Barbed-wire-fence to be built at Rohingya camps soon: HM

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal today said the government will construct barbed-wire-fence surrounding of three big Rohingya camps due to security reason, state-run news agency report said.

“We will construct barbed-wire-fence at Rohingya camps to bring Rohingya under security surveillance, as Rohingyas have been engaging in different crimes,” he told journalists after a meeting with three envoys at his ministry.

United States Ambassador to Bangladesh Earl R. Miller, Canadian High Commissioner to Dhaka Benoit Préfontaine and representatives of European Union (EU) met with Home Minister.

During the meeting the minister said envoys wanted to know about the overall situation of Rohingya camps and he informed them that the government has undertaken some initiatives considering the national security as over 11 lakh Rohingyas have taken shelter in Bangladesh since 2017.

He said it was reported that criminals tried to contacts with Rohingyas recently and some Rohingyas were seen engaging in crimes like yaba trade and illegal arms.

“Our security personnel recovered arms from Rohingyas. In the meantime, they (Rohingyas) killed our security personnel and Awami League leader. So the barbed-wire-fence around the Rohingya camps would be constructed and two battalion armed police will be deployed there,” Kamal added.

The Rohingya repatriation is delayed due to unavoidable circumstances and the repatriation process may take some more time, he said, adding that the United States, Canada and the European Union are sincere for Rohingya repatriation.

About issuing visas for representatives of the Non Government Organisations (NGOs), the minister said the government will show more conscious for issuing visas of NGOs officials.

Kamruzzaman