Registration gives Rohingya refugees identification

By Md. Kamruzzaman

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) - A total of 270,348 Rohingya refugees have been registered in the squalid settlements of Bangladesh’s southern Cox’s Bazar district, said the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) on Friday.

“On average, over 4,000 refugees are being registered a day in the exercise, with the aim of concluding the registration of all those in the settlements late this year,” UNHCR said in a statement.

“Having an identity is a basic human right [...] it’s also an incredible step into a more dignified life,” the statement quoted Rohingya refugee Nasima Aktar, as saying.

Filippo Grandi, UN high commissioner for refugees, during a recent visit to Cox’s Bazar said: “And remember: many of these people, all their life, did not have a proper identification. So, for them, it’s also an incredible step into a more dignified life.”

UNHCR and the Bangladesh authorities in recent months held meetings with leading Rohingya figures, such as imams, elders and teachers on registration process and its importance.

- Persecuted people

The Rohingya, described by the UN as the world's most persecuted people, have faced heightened fears of attack since dozens were killed in communal violence in 2012.

According to Amnesty International, more than 750,000 Rohingya refugees, mostly women and children, have fled Myanmar and crossed into Bangladesh after Myanmar forces launched a crackdown on the minority Muslim community in August 2017.

Since Aug. 25, 2017, nearly 24,000 Rohingya Muslims have been killed by Myanmar’s state forces, according to a report by the Ontario International Development Agency (OIDA).

More than 34,000 Rohingya were also thrown into fires, while over 114,000 others were beaten, said the report, titled "Forced Migration of Rohingya: The Untold Experience".

Some 18,000 Rohingya women and girls were raped by Myanmar’s army and police and over 115,000 Rohingya homes were burned down and 113,000 others vandalized, it added.

The UN has also documented mass gang rapes, killings – including of infants and young children – and brutal beatings and disappearances committed by Myanmar state forces.

In a report, UN investigators said such violations may have constituted crimes against humanity and genocidal intent.