Murder, killing, and kidnapping are, on a regular basis, news headlines for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.
We, the Rohingya refugee community, are facing gang attacks and torture everyday. Still now, there is no strong action taken on it. Nor is there any health operation that is run seriously.
On February 16, Mr Abdur Rohim, the head chairman of Camp-12 was shot down by pistol in the afternoon around 11:50AM close to a police camp in the market in front of all people.
Abdur Rohim is originally from southern Maungdaw, Alay Than Kyaw village tract. He was a high school private teacher and a humanitarian worker for ACF (Action contre la Faim) as well.
He taught for 12 years in Myanmar. He was a social worker and a captain of southern Maungdaw students. His contribution to the Rohingya community is immeasurable and inexpressible.
He devoted his life to serving the Rohingya community. It is not just a mere incident, to kill such a great contributor to the Rohingya. His absence is a tragic loss for the Rohingya community.
For the past two years, he had been threatened and attacked multiple times. But why were the camp authorities not able to provide him enough protection or shift him to any protection points?
The attack group had four people with handguns. After shooting the pistol, they ran toward Camp-19. In the camp, there are intensive police checkpoints. Why are they not able to catch them in the daytime?
There are many similar incidents that take place repeatedly -- but police could not catch anyone. People think it's the camp authorities' carelessness. Probably they are not taking the Rohingya murders seriously.
Sadly, there are no justice mechanisms available for the Rohingya either in Myanmar and Bangladesh or internationally.
The international community has failed to provide them with the protection they deserve, and the situation has become so dire that they feel like they have no choice but to give up on their lives.
Similarly, Bangladesh authority is not making a favourable and safe environment in the refugee camp for any threat victims during the last five years.
Although it has been over five years, neither there is any progress in international justice mechanisms nor has there been a safe place for the Rohingya in Cox's Bazar.
Situations are deteriorating day by day. The common Rohingya are saying that waiting for the result of ICJ (International Court of Justice) and ICC (International Criminal Court) means digging our own graves and dying ourselves.
If I sum up, the primary situation of the Rohingya is quite horrible and the cycle of violence has been continuing for the last two years. There is no security or safety for the refugees.
Their survival is beyond traumatic. They seek safety, security, and a place they can call safe, until and unless they can return to their native land of Arakan.
San Thai Shin lives in the Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh.
