The government of Bangladesh is reluctant to grant refugee status to the 436,000 Rohingya people who have fled Myanmar since the brutal military crackdown began on August 25.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has asked Bangladesh to grant refugee status to the Rohingya on several occasions, but senior officials believe this will only make it more difficult to return the Rohingya to Myanmar.
“On several occasions, the UNHCR requested Bangladesh to grant refugee status to Rohingya but Bangladesh has decided against the move for now,” a government official told Bangla Tribune on condition of anonymity.
Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) detained 79 Rohingya refugees from different public transports and sent them back to Ukhiya camp on Saturday.
RAB conducted the search operation Saturday evening to prevent a Rohingya outburst in Bangladesh.
Maj Mohammad Ruhul Amin, camp in-charge of RAB 7, said the Rohingya refugees were trying to escape the camp in Ukhiya and enter the country even though they were being provided with all sorts of help in the camp areas.
RAB handed over the detained Rohingya refugees to Ghumghum camp of BGB in Cox’s Bazar.
