Rohingya refugees on voter list
Saturday, 13 November 2010
The Cox's Bazar deputy commissioner (DC) has requested the Election Commission (EC) to review the district's voters list, fearing almost 10 per cent people on the list are Rohingya refugees, reports bdnews24.com.
Rohingyas are minority Muslims from the Arakan state of neighbouring Myanmar, who have been fleeing to Bangladesh to escape persecution from the Burmese military junta since 1978.
Cox's Bazar DC Giasuddin Ahmed told the news agency Thursday that he had sent a letter to the EC requesting amendment to the district's original voters list.
The original photo-based voters list was made during the last caretaker government tenure.
Moreover, the DC informed the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), Foreign, Cabinet, Home, Food and Disaster Management ministries and the Chittagong divisional commissioner about the matter.
Some 195,996 people from Bandarban, 331,812 people from Rangamati and around 1,100,000 from Cox's Bazar were registered in the original list made before the ninth parliamentary election.
Election Commissioner Sakhawat Hossain told the news agency: "Local elections (municipalities and union councils) are going to be held soon and the voter list has already been finalised."
"However, if the issue of those districts is tabled at our next meeting we will take a decision after careful consideration," he said, adding, "A new revision will possibly take a month."
In the latest voter list updated this year, 45,866 forms, about 73 per cent of new voter applicants in Cox's Bazar, were rejected as foreign nationals.
Foreign Minister Dipu Moni in September last year said there were 2,800 registered Rohingya refugees in Cox's Bazar as against over 400,000 unregistered.
"These refugees are a social, economic and environmental burden for the country. They are a serious threat to the country's law and order," she said.
Rohingyas are minority Muslims from the Arakan state of neighbouring Myanmar, who have been fleeing to Bangladesh to escape persecution from the Burmese military junta since 1978.
Cox's Bazar DC Giasuddin Ahmed told the news agency Thursday that he had sent a letter to the EC requesting amendment to the district's original voters list.
The original photo-based voters list was made during the last caretaker government tenure.
Moreover, the DC informed the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), Foreign, Cabinet, Home, Food and Disaster Management ministries and the Chittagong divisional commissioner about the matter.
Some 195,996 people from Bandarban, 331,812 people from Rangamati and around 1,100,000 from Cox's Bazar were registered in the original list made before the ninth parliamentary election.
Election Commissioner Sakhawat Hossain told the news agency: "Local elections (municipalities and union councils) are going to be held soon and the voter list has already been finalised."
"However, if the issue of those districts is tabled at our next meeting we will take a decision after careful consideration," he said, adding, "A new revision will possibly take a month."
In the latest voter list updated this year, 45,866 forms, about 73 per cent of new voter applicants in Cox's Bazar, were rejected as foreign nationals.
Foreign Minister Dipu Moni in September last year said there were 2,800 registered Rohingya refugees in Cox's Bazar as against over 400,000 unregistered.
"These refugees are a social, economic and environmental burden for the country. They are a serious threat to the country's law and order," she said.