Rohingyas ‘using fake passports to reach KSA’

DHAKA: MD RASOOLDEEN

Monday 15 April 2013

• File photo of Rohingyas from Myanmar gathering after jumping off their boat, and swimming to shore on Langkawi Island, in the northern part of Malaysia's peninsula. (Reuters)
  

 

 

 

 

 

Some of the Muslim Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh come to the Kingdom for employment with fake Bangladeshi passports, a senior Dhaka government official claimed.
Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu told a group of visiting foreign journalists here that some of these refugees, who were trained in militancy, have been sent to countries such as the UK, India and to some Middle Eastern countries such as Dubai and Saudi Arabia for various purposes.
According to the official, these refugees were arrested in those countries for committing various crimes. Subsequently, it was found that they were Muslim Rohingyas, who had crossed the Bangladesh-Myanmar border in the south of the country.
The minister alleged that these refugees have doctored the passports with the help of the NGOs that were working for the Muslim Rohingya camp in Bangladesh. He said that these NGOs have some links with local political parties dedicated to terror.
He said Bangladesh is home to more than 2,000 NGOs, and added that his government is greatly concerned about the issue that brings disrepute to his country.
“Muslim Rohingyas could be easily differentiated from Bangladeshis by their language since they cannot speak Bengali,” Inu said, pointing out they can only speak Rohingya and Myanmar languages. He said that the upkeep of the refugees in the camp is partly funded by the UNHCR and maintaining them is going to be a huge financial burden on the state. With the new government in power in Myanmar, Bangladesh plans to take up the issue of sending them back home.
Arab News learned that the recent Saudi delegation that visited Dhaka, had expressed concerns over the fake Bangladesh passports found among Rohingya refugees and their misdoings in the Kingdom.
Last month, the Bangladesh government urged the international community to work closely with Dhaka to assist in the process of repatriation of Myanmar refugees in the country.
The government said repatriation of Myanmar refugees was important to prevent transnational crimes including human trafficking, illicit drugs and arms trafficking as well as religious extremism along Bangladesh-Myanmar border.

Source : http://www.arabnews.com/news/448201