Grievances of Rakhine Refugees under UNHCR, Dhaka office

The Subsistence Allowance money (S.A. money) for under aged 18 children and the whole families of UNHCR recognized are now cut of complete with the end by UNHCR, Dhaka office since December, 2005 that the source said.
Actually the UNHCR, Dhaka office has cut of SA money for those Rakhine Refugees after those refugees were compulsorily taken a Lump-Sum money for business project in stead of monthly S.A since 1998 accordingly 1997 policy of UNHCR, Dhaka office.
It was functioned by the RCSU (Refugees Counselling Service Unit) of Ahsania Mission, an NGO based in Dhaka. Here, there was a history about RCSU since 1995.
The Dhaka UNHCR office had been an agreement with Ahsania Mission, local NGO of Bangladesh, in contrast system for 10 years till 2005 December from 1995. Under this agreement between UNHCR and Ahsania Mission, there had formed Refugee Counselling Service Unit, RCSU Dhaka office. Henceforth the Rakhine refugees had contacted to UNHCR through RCSU office only.
Without grant permission of RCSU office, nobody of Rakhine refugees can do anything; to contact to UNHCR very directly. It had made Rakhine refugees grievance since that times.
The followings are the functioning’s of RCSU and their policies;
1. The Lump-Sum money for business project of Rakhine refugees was not the same amount; some had had 30000Taka and some had 40000Taka while some refugee received only 20000Taka since 1998.
2. But no business project did have good out-come. Because refugee have no right to choose their needed business. Either we like or not, we had to receive a business RCSU office offered.
3. All families have become to face crisis in Social standard and finance matter.
4. Amongst those, some families and individuals refugees concerned have done as wood and bamboo cutters at deep jungles in far remote area of Chittagong hill tracts where the criminal gangs are hiding there and sometimes, the villagers and refugee concerned were beater and tortured by those groups. For example: Aung Soe Khaine ID No 01037 have had this experience in deep forest of Alekhodong Township of Bangladesh, Chittagong Hill Tracts.
5. For these reasons, the Rakhine refugees of UNHCR concerned have very often demanded to shift to the third country to UNHCR Dhaka office, but no reply is received from this office and be refused.
6. The most important issue of those refugees is that there is no security for them in
Bangladesh because of bomb exploded danger and terrorist problem.
7. The up-most problem is that, now all of children members of refugee families
concerned, are cut of S.A money.
8. As these Rakhine refugees are political refugees or urban refugees, they must stay in city, Dhaka or Chittagong etc; but they can not stay in there because stopped S. A money. So nearly all of Rakhine refugees living spread at Cox’s Bazar area and Chittagong Hill Tracts. But is 2005, the whole year, there Rakhine refugees concerned to UNHCR have been examined by Rapid Action Battalion- RAB and the Director General of Field Intelligence- DGFI and polices there. Ko San Won is now in jail because he holding a Burmese democratic Journal published by ABSDF and was arrested by Army personals as he is a Rakhine of Union of Burma although he is already interviewed by UNHCR and under consideration. And Min Wa ID No ( 01152 ) is in Bandarban jail after arrested by DGFI accused as illegal smugglers.
9. These crises more effected upon those Rakhine Refugees after the Bangladesh government closely approached to the Myanmar government for the reasons of Gas pipeline project and to construct for Asia-highway between the two countries—the source said.
In sequence of these reasons, any refugees applied to UNHCR, Dhaka office cannot be recognized in 2004 and 2005. All of applicants for legal status to UNHCR were students and democratic activists of Arakan State. Amongst them of rejected persons were rather famous democratic activists in Arakan state. Some families also rejected were suffering in grave concern.
Therefore, the Rakhine refugees strongly need to depart to the third countries like as about 200 families and individuals of Somali refugees had left Bangladesh to third country through UNHCR Dhaka office since 1996-97. But total 40 Rakhine refugees included families and individuals recognized by UNHCR are prohibited to depart to the Third country by Bangladesh government, the source added.




Date: Sunday, February 19, 2006

By Arakan National Council – ANC Human Rights Documentation Committee (present Dhaka)

Released from:
The Good Morning Arakan – GMA (News)