Govt to register all Rohingyas, bring them to camps

The government is expecting to complete the registration process of undocumented Rohingyas -- officially termed as 'Forcibly Displaced Myanmar Citizens' -- in next few months.
It might take two and half months to complete the process and know their actual number, said a minister at Bangladesh Secretariat Thursday.
Since beginning on September 11, more than 68,000 Rohingyas have completed their biometric registrations - 7,000 to 8000 per day - till Thursday evening. The government has a plan to accelerate the process and register more Rohingyas every day.
"If we can register 10,000 to 12,000 people per day, it will be possible to know the actual number in next two and half months," Disaster Management and Relief Minister Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya told a press briefing on the latest development and government initiatives in managing the Rohingya crisis.
According to a government guesstimate, the number of Rohingyas who have so far crossed into Bangladesh would be over 0.5 million.
"There are different versions about the number," Mr Maya said.
However, he added, the government would be able to mobilise all the Rohingyas and house them at the 23 camps in Kutupalong area of Cox's Bazar. The camps will be made secured with fencing to maintain law and order, he said.
The construction of 18-kilometre roads by Bangladesh Army and nine-kilometre roads by local government and engineering department was progressing around the camps.
The government distributes 120 tonnes of rice every day at different camps. Meanwhile, the World Food Programme (WFP) assured the government that it will provide food until February next for around 0.6 million of the refugees.
Mr Maya said the government with the help of UN organisations and local non-government organisations (NGOs) has set up 3,500 latrines, 1,900 sanitary toilets, 1,528 tubewells, 75,000 sheds, 14 mobile water treatment plant and seven water-trucks for supplying pure drinking water to the camps.
Besides, the government will set up more 17,500 latrines, 75,000 sheds, 9-km power lines, street poles with lamps, police out posts at all the camps in Cox's Bazar.
"None will be allowed to do politics or creating disturbances on the plights of the Rohingya people," Mr Maya said, adding that the law enforcing agencies remain alert in this regard.
"We expect the Myanmar government will bring back their citizens at the earliest," he said.
Our correspondent in Cox's Bazar, however, reports that the influx of Rohingya refugees was continuing till Thursday evening as Myanmar military forces did not stop violence yet on the Rohingyas in Rakhaine.
At least 4,000 Rohingyas claimed to have entered Bangladesh on Wednesday and Thursday through Anjuman Para, Tumbru, Balukhali and Shahparir Dwip border points.
According to sources at borders, Myanmar army personnel set fire on many dwelling houses in Mongdaw and Bhucidang areas on Wednesday and Thursday. Newly arrived Rohingya Jafar Alam (40), Boshor Mia (35) and Ameena Khatun (50) alleged that Myanmar forces set fire on at least 40 houses of Rohingyas in last two days.
Local people, refugees and news reporters also saw smoke and fire in Mongdaw area from Anjuman Para village of Ukhia upazila.

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