Al Mamun Harun Ur Rashid :
Rohingya camps have increasingly become hotspots for various crimes, including violence, drug trafficking, and homicides, threatening the overall law and order in the inside the country and across the region.
According to a police statistics, from August 25, 2017, to September, 2024, there have been at least 250 killings attributed to Rohingya individuals over various issues.
Meanwhile, early on Monday morning, three family members were shot dead by unidentified assailants at a Rohingya camp in Ukhiya upazila, Cox’s Bazar.
The victims were identified as Ahammad Hossain, 65, his son Syedul Amin, 28, and his daughter Asma Begum, 15. They resided in Camp No. 17, X-block.
Ukhiya police station officer-in-charge Arif confirmed the incident and stated that an investigation is underway to identify the perpetrators.
Such criminal offences including unlawful activities are continuing in the Rohingya camps with the passing of the days without any sign of repatriation.
According to the law enforcers, various groups are active inside the camps, but their manpower is inadequate to contain the magnitude of crimes.
The activities of armed groups in the Rohingya refugee camps in Ukhiya and Teknaf have escalated significantly, they said.
Groups like the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) and the Arakan Rohingya Solidarity Organization (RSO) have been taking advantage of security gaps to infiltrate the camps after dark and carry out violent acts.
Over the past seven years, ARSA has reportedly killed at least 150 Rohingya leaders, including notable Rohingya figure Mohib Ullah.
Lieutenant Colonel HM Sajjad Hossain, Commander of RAB-15 in Cox’s Bazar, stated in August that RAB has arrested 123 ARSA operatives, including high-ranking members and military commanders, within the camps.
These operations have resulted in the seizure of 58 kilograms of explosives, 78 firearms-both domestic and foreign-made-along with a significant cache of grenades, hand mines, and ammunition.
Additional Superintendent of Police, Cox’s Bazar Nazmus Sakib told the New Nation on Monday that the law and order situation inside the camps are deteriorating on regular basis.
Regarding the crime incidents, he said, “The update of the crime incidents is really bad. The situation is deteriorating day and night. Various agencies are working to look after the situation. Our manpower is really inadequate.”
According to police statistics, over the last seven years, over 3,336 cases were reported to the Ukhiya and Teknaf police stations, spanning 25 different categories. Notably, 60.58% of these cases are drug-related, while 6.59% pertain to murder and 11.27% involve illegal firearms, according to sources from Cox’s Bazar Police Station.
Cox’s Bazar police reported that various factions among the Rohingyas are vying for dominance within the overcrowded camps, which has contributed to the escalating crime rate.
“A range of criminal activities are occurring in the camps where millions reside, with several groups engaged in infighting for their own interests,” Nazmus Sakib, Additional Superintendent of Police said.
He added that despite inadequate manpower, law enforcement is actively working to address the rising incidents of crime. Analyzing the statistics from the Ukhiya and Teknaf Police Stations reveals that between August 25, 2017, and March 31, 2024, a total of 220 murder cases were filed-170 in Ukhiya and 50 in Teknaf. Additionally, there were 376 cases related to illegal arms, with 248 in Ukhiya and 128 in Teknaf.
Sources indicate that drug trafficking has become pervasive within the camps, leading to a rapid increase in reported cases. A total of 2,021 drug-related cases were registered-1,508 in Ukhiya and 513 in Teknaf.
As crime statistics continue to rise amid the prolonged delay in Rohingya repatriation, there has been no proactive action from Myanmar to facilitate the return of its nationals over the past seven years.
Rather Dhaka has recently expressed deep concern over the recent influx of more than 40,000 Myanmar nationals into Bangladesh through the Myanmar border, who fled amid the escalating conflicts in their home country to protect their lives.
In a meeting with Myanmar’s Ambassador to Bangladesh, U Kyaw Soe Moe, on Wednesday, Foreign Adviser Md Touhid Hossain emphasised the regional stability that is crucial for both the nations and the pressing need for repatriation.
The Myanmar Ambassador also acknowledged the difficulties caused by the conflict, explaining that efforts toward the repatriation of displaced persons had been delayed due to the ceasefire breakdown by the Arakan Army in November 2023. Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar are confronting severe threats, with conditions worsening since 2017, when the Myanmar military launched a brutal campaign of massacres, rape, and arson in northern Rakhine State, according to Human Rights Watch.
Apart from deteriorating law and order situation in the camps, Bangladesh is also facing troubles in getting foreign assistance for the Rohingyas as it is declining every year.