Monsoons could result in ‘enormous deaths’ among Rohingya refugees
Myanmar: The coming monsoon season could result in “enormous deaths” among Rohingya people from Myanmar living in refugee camps in neighbouring Bangladesh, a group of international advisers has warned, because the camps are not built to withstand storms.
Rights groups say 700,000 mostly Muslim Rohingya have fled violence and crossed the border from Myanmar’s Rakhine state since August and most live in flimsy, bamboo-and-plastic structures perched on what were once forested hills at Cox’s Bazar.
“We are at this time in a race against time. For us, the monsoons are coming. The camps of almost 1 million people are not built to withstand monsoons,” Kobsak Chutikul, from the advisory group, said at a press conference in Singapore on Tuesday.
“There will be enormous deaths if all parties do not move to some understanding on repatriation, on aid.”
Because a repatriation deal between the neighbouring countries has been delayed, Bangladesh is racing to prepare new homes on a nearby island, called Bhasan Char, before the monsoons that could arrive later this month. Computer modelling by the United Nations high commissioner for refugees (UNHCR) shows that more than 100,000 refugees will be threatened by landslides and floods in the coming monsoons. The rains typically begin in April and peak in July, according to the Bangladesh meteorological department. Mr Chutikul’s comments came as Malaysia intercepted a boat with 56 Rohingya refugees from Myanmar off its northern island of Langkawi after a storm. Malaysia will allow them to enter on humanitarian grounds, with rights groups expecting further attempts at perilous journeys by sea.