Plans to send Rohingya refugees back to Myanmar on Thursday have gathered momentum, with reports of Bangladesh armed forces gathering in the Cox’s Bazar camps and allegations that refugees have been assaulted by the authorities for refusing to cooperate.
The army, police and paramilitary troops have moved into several of the camps, where over 700,000 Rohingya are living after fleeing a campaign of violence, described as genocide by a UN fact-finding mission, carried out by the Myanmar military in August 2017.
Qadar, a 29-year-old Rohingya refugee in Jamtoli camp, said many families, even those not among the list approved for return by Myanmar, had gone into hiding.
“The army is in every corner of the Jamtoli and Hakimpara camps, sitting and checking people and not letting them move between camps,” said Qadar. “People are too afraid to leave their houses or eat. Some left our block at midnight using secret paths for other camps, especially Kutupalong, where there is not so much fear about repatriation.”
Jani, 30, a Rohingya living in camp 14, said the security presence had doubled in the past two days in several settlements, elevating the panic among the Rohingya. “When the sun sets the security teams come to every entry point in the camps and they don’t leave till the morning,” he said. “People are running away and spending days and nights in the forest or other camps.”
Rohingya in Camp 15, where 100 families are on the list for return, reported that the army presence was so heavy that no-one was being allowed to enter or leave the camp. However, by the time the security had arrived on Tuesday, every family listed for repatriation had already gone into hiding.
There have also been reports of Bangladesh camp officials, known as CICs, assaulting Rohingya who have refused to cooperate. In a video, verified by the Guardian, Ata Ullah, a Rohingya leader in Chakmarkul Camp 21 alleges that he was beaten in the office of a CIC officer “with a large stick” on Monday after he was unable to provide them with list of Rohingya in his camp. “They stepped on my neck, I could not stand it,” Ullah said in the footage. “You can see from my face how I was beaten.”
Rohingya refugees told the Guardian of the multiple ways that the Bangladesh authorities were trying to “persuade” refugees to go back, including telling them that it was the only way they would get the Myanmar government to give them rights and citizenship.
They also made direct threats. Saifullah, who lives in Balukhali camp, said that the CIC had warned the majhis of “stern actions” if the Rohingya who are in the repatriation list do not return to Myanmar.
“The CIC have been telling Rohingya refugees will face hardship if they do not return to Myanmar,” he said. “They are threatening to stop supplying rations to refugees, saying they will be barred from working with the different NGOs and will not have the freedom to move around freely.”
It is the latest signal that the repatriations, due to begin on Thursday, may not be voluntary, despite multiple assurances by the Bangladesh foreign secretary and the refugee commissioner that they would not force any Rohingya to go back against their will.