Dhaka, Jan 17 – The UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Myanmar Yanghee Lee begins weeklong visit on Thursday vowing to fulfill her mandate despite the Myanmar government’s refusal to work with her.
Category: Migration
EU steps up support to address the Rohingya crisis in BD
Dhaka, 17 Jan – The European Union has adopted a new €5 million programme to support the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, aimed at supporting their identification and registration, facilitating the provision of humanitarian support, and ensuring the better protection of…
US to withhold $65m in aid for Palestinian refugees
The United States will give a UN agency $60m in aid for Palestinian refugees but withhold a further $65m for now, the state department said on Tuesday, as the Trump administration carried out a threat it made two weeks ago…
Fate of the Rohingyas – Part Two
By Naimul Haq Dhaka, Bangladesh, Jan 16 (IPS) – With discussions underway between Bangladesh and Myanmar about the repatriation of more than a half a million Rohingya refugees, many critical questions remain, including how many people would be allowed back,…
UN body wants Int’l standards in Rohingya repatriation
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, on Tuesday stressed the importance of Rohingyas’ returns meeting the international standards saying that they are willing to be part of these talks on repatriation. “To ensure that the refugees are heard and their protection…
Over one million BD workers go on jobs abroad
Dhaka, Jan 15 – Bangladesh sent a record number of 10.08 lakh workers abroad in 2017, Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Nurul Islam told Parliament on Monday.
Humanitarian activity in Rohingya Camp – Update
What you need to know today Cox’s Bazar (Bangladesh) 15 Jan – A total of 655,500 forcibly-displaced Myanmar nationals have entered Bangladesh since 25 August (Source: ISCG report, 07 January 2018) BRAC’s total coverage (based on sanitation) is 550,200 people…
Thousands still dying at sea en route to Europe
By Tharanga Yakupitiyage UN, Jan 15 (IPS) – Amid concerns that 160 people may have drowned while attempting to cross the Mediterranean this week alone, the UN refugee agency have urged countries to offer more resettlement places.
Rohingya repatriation uncertain – Part One
By Naimul Haq Dhaka, Bangladesh, Jan 14 (IPS) – The repatriation of Rohingya refugees driven from their villages through violence and terror appears uncertain, with critics saying the agreement legalising the process of their return is both controversial and impractical.…
First camp for Rohingya to be ready next week: Yangon
Myanmar officials say a camp to house Rohingya Muslim and Hindu refugees who return from Bangladesh will be ready by its promised deadline next week. Myanmar and Bangladesh had signed an agreement in November to repatriate Rohingya and had set…
Cold wave hits Rohingyas hard: Children worst victims
AKM Moinuddin & Tofail Ahmad, UNB Staff Writers Cox’s Bazar, Jan 14 – As a cold wave is sweeping several districts of the country causing sufferings to the poor and the elderly, Rohingyas, living in poorly-built shelters, are no exception…
Making migration work for all
The Special Representative to the Secretary General (SRSG) for International Migration, Louise Arbour, has shared her report, Making Migration Work for All.
50 Bangladeshis held in Malaysia for human trafficking
Dhaka, Jan 12 – The Immigration Department of Malaysia has busted another human trafficking syndicate, this time led by a Bangladeshi national known as “Abang Bangla”, according to Malaysian The Star Online.
Physical arrangement for Rohingya repatriation Monday
Bangladesh and Myanmar are likely to finalise an agreement on the ‘physical arrangement’ on Monday to start the repatriation of Rohingyas from Bangladesh to Myanmar. A 14-member Bangladesh delegation, led by Foreign Secretary M Shahidul Haque, will leave here for…
Japan to provide $3 million to Myanmar for Rohingya repatriation
Japanese’s foreign minister on Friday urged Myanmar’s civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi to guarantee the safe and voluntary return of Rohingya Muslims who have fled violence in troubled Rakhine state. While Foreign Minister Taro Kono is visiting Myanmar, the…
Trump derides protections to migrants from shithole countries
President Trump grew frustrated with lawmakers Thursday in the Oval Office when they discussed protecting immigrants from Haiti, El Salvador and African countries as part of a bipartisan immigration deal, according to several people briefed on the meeting. “Why are…
Making migration work for all
The Special Representative to the Secretary General (SRSG) forInternational Migration, Louise Arbour, has shared her report, Making Migration for All. The report which is available in English, Arabic, Chinese, French, Spanish, and Russian.
Rapid and rights-based responses to migrants, refugees urged
UN ESCAP Regional Consultation Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration 6-8 November 2017 – Statement of Asia and the Pacific The result of the process that civil society in Asia has drawn out after a series of consultations…
Sweden warns against cutting US aid to Palestinians
‘It’s vindictive of US to deprive UN of money to feed, educate Palestinian children in order to blackmail PA’ Sweden, a big donor country that has recognized Palestine as a state, warned Tuesday that any US decision to withdraw funds…
Mediterranean migrant arrivals 1072, deaths 81 in first week
By International Organization for Migration Geneva, Jan 9 (IOM) – IOM, the UN Migration Agency, reports that 1,072 migrants and refugees entered Europe by sea during the first week of 2018, with around 450 each landing in Italy and Greece…
Humanitarian programme in Cox’s Bazar for Rohingyas
Report from BRAC • A total of 655,000 forcibly-displaced Myanmar nationals have entered Bangladesh since 25 August (Source: ISCG report, 31 December) • BRAC’s total coverage (based on sanitation) is 638,600 people with installation of 15,965 latrines (16 today). BRAC…
Rohingyas’ access to balanced diet still a big concern: UN
Although more than 90 percent of Rohingyas in Cox’s Bazar have received emergency food assistance, a major concern is limited access to a well-diversified and balanced diet, says a new study. The Rohingya Emergency Vulnerability Assessment (REVA) was carried out…
In the wake of the millennium migration
A century ago, Italian immigrants told a joke: “Before I came to America, I thought the streets were paved with gold. When I got here, I learned three things: one, the streets were not paved with gold; two, the streets…
OIC finds marks of Rohingya ethnic cleansing
The OIC Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission (IPHRC) on Friday said the situation of Rohingyas carries the hallmark of an organised campaign of ethnic cleansing, which is a crime against humanity under international law and must be stopped by all…
Marooned in Bangladesh, Rohingya face uncertain future
By Sohara Mehroze Shachi Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, Jan 3 (IPS) – Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugee women from Myanmar are currently living in the cramped camps along Bangladesh Myanmar border. Victims of sexual and physical violence in the Rakhine…
The plight of Myanmar’s persecuted Rohingya Muslim Refugees
By Fiona MacGregor Reprint Bangladesh, Jan 3 (IOM) – When a major upsurge in violence broke out in Myanmar’s northern Rakhine state on August 25, it started an exodus that sent almost half a million of the mainly stateless Rohingya…
OIC team discuss Rohingya repatriation with BD minister
The visiting delegation of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Wednesday met Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali and State Minister for Foreign Affairs M Shahriar Alam, and discussed the Rohingya issue, especially their safe return to Myanmar. The 13-member…
Banking irregularities, Floods, Rohingya issue to pressure BD economy
Irregularities in credit management in banking sector, Rohingya influx and the floods in the last year will continue to keep overall economy under pressure this year, says the president of the country’s apex trade body. But at the same time…
Optimism about starting Rohingya repatriation in Jan
Dhaka, Dec 31 – Despite challenges, Bangladesh and Myanmar remain optimistic to start the repatriation of Rohingyas sometime in January following the ongoing negotiations with Myanmar bilaterally.
The saga of Rohingya refugees
Mostafa Kamal Majumder A tiny tot, playing near a hand-pump beside shanties covered with polythene-sheet roofs was visibly worried as he saw a handful of visitors getting closer to him, and at one stage he ran away into one such…