bangladeshi counterparts. They decide how much money each boat should make per trip based on the size of the boat. When both parties are in agreement over the amount, they tell the boatman to charge accordingly, in order to generate that revenue per trip from that boat.” When the boatman is halfway across the Naf, he prompts the pirates to act who immediately pull up against the boat and board it. Within 5-10 minutes, the passengers are bereft of their valuables. Since August 25, hundreds of boats have been robbed in this manner. “A solid cut of the money goes to the Border Guard Police of Myanmar, the Border Guard Bangladesh, local police, the coast guard, local political leaders and activists who are keen on taking a healthy share of the earnings. The boatmen get only 30% of the net earnings,” the pirate continued. He further claimed that not a single person who is affiliated gets a cut from the syndicate will ever admit their complicity due to the huge sum of money they are making regularly.

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Refugee exploitation

After the Rohingya refugees reach Bangladesh, they have very little chance of finding shelter in any of the camps. There is very little room, and the less-than-ideal conditions encourage too many refugees to flee elsewhere. Aside from the sheltering, they are being exploited in every aspect of their lives. Local transportation costs have doubled. The boatmen are already enjoying a 6000% increase, the CNG drivers and grocers of Teknaf and Ukhiya have all united on their individual platforms to increase fares and prices of essentials to virtually rob the Rohingya of all their money. Teknaf police have arrested 144 people who have been sent to jail for three to six months because of their unethical practices. Moinuddin, officer-in-charge of Teknaf police station, told the Dhaka Tribune: “Law enforcement agencies are working around the clock to prevent anyone from exploiting the situation. If anyone comes across any unscrupulous activities, they should inform us immediately and we will act.” But not all Rohingya refugees are robbed on their way. Those who reach Bangladesh with what little valuables, are robbed here, albeit politely. A refugee arrived at Shah Porir Dwip on September 4 with MMK2,00,000 (Myanmar Kyat). The exchange rate of MMK to BDT is 1:16.5. The refugee received only Tk2,500 in return. A Rohingya woman called Ayesha Khatun had brought 10 bhori of gold (1 bhori equals 11.664 gram). Whereas per gram of gold costs Tk3,422, Ayesha was forced to sell her 116.64 grams of gold worth nearly Tk4 lakh for only Tk50,000. For those who are pitching tents on private property in Cox’s Bazar, they are sometimes asked to fork over at least Tk1,000 as rent. Sheltering the Rohingya is all the government of Bangladesh can do right now. It does not appear to be feasible to account for their safety during the Naf crossing.