Bangladesh detains scores of Rohingya refugees celebrating Eid on beach

Measures taken to keep tourists safe, says police spokesperson

By Nuri Aydin

ANKARA (AA) – Bangladesh police detained at least 450 Rohingya refugees celebrating the Muslim festival of Eid al-Fitr on a beach in the town of Cox's Bazar, police said on Thursday.

Nearly 750,000 Rohingya Muslims fled a brutal military crackdown in Myanmar's Rakhine state in August 2017 to Bangladesh, pushing the total number of persecuted people in the world's largest refugee camps in Cox's Bazar to around 1.2 million.

Police spokesperson Rafiqul Islam told media that the refugees were detained as part of “security measures” in the country's largest resort district.

He claimed that Rohingya are involved in various crimes, and they strengthened the security to keep the tourists safe.

The Human Rights Watch in April said Bangladesh authorities in recent months intensified their restrictions on Rohingya refugees’ livelihoods, movement, and education.

* Writing by Gozde Bayar

Kaynak:

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