Latest news with #MuslimRohingya
Business Recorder
6 days ago
- Health
- Business Recorder
Refugee camp schools at risk in Bangladesh in aid crisis
DHAKA: Global aid cuts have forced the UN children's agency to sack more than 1,000 teachers in Bangladesh camps for Rohingya refugees, with more jobs at risk without funding. Around a million members of the persecuted and mostly Muslim Rohingya live in squalid relief camps in Bangladesh, most of them after fleeing a 2017 military crackdown in neighbouring Myanmar. The teacher firings come in the wake of dramatic US funding cuts. 'Due to the global aid funding crisis, UNICEF has had to make difficult decisions impacting early education services for Rohingya refugee children,' the agency said in a statement late Tuesday. UNICEF said that the contracts of 1,179 people – working on kindergarten and primary schools – were terminated. Before the cuts, there were an estimated 4,000 teachers in the camps, according to Bangladeshi senior government aid official, Md Shamsud Douza. Schools have closed for the Muslim holiday of Eid, but if fresh funding is not secured by the time term resumes at the end of June, more teachers could lose their jobs. 'The return of the rest of the workers…depends on new funding being secured,' UNICEF added. 'We remain committed and hopeful that increased support will restore what every child deserves: a future.' UN halts plan to halve refugee rations for Rohingya in Bangladesh Humanitarian organisations worldwide have been reeling since US President Donald Trump returned to office in January, freezing most foreign aid funding. The United States has traditionally been by far the top donor to a number of agencies, which have been left scrambling to fill sudden budget gaps. 'We are deeply aware of the urgent needs faced by Rohingya refugee children, many of whom have already endured significant trauma and disruptions to their education, health, nutrition and protection,' UNICEF added. 'Our goal is to ensure they have essential skills, that they have basic qualifications that give them confidence to contribute to their communities when the time is safe for them to return.'
Hindustan Times
6 days ago
- Health
- Hindustan Times
Refugee camp schools at risk in Bangladesh in aid crisis
Global aid cuts have forced the UN children's agency to sack more than 1,000 teachers in Bangladesh camps for Rohingya refugees, with more jobs at risk without funding. Around a million members of the persecuted and mostly Muslim Rohingya live in squalid relief camps in Bangladesh, most of them after fleeing a 2017 military crackdown in neighbouring Myanmar. The teacher firings come in the wake of dramatic US funding cuts. "Due to the global aid funding crisis, UNICEF has had to make difficult decisions impacting early education services for Rohingya refugee children," the agency said in a statement late Tuesday. UNICEF said that the contracts of 1,179 people working on kindergarten and primary schools were terminated. Before the cuts, there were an estimated 4,000 teachers in the camps, according to Bangladeshi senior government aid official, Md Shamsud Douza. Schools have closed for the Muslim holiday of Eid, but if fresh funding is not secured by the time term resumes at the end of June, more teachers could lose their jobs. "The return of the rest of the on new funding being secured," UNICEF added. "We remain committed and hopeful that increased support will restore what every child deserves: a future." Humanitarian organisations worldwide have been reeling since US President Donald Trump returned to office in January, freezing most foreign aid funding. The United States has traditionally been by far the top donor to a number of agencies, which have been left scrambling to fill sudden budget gaps. "We are deeply aware of the urgent needs faced by Rohingya refugee children, many of whom have already endured significant trauma and disruptions to their education, health, nutrition and protection," UNICEF added. "Our goal is to ensure they have essential skills, that they have basic qualifications that give them confidence to contribute to their communities when the time is safe for them to return." sa/pjm/lb
Khaleej Times
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Khaleej Times
Indian navy forcing Rohingyas into sea 'outrageous', says UN expert while urging probe
A UN expert said on Thursday he was investigating "credible reports" that Rohingya refugees were forced off an Indian navy vessel into the Andaman Sea, in what would be an "unconscionable" act. "The idea that Rohingya refugees have been cast into the sea from naval vessels is nothing short of outrageous," said Tom Andrews, the United Nations special rapporteur on the rights situation in Myanmar. "I am seeking further information and testimony regarding these developments and implore the Indian government to provide a full accounting of what happened." Andrews, who is an independent expert mandated by the UN Human Rights Council but who does not speak on behalf of the UN itself, said he was "deeply concerned by what appears to be a blatant disregard for the lives and safety of those who require international protection". The mostly Muslim Rohingya have been heavily persecuted in Myanmar for decades. One million Rohingya live in a string of squalid camps in Bangladesh after escaping a 2017 military crackdown in Myanmar. Thousands of them risk their lives each year on long sea journeys to seek refuge elsewhere. Andrews' statement pointed to reports that Indian authorities last week detained dozens of Rohingya refugees living in Delhi, "many or all of whom held refugee identification documents". Around 40 members of the group were reportedly blindfolded and flown to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and then transferred to an Indian naval ship, he said. "After the boat crossed the Andaman Sea, the refugees were reportedly given life jackets, forced into the sea and made to swim to an island in Myanmar territory," he said. "Such cruel actions would be an affront to human decency and represent a serious violation of the principle of non-refoulment," he said, pointing out that Rohingya "face the threat of violence, persecution and other grave human rights violations in Myanmar". "The government of India must immediately and unequivocally repudiate unconscionable acts against Rohingya refugees, stop all deportations to Myanmar and ensure that those responsible for these blatant violations of India's international obligations are held responsible," Andrews said.
The Star
17-05-2025
- Politics
- The Star
UN agency, Rohingya refugees allege Indian authorities cast dozens of them into the sea near Myanmar
NEW DELHI (AP): Indian authorities allegedly forced dozens of Rohingya refugees off a naval vessel into the sea near Myanmar last week after providing them with life jackets, a United Nations agency, family members of the refugees and their lawyer said. The Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, in a statement on Thursday, said at least 40 Rohingya refugees were detained in New Delhi and cast into the sea by the Indian navy near the maritime border with Myanmar. The refugees - including children, women and older people - swam ashore, but their whereabouts in Myanmar remain unknown, the agency said. Five Rohingya refugees on Friday confirmed to the Associated Press that their family members were part of the group that were detained by Indian authorities on May 6. The group, including 15 Christians, were flown in an aircraft and later cast into the sea by Indian navy authorities on May 8, they said. Dilawar Hussain, a lawyer representing the refugees, said the families have filed a petition in India's top court, urging the Indian government to bring them back to New Delhi. India's navy and foreign ministry declined to comment. In its statement Thursday, the rights office said it had appointed a U.N. expert to probe into what it called were "unconscionable, unacceptable acts." The U.N. agency urged the Indian government to refrain from "inhumane and life-threatening treatment of Rohingya refugees, including their repatriation into perilous conditions in Myanmar.' Tom Andrews, U.N. Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, called the incident "blatant disregard for the lives and safety of those who require international protection' and "nothing short of outrageous.' "Such cruel actions would be an affront to human decency and represent a serious violation of the principle of non-refoulment, a fundamental tenet of international law that prohibits states from returning individuals to a territory where they face threats to their lives or freedom,' Andrews said in the statement. India does not have a national policy or a law to deal with refugees. It is also not party to the 1951 Refugee Convention or its 1967 Protocol. But hundreds of thousands of Muslim Rohingya refugees have fled persecution in Myanmar after suffering oppression in Myanmar's Rakhine state, where officials have been accused of genocide. According to Refugees International, of the estimated 40,000 Rohingya refugees living in India at least 22,500 are registered with the UNHCR. Many of them live in squalid camps in various Indian states. One of those refugees, who has not been identified by AP due to safety concerns, said his brother was among those returned. He said he received a call from his brother on May 8 after he managed to borrow a phone from a local fisherman after making landfall on an island in Myanmar. He told him Indian authorities removed their restraints and blindfolds, gave them life jackets and told them swim to an island in Myanmar territory. "My parents were taken from me and thrown into the waters," said the man, whose two brothers, parents and a sister-in-law were part of the group, according to his brother. 'It would be enough if I am reunited with my parents. I just want my parents, nothing else.' Thet Swe, a spokesman for Myanmar's military-led government, did not immediately respond to an email asking for comment. The refugee in India said most of those returned were registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in India and were detained by Indian authorities under the pretext of collecting their biometric data. He also shared with the AP pictures of his brother while he was detained by Indian authorities and taken in a police vehicle. AP also reviewed a recording of another phone call made by a refugee to his brother in New Delhi. The man who made the call is heard saying some people from the group were beaten by Indian navy authorities. It was not possible to independently verify these claims. In recent years, Rohingya refugees have faced persecution and attacks from India's Hindu nationalist groups, who have demanded their expulsion from India. Many of them have also been held in various detention centers across India and are viewed as illegal immigrants. Some have been deported to neighboring Bangladesh and Myanmar. Last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government implemented a controversial citizenship law that critics say discriminates against Muslim migrants, including Rohingyas. -- Associated Press writers Aijaz Hussain in Srinagar, India, Rajesh Roy in New Delhi and David Rising in Bangkok contributed to this report.
The Hill
16-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
UN agency, Rohingya refugees allege Indian authorities cast dozens of them into the sea near Myanmar
NEW DELHI (AP) — Indian authorities allegedly forced dozens of Rohingya refugees off a naval vessel into the sea near Myanmar last week after providing them with life jackets, a United Nations agency, family members of the refugees and their lawyer said. The Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, in a statement on Thursday, said at least 40 Rohingya refugees were detained in New Delhi and cast into the sea by the Indian navy near the maritime border with Myanmar. The refugees — including children, women and older people — swam ashore, but their whereabouts in Myanmar remain unknown, the agency said. Five Rohingya refugees on Friday confirmed to the Associated Press that their family members were part of the group that were detained by Indian authorities on May 6. The group, including 15 Christians, were flown in an aircraft and later cast into the sea by Indian navy authorities on May 8, they said. Dilawar Hussain, a lawyer representing the refugees, said the families have filed a petition in India's top court, urging the Indian government to bring them back to New Delhi. India's navy and foreign ministry declined to comment. In its statement Thursday, the rights office said it had appointed a U.N. expert to probe into what it called were 'unconscionable, unacceptable acts.' The U.N. agency urged the Indian government to refrain from 'inhumane and life-threatening treatment of Rohingya refugees, including their repatriation into perilous conditions in Myanmar.' Tom Andrews, U.N. Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, called the incident 'blatant disregard for the lives and safety of those who require international protection' and 'nothing short of outrageous.' 'Such cruel actions would be an affront to human decency and represent a serious violation of the principle of non-refoulment, a fundamental tenet of international law that prohibits states from returning individuals to a territory where they face threats to their lives or freedom,' Andrews said in the statement. India does not have a national policy or a law to deal with refugees. It is also not party to the 1951 Refugee Convention or its 1967 Protocol. But hundreds of thousands of Muslim Rohingya refugees have fled persecution in Myanmar after suffering oppression in Myanmar's Rakhine state, where officials have been accused of genocide. According to Refugees International, of the estimated 40,000 Rohingya refugees living in India at least 22,500 are registered with the UNHCR. Many of them live in squalid camps in various Indian states. One of those refugees, who has not been identified by AP due to safety concerns, said his brother was among those returned. He said he received a call from his brother on May 8 after he managed to borrow a phone from a local fisherman after making landfall on an island in Myanmar. He told him Indian authorities removed their restraints and blindfolds, gave them life jackets and told them swim to an island in Myanmar territory. 'My parents were taken from me and thrown into the waters,' said the man, whose two brothers, parents and a sister-in-law were part of the group, according to his brother. 'It would be enough if I am reunited with my parents. I just want my parents, nothing else.' Thet Swe, a spokesman for Myanmar's military-led government, did not immediately respond to an email asking for comment. The refugee in India said most of those returned were registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in India and were detained by Indian authorities under the pretext of collecting their biometric data. He also shared with the AP pictures of his brother while he was detained by Indian authorities and taken in a police vehicle. AP also reviewed a recording of another phone call made by a refugee to his brother in New Delhi. The man who made the call is heard saying some people from the group were beaten by Indian navy authorities. It was not possible to independently verify these claims. In recent years, Rohingya refugees have faced persecution and attacks from India's Hindu nationalist groups, who have demanded their expulsion from India. Many of them have also been held in various detention centers across India and are viewed as illegal immigrants. Some have been deported to neighboring Bangladesh and Myanmar. Last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government implemented a controversial citizenship law that critics say discriminates against Muslim migrants, including Rohingyas. —— Associated Press writers Aijaz Hussain in Srinagar, India, Rajesh Roy in New Delhi and David Rising in Bangkok contributed to this report.
