Bangladesh’s refugee care lauded

The newly appointed UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Country Representative Stina Ljungdell has praised Bangladesh for sheltering Myanmar refugees for long.

Presenting her credentials to Foreign Minister Dipu Moni, she on Thursday said Bangladesh hosted Rohingya refugees for last 30 years with “a highly satisfactory protection regime compared to many places in the world”.

According to a foreign ministry media release, she said Bangladesh’s “good work and best practices” went unappreciated “when in fact it should be praised for maintaining peaceful refugee camps”.

The Foreign Minister, however, reaffirmed that crowded Bangladesh does not have the capacity to accept more refugees, most of whom flee Myanmar due to sectarian clashes.

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She thanked the UNHCR for their “continued financial and institutional support” for the maintenance of two refugee camps at Kutupalong and Noyaparha in Cox’s Bazar.

She briefed the Representative about different “best practices” including free education up to class VI, vocational skill training, computer training, and healthcare made available for the refugees.

She underlined that the durable solution to the refugees and undocumented nationals from Myanmar lies in their “voluntary repatriation” back to Myanmar and establishing their rights in their own motherland.

Estimates suggest nearly half a million Rohingyas entered Bangladesh in two phases of mass migration – in 1978-79 and 1991-92.