In the past six years, 189 Rohingyas have died in Cox’s Bazar’s Ukhia and Teknaf Rohingya camps in Bangladesh. The majority of the killings took place between Myanmar’s two armed factions over supremacy, shelter management, and money-sharing in the narcotics trade. Ten to twelve more Rohingya terrorist organisations, in addition to the two main armed organisations Arakan Solidarity Organisation (RSO) and Arakan Salvation Army (ARSA), are operating in the refugee camps.
In such a circumstance, a coordinated operation in the shelter camp is being launched on Saturday by the Armed Police Battalion (APBN), District Police, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB).
14 APBN commander and Additional DIG of Police Syed Haroon Or Rasheed, who is in charge of the security of the asylum camp, told Prothom Alo that the operation of the joint forces is starting from today to protect the peace and order of the asylum camp, to arrest the terrorists of the armed groups of Myanmar, and to recover drugs and weapons.
The timing of the campaign cannot be announced due to the related reasons. APBN, Police, RAB and BGB are in the operation. In addition, it has been decided to repair the barbed wire fence that was cut so that the terrorists cannot enter the shelter camp, to open observation posts with the required number of CCTV cameras and to set up multiple check posts on the connecting roads to the shelter camp.
Syed Haroon Or Rashid said that the top leaders of Myanmar’s armed groups are out of the country, intelligence monitoring has been increased in this case. Last Thursday night from Palangkhali in Ukhia Arsa Finance Editor Maulana Md. RAB arrested Yunus with a Pakistani made revolver.
Rohingya leaders say barbed wire fences have been installed to protect the shelter camps, but have now been cut in half a hundred places.
T
he members of Arsa, RSO and other terrorist forces entered the shelter camp through the torn part of the barbed wire after evening and committed terrorist activities including murder and kidnapping and took up their position in the mountain hideout.
Arsa terrorists have killed more than 150 Rohingya including the top leader of Rohingya, Muhibullah, in the last six years after the Rohingya influx, but the main leaders of the group are still not brought to justice. The common Rohingyas are terrified. After evening, the shelters came under the control of the terrorists.
Currently, the number of Rohingyas registered in 33 shelter camps in Ukhia and Teknaf is 1.25 million. Of these, 8 lakh came in the few months after August 25, 2017.
Last Tuesday night in Balukhali shelter camp (Camp-8) of Ukhia, Arsa terrorists took him from his house and shot him dead. A Rohingya teenager named Yusuf (16). Rohingya leaders said Madrasa student Yusuf is a member of RSO. He is the son of Hamid Hossain of H-17 block of that shelter camp.
In order to regulate the drug trade, apprehend terrorists, and seize illicit weapons, law enforcement operations are still in progress, according to Chittagong Range Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Nur Alam Meena. Already, some terrorists carrying firearms and weapons have been apprehended.
At least 60 Rohingya people have died in 51 fights and shootings in refugee camps over the course of the last eight months, according to authorities and Rohingya elders. Arsa, RSO, and Rohingya terrorist Nabi Hussain forces are responsible for the majority of the deaths. 18 ARSA members and 2 RSO members died in the conflict. 189 Rohingyas have died in the refugee camps over the course of six years as a result of gunfights between militant groups and the authorities.
On August 25, 2017, the world witnessed a massive humanitarian crisis in Myanmar’s Rakhine State. In the five months following the army operation in Rakhine that began that day, more than seven million Rohingya fled to Bangladesh to save their lives. And there are already about 400,000 Rohingyas. Now the old and new Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh have exceeded 1.2 million.
About 70,000 Rohingyas live in the Kutupalong refugee camp in Ukhia. The camp was visited on Friday, and it was seen that there is extreme fear among the refugees due to the activities of armed groups.
Some Rohingyas said on condition of anonymity that after evening the shelter camp was under the control of terrorists. Terrorists of Arsa, RSO, Munna forces conduct weapons drills separately to spread dominance. One army abducts Rohingyas who are supporters of another army.
Rohingya leaders said that on the night of July 30 in Kutupalong shelter camp, in the shooting between Arsa and RSO, Md. A Rohingya named Salim (45) was killed. Salim is the son of Nazir Hossain of that shelter camp (Camp-7). He was a member of the RSO. At least 60 people have been killed in firing and clashes with Arsa and other forces in the last eight months. Even though the murders are constantly increasing, the main leaders of the terrorist forces are still out of touch.
According to the police, on the night of September 29, 2021, the top leader of the Rohingya, Muhibullah (48), was shot dead by Arsa terrorists. He was the chairman of Arakan Rohingya Society for Peace and Human Rights (ARSPH). The next day on September 30, Muhibullah’s younger brother Habibullah filed a murder case against unknown terrorists at Ukhia police station. On June 14, Ukhia Thana-Police filed a charge sheet against 29 Arsa leaders and workers in Cox’s Bazar Court. However, the names of seven people, including Arsa chief Ataullah Abu Ahamma Jununi, were omitted from the charge sheet as their names and addresses were not identified.
Less than a month after Muhibullah’s murder, six madrasa teachers and students were killed in an attack on Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulama Al Islamia madrasa and mosque in Balukhali (Camp-18) on October 22. Arsa is being blamed for this incident. The police of APBN and Ukhia police station arrested at least 23 people including three camp commanders of Arsa in connection with these two sensational murders.
Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Ukhia police station Sheikh Mohammad Ali told Prothom Alo that there are about five-six cases against Arsa chief Ataullah, head of Rohingya Nabi Hossain force, Yaba smuggling chief Nabi Hossain, including four murders in this police station. But they are not being caught as they are on the zero line on the Myanmar border.
According to district police data, 189 Rohingyas have died in 131 shootings and clashes in shelter camps in the last six years. 991 Rohingya terrorists have been accused in 131 cases in these incidents. Among them, more than 320 people have been arrested.
According to APBN and Rohingya leaders, ARSA activity is visible in 33 refugee camps in Ukhia-Teknaf. Arsa runs on foreign grant money and money from drug smuggling in refugee camps. Weapons and ammunition were bought with that money. At times Arsa shows its strength by attacking law enforcement officers.
An official of APBN said that on the night of August 3, there was a two-and-a-half-hour shootout between APBN and ARSA terrorists at the Balukhali shelter camp in Ukhia. APBN later arrested three members of ARSA with bullet wounds.
Analyzing the data provided by the police, it has been found that the murders in asylum camps are increasing compared to before. In 2017, there were 22 accused in 8 cases of murders in asylum camps. 33 accused in 15 murder cases in 2018, 107 accused in 22 murder cases in 2019, 123 accused in 13 murder cases in 2021, 65 accused in 13 murder cases in 2021, 237 accused in 20 murder cases in 2022 and 21 August 2023 404 Rohingya terrorists were accused in 40 murder cases in eight and a quarter months.
Apart from this, at least 1000 Rohingyas have been accused in 44 kidnappings, 94 rapes and attempted rapes, 238 weapons cases in asylum camps in the last six years.