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Bangladesh forcing out Myanmar refugees: MSF
Geneva, Sept 18: The aid group doctors without borders (MSF) has accused Bangladesh`s government of harassing thousands of Muslim Refugees from Myanmar in an attempt to force them to return home.
Geneva, Sept 18: The aid group doctors without borders (MSF) has accused Bangladesh's government of harassing thousands of Muslim Refugees from Myanmar in an attempt to force them to return home.
"In recent months, staff from MSF received over 550 complaints of coercion from the refugees," MSF said in a statement, adding that complaints ranged from "incidents of
intimidation to outright threats of physical abuse to push people to repatriate".
The aid agency also called into question the voluntary nature of the repatriation of the remaining 19,000 refugees from Myanmar's Rohingya minority, which is being supervised by the UN refugee agency. "The Bangladesh government is subjecting thousands of Rohingya refugees to intimidation and harassment as part of a campaign to pressure them to return to Myanmar," MSF said.
It called on the Bangladeshi government and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to respect the rights of the Rohingya. MSF is ending medical assistance it provided in the camps, where 58 percent of children last year suffered from chronic malnutrition, and water and food is regarded as insufficient, it added.
"Despite atrocious living conditions in the camps many of the refugees are not willing to return," MSF said.
More than 250,000 Rohingya Muslims fled forced labour and violence by Myanmar's military government during 1991 and 1992. Bureau Report
The aid agency also called into question the voluntary nature of the repatriation of the remaining 19,000 refugees from Myanmar's Rohingya minority, which is being supervised by the UN refugee agency. "The Bangladesh government is subjecting thousands of Rohingya refugees to intimidation and harassment as part of a campaign to pressure them to return to Myanmar," MSF said.
It called on the Bangladeshi government and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to respect the rights of the Rohingya. MSF is ending medical assistance it provided in the camps, where 58 percent of children last year suffered from chronic malnutrition, and water and food is regarded as insufficient, it added.
"Despite atrocious living conditions in the camps many of the refugees are not willing to return," MSF said.
More than 250,000 Rohingya Muslims fled forced labour and violence by Myanmar's military government during 1991 and 1992. Bureau Report