On the first death anniversary of the murder of Mohib Ullah -- an internationally recognized representative of the displaced Rohingya community -- it appears that unfortunately, things have gotten worse in the Rohingya refugee camps within ours borders, where he was slain.
The number of crimes including kidnapping, smuggling, and murder have been on the rise. For example, 16 leaders and volunteers in the vein of Mohib Ullah have reportedly been the victim of targeted killings in the last four months.
Tensions are also rising with Myanmar and the goal of repatriating the Rohingya is appearing to be further than ever. All in all, the Rohingya refugee crisis appears to have become even more unfixable than it was only a year ago.
The refugee status of the Rohingyas means that they are without homes and without jobs. This leaves them susceptible to the underworld, extremist outfits, and violence. Extremist outfits in particular have field days with the refugees due to both of them sharing a common enemy -- the Myanmar state apparatus that conducted the genocide and have left the refugees without homes in the first place. The recent tension with Myanmar authorities has also made it easier for extremist outfits to recruit more refugees into their folds.
This has led to the locals of Chittagong feeling unsafe around the camps. As the temperament of the host nation’s people towards these people deteriorate, the tension between them will rise. When that happens, the refugees will become even more susceptible to participating in the illegal activities of criminals and extremist groups.
As Bangladesh has reiterated time and time again, the only sustainable solution to this problem is repatriation.
Myanmar too has to recognize that if they continue with the denial of these refugees, the extremist situation will spiral out of control. Asian countries along with the international community at large have to come together as regional violence like this can spill out of control at any moment, and we are already seeing the effects of the Talibal coming to power.
We must focus on the repatriation of these people. It is the only way.
