HRW urges Bangladesh to open border for Myanmar refugees
Dhaka, June 13 (UNB) - Human Rights Watch, a New York-based rights group, has urged the Bangladesh government to immediately open its borders to Myanmar people seeking refuge amid sectarian violence in Arakan State.
The Bangladeshi government, anticipating an influx of refugees fleeing sectarian violence between Buddhists and Muslims in western Myanmar, this month reportedly ordered its border guards and naval services to prevent Burmese from crossing the border into Bangladesh, the rights group said in a web release on Wednesday.
“It's not in our interest that new refugees come from Myanmar,” the HRW quoted Foreign Minister Dipu Moni as saying at a news conference in Dhaka. ”Bangladeshi authorities reported that at least 500 people aboard 11 boats have been denied access to Bangladesh over the last three days," the release said.
“By closing its border when violence in Arakan State is out of control, Bangladesh is putting lives at grave risk,” said Bill Frelick, Refugee Program director at Human Rights Watch.
“Bangladesh has an obligation under international law to keep its border open to people fleeing threats to their lives and provide them protection”, he added.
Although Bangladesh is not a party to the 1951 Refugee Convention or its 1967 Protocol, it is obligated by the customary international law principle of nonrefoulement not to reject asylum seekers at its border when they are fleeing threats to their lives or freedom, the HRW release said.
Human Rights Watch called on the Bangladesh government to allow independent humanitarian agencies free and unfettered access to the border areas.
Other governments should provide humanitarian assistance and other support for the refugees, it said adding that they should also help in finding durable solutions both for the new arrivals and for the 29,000 registered and an estimated 200,000 unregistered Rohingya refugees from Myanmar already in Bangladesh, who are living in some of the poorest provisioned camps in the world.
“Bangladesh needs generous support right now from the international community to assist the refugees fleeing Arakan State and to find durable solutions later on,” Frelick said.
“But Bangladesh can help itself by allowing immediate and full access to humanitarian agencies so they can provide life-saving assistance to desperate refugees”, he further said.
The Bangladeshi government, anticipating an influx of refugees fleeing sectarian violence between Buddhists and Muslims in western Myanmar, this month reportedly ordered its border guards and naval services to prevent Burmese from crossing the border into Bangladesh, the rights group said in a web release on Wednesday.
“It's not in our interest that new refugees come from Myanmar,” the HRW quoted Foreign Minister Dipu Moni as saying at a news conference in Dhaka. ”Bangladeshi authorities reported that at least 500 people aboard 11 boats have been denied access to Bangladesh over the last three days," the release said.
“By closing its border when violence in Arakan State is out of control, Bangladesh is putting lives at grave risk,” said Bill Frelick, Refugee Program director at Human Rights Watch.
“Bangladesh has an obligation under international law to keep its border open to people fleeing threats to their lives and provide them protection”, he added.
Although Bangladesh is not a party to the 1951 Refugee Convention or its 1967 Protocol, it is obligated by the customary international law principle of nonrefoulement not to reject asylum seekers at its border when they are fleeing threats to their lives or freedom, the HRW release said.
Human Rights Watch called on the Bangladesh government to allow independent humanitarian agencies free and unfettered access to the border areas.
Other governments should provide humanitarian assistance and other support for the refugees, it said adding that they should also help in finding durable solutions both for the new arrivals and for the 29,000 registered and an estimated 200,000 unregistered Rohingya refugees from Myanmar already in Bangladesh, who are living in some of the poorest provisioned camps in the world.
“Bangladesh needs generous support right now from the international community to assist the refugees fleeing Arakan State and to find durable solutions later on,” Frelick said.
“But Bangladesh can help itself by allowing immediate and full access to humanitarian agencies so they can provide life-saving assistance to desperate refugees”, he further said.
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