Friday prayers and Rohingya comment on repatriation plan
137 views · Published 21 November 2018 · 1:58 · Indexed 23 September 2026
Channel: AP Archive · 2018 · News & Politics
(16 Nov 2018) Normal life returned to a Rohingya Muslim refugee camp in Bangladesh on Friday a day after government officials postponed plans to begin repatriating residents to Myanmar when no one volunteered to go. The checkpoints at the entrance to Unchiprang, one of the refugee camps near the city of Cox's Bazar, were temporarily left unguarded on Friday morning - a sign of easing tensions - as about 500 people crowded into a mosque for Friday prayers. One of the imams, Abdul Hakim, told the devotees that the government could not force Rohingya to go back without Myanmar guaranteeing them protection and civil rights. More than 700,000 Rohingya Muslims fled to Bangladesh from western Myanmar's Rakhine state since August 2017 to escape killings and destruction of their villages by the military and Buddhist vigilantes. Bangladesh's refugee commission had planned to begin a voluntary repatriation process on Thursday under a United Nations-brokered deal with Myanmar. But some people on the repatriation list left their shanties and disappeared into other camps to avoid being sent home. Nabi Hossain, 45, left his shanty at Unchiprang camp late on Wednesday with his wife, Jamila Begum, and six other family members after noticing extra security at the camp. He said the family were prefer to die than be returned to Myanmar by force. They returned on Thursday after hearing the repatriation plan had been shelved. Not everyone who fled Unchiprang has returned. Johara, 30, a mother of four, said her husband left five days ago with their 6-year-old daughter, who was traumatised after witnessing Myanmar soldiers ransack her home village. Johara, who goes by one name, said her husband left to find his parents at another camp after she gave an interview to aid workers, and the family found out they were on the government's repatriation list. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/51b92464f4eee17b894643bbdea75d40
