NGOs gobble up 75pc of funds for Rohingyas

Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque said on Wednesday some NGOs working for the Rohingyas spent over 75 per cent of the foreign aid on meeting their staff's own expenses, reports UNB.

Rohingyas are getting only 25 per cent of the funds, the minister told journalists after a meeting of the cabinet committee on law and order at the Foreign Ministry's conference room.

"You'll get surprised knowing that the NGOs have paid over Tk 1.5 billion as hotel bills since September. They have spent nearly Tk 80 million as flat and house rents," Mozzamel said.

"This is really unfortunate," he said.

"The intelligence agencies have been instructed to identify such NGOs," he added.

Asked about some foreign agencies' opinion regarding relocation of Rohingyas to Bhasan Char, the minister said, "The government's responsibility is to feed and support the people they've sheltered and ensured security for them. It's the decision of the government where they'll provide accommodation for the Rohingyas -- in Bhasan Char or elsewhere?"

"The responsibility of NGOs is to oversee whether the government is taking proper care of the Rohingyas. If they've any opinion in this regard, the government will consider," he added.