A total of 118 Rohingya refugees have recently taken shelter in Ukhiya camps in Cox’s Bazar following fresh entries through the India and Myanmar borders as well as maritime routes, amidst pressure from the Arakan Army attempting to forcibly enlist them.
Recently, 13 more Rohingya refugees entered Bangladesh, including six from Myanmar through the Baraitali border in Naikhongchhari Upazila of Bandarban and seven from India via the Satkhira border with the assistance of human traffickers.
They subsequently took shelter in various Rohingya camps in Ukhiya through traffickers, alongside more than 50 other Rohingya who recently arrived from India and Myanmar, according to officials in charge of the camps.
Border sources reported that on Wednesday at around 7:30pm, six members of a family from Buthidaung Township in Rakhine State, Myanmar, crossed into Bangladesh through the Baraitali border in Naikhongchhari Upazila via brokers.
They later took shelter in the shed of Rahima Khatun at Block 108/C of Rohingya Camp 17 in Ukhiya. The new arrivals, all residents of the Buthidaung area, were identified as Amir Hossain, 48, his son Nur Hossain, 17, Imam Hossain, 14, Jahid Hossain, 12, Dini Islam, 8, and Nur Ayesha, 4.
On Saturday 14 November) at around 10:30 am, another seven member family entered Bangladesh from India through the Satkhira border with the help of brokers. They were subsequently accommodated in the house of a local Bangladeshi citizen, Haji Foju Mia, in the C-5 Block area of Kutupalong 1 East Rohingya Camp in Ukhiya.
The family members were identified as Shah Alam, 40, his wife Jamalida, 39, and their five children Md Ramiz, 17, Yasin Arafat, 14, Md Ershad, 11, Nur Fatema, 8, and Md Redwan, 4. Shah Alam is the son of Nabi Hossain.
Minhajul Islam, deputy secretary and camp in-charge of Kutupalong 1 East and 1 West Rohingya camps, informed that 50 Rohingya have recently taken shelter in Kutupalong 1 East camp, 45 of whom entered Bangladesh through the India border.
The camp in-charge explained that a large section of those recently sheltered had been living in the Jammu and Kashmir area of India for a long time. After the government there evicted them from their homes, they entered Bangladesh through the Satkhira border and reached Kutupalong 1 East camp via brokers, with many possessing registration cards issued by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Regarding the reasons for fleeing Myanmar, the camp in-charge said the fleeing Rohingya disclosed that the armed organisation Arakan Army in Myanmar was forcing them to join their force.
Fearing for their lives, they entered Bangladesh through various border points. Additionally, an individual associated with the refugee camp, speaking on condition of anonymity, revealed that at least 55 Rohingya illegally entered Bangladesh from Myanmar over three days 27, 28, and 29 October and took shelter in Kutupalong 1 East camp. Crossing the border through brokers, they settled in various sheds within the camp, with most being residents of Buthidaung Township.
Alongside land borders, Rohingya infiltration has also taken place via sea routes. In the early hours of 9 November, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) raided a house in the Habib Chhara area under Teknaf Sadar Union and detained 38 Rohingya, comprising 14 women, eight men, and 16 children.
Local sources reported that approximately 50 to 60 Rohingya crossed the Naf River and the Bay of Bengal on a fishing boat owned by Farid Mia of Mithapanir Chhara area in Teknaf Sadar Union in exchange for money, managed by traffickers. They were kept at the house of Fatema Khatun in the Habib Chhara area before members of BGB’s Teknaf-2 Battalion conducted the raid based on secret information to detain 38 of them, while others escaped into local areas with the help of local brokers.
Lieutenant Colonel Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury, commanding officer of Teknaf Battalion-2 BGB, said 38 Rohingya, including men, women, and children, were detained while infiltrating Bangladesh from Myanmar via the sea route recently, and legal action has been taken against them.
The commanding officer added that BGB remains on high alert to prevent illegal border entry. These incidents of Rohingya entry utilising land borders with India and Myanmar as well as the
Bay of Bengal-Naf River route has renewed concerns over border management, raising serious questions about the effectiveness of border surveillance and infiltration prevention as illegal entrants manage to reach refugee camps through broker networks.
