ARTICLE 19 hails decision to allow mobile, Internet at Rohingya camps

ARTICLE 19, a UK based international human rights organisation, on Thursday, commended the Bangladesh government decision to allow mobile network and Internet facilities at different Rohingya camps in Cox's Bazar.

Terming the decision positive, ARTICLE 19 hoped that the home ministry will immediately direct the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) to restore mobile and Internet services at the camps, said a statement issued by the organisation.

Since September 2019, Bangladesh authorities have prevented Rohingya refugees from obtaining SIM cards and directed telecommunications operators to restrict Internet coverage at the camps in Cox's Bazar district, citing security concerns.

Faruq Faisel, Regional Director for South Asia of ARTICLE 19, said this decision comes at a point when the Bangladesh government is in a race against the clock to contain the spread of coronavirus, including at the Rohingya camps.

Access to information is essential for an effective public health response to a pandemic, said the statement. Lack of information fosters misinformation and rumours. Unrestricted access to information, via mobile and Internet communications, is crucial for slowing the transmission of the disease and saving the lives of Rohingyas, humanitarian workers, host communities and the general population of Bangladesh.

"There are still some ways to go before the refugees are able to enjoy the rights they are due under international law. Even though Bangladesh is not a signatory to the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and to its 1967 Protocol and has not enacted any national legislation on asylum and refugee matters, the country has acceded to several of the existing International Treaties, Charters, Protocols, Covenants and Conventions, and has provisions within its Constitution that uphold the rights and duties within the UN Charter and further safeguard the legal protection of non-citizens within its territory", he added.

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