Latest news with #RumaPaul
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
India withdraws transhipment facility for Bangladesh exports via land borders
By Manoj Kumar and Ruma Paul NEW DELHI/DHAKA (Reuters) - India has withdrawn a transhipment facility for Bangladesh's export cargoes to other countries via its land borders, in a fresh blow to Dhaka which is already reeling from steep U.S. tariffs on its goods. The move is expected to disrupt Bangladesh's readymade garment exports and raise costs for trade with countries including Nepal, Bhutan and Myanmar, exporters said. A circular from India's customs department issued on Tuesday said it has decided to rescind a 2020 order allowing transhipment of Bangladeshi exports to third countries through India's land customs stations to ports and airports in containers or closed-body trucks. The facility has been withdrawn due to "delays and higher costs" hindering India's own exports and creating backlogs, India's external affairs ministry spokesperson said. "This will stop Bangladesh's exports to Nepal and Bhutan," Yunus Hossain, a Dhaka-based trader, said. In relation to readymade garments, Bangladesh's biggest export, Bangladesh has always prioritised direct shipping, "so the impact will hopefully not be severe. But it does hamper an intra-regional potential," said Rubana Huq, former president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association. The change comes as the U.S. implements 37% reciprocal tariffs on Bangladeshi exports and is likely to increase logistical burdens, further straining Dhaka's export competitiveness, said Selim Raihan, an economics professor at the University of Dhaka. India is one of Bangladesh's top trading partners, and the move is "inconsistent with the future prospects of an enhanced bilateral relationship," Raihan said. Trade ties between the neighbours, which share a 4,000 km (2,500 mile) border, have cooled since Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled the country amid mass protests last August and sought shelter in India. Bangladesh's commerce ministry did not respond to requests for comment. Ajay Srivastava, founder of the Global Trade Research Initiative, said the decision may violate World Trade Organisation rules, which guarantee landlocked countries freedom of transit. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Myanmar confirms 180,000 Rohingya refugees eligible for return, says Bangladesh
By Ruma Paul DHAKA (Reuters) -Myanmar has confirmed that 180,000 Rohingya refugees living in Bangladesh since fleeing their homeland are eligible to return, the Bangladesh government's press office said on Friday. The announcement, following talks in Bangkok, offered a possible breakthrough in the long-stalled repatriation process, although many Rohingya refugees say all of them should be allowed to go home. More than a million Rohingya have been crammed into the camps in southeastern Bangladesh, the world's largest refugee settlement. Most fled a brutal crackdown by Myanmar's military in 2017, although some have been there for longer. Around 70,000 Rohingya crossed into Bangladesh last year, many fleeing worsening hunger and violence in Myanmar's Rakhine State. Friday's announcement followed a meeting in Bangkok between Khalilur Rahman, High Representative of Bangladesh's interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, and Than Swe, Myanmar's deputy prime minister and foreign minister, on the sidelines of the 6th BIMSTEC Summit. The 180,000 names were part of a list of 800,000 Rohingya that Bangladesh submitted to Myanmar in six batches between 2018 and 2020. Myanmar has also indicated that final verification of another 70,000 refugees is pending further review of photographs and identity details. The statement said Myanmar had pledged to expedite the verification process for the remaining 550,000 names on the original list. Myanmar's government did not immediately comment on the outcome of the meeting in Bangkok. The Rohingya refugees have little hope of returning to their homeland, where they continue to face systematic denial of citizenship and basic rights. Attempts to begin repatriation in 2018 and 2019 failed as the refugees, fearing prosecution, refused to go back. "After all these years, they are confirming only 180,000 names. This feels like nothing more than an eyewash. We want a genuine solution," one Rohingya refugee, Shafiqur Rahman, told Reuters. "Myanmar must take all of us back — not just a selected few — and they must ensure we return with full rights, dignity, and citizenship. Without that, this process means nothing to us."
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
UN slightly reduces rations for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh
By Ruma Paul DHAKA (Reuters) - The United Nations World Food Programme has managed to sustain food assistance for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, though rations have been slightly reduced due to funding shortages, officials said on Thursday. Under the revised system, each refugee in the world's largest refugee settlement in the southeastern border district of Cox's Bazar will receive $12 per month, down from the previous $12.50. Earlier this month, WFP warned that without urgent financial support, it might be forced to halve food rations to just $6 per person in April. A similar reduction in 2023, which lowered food rations to $8 per person, led to a sharp increase in malnutrition before it was reversed. "We are deeply grateful. At least we can now survive. Otherwise, we would simply be starving," Joinul Mostafa, a Rohingya refugee in Cox's Bazar, told Reuters. A WFP spokesperson said it bridged the funding gap 'with timely contributions from donors,' without giving details. Separately, the U.S. said on Thursday it will provide $73 million in new financial aid to Rohingya refugees through the WFP. Bangladesh is sheltering more than 1 million Rohingya - members of a persecuted Muslim minority who fled violent purges in neighbouring Myanmar - in camps in the Cox's Bazar district, where they have limited access to jobs or education. About 70,000 Rohingya from Myanmar fled to Bangladesh last year, driven in part by growing hunger in their home state of Rakhine. The Office of Bangladesh's Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner, which oversees refugee camps, said the food rations will help sustain food security and nutrition among the refugees. 'We also urge the international community to step forward with the necessary funding so that these life-saving programs can be sustained in the long term," it said in a statement. Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshi officials have worried that cuts would worsen hunger, curtail critical healthcare and fuel crime, while increasing the risks of human trafficking and radicalization. The Inter-Sector Coordination Group, which oversees relief operations, said about 300,000 refugees have already faced disruptions in healthcare services.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh fear aid cuts will deepen crisis
By Ruma Paul KUTUPALONG REFUGEE CAMP, Bangladesh (Reuters) - Majuna Khatun sat cradling her six-month-old baby at a rehabilitation centre for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, worried her child would be without critical healthcare due to funding cuts from the United States and some European countries. "Where will I go if this facility closes?" 30-year-old Khatun said at the centre, where her child, whose tiny feet were strapped into orthopaedic braces, receives physiotherapy for clubfoot. Bangladesh is sheltering more than 1 million Rohingya - members of the world's largest stateless population who fled violent purges in neighbouring Myanmar - in camps in the Cox's Bazar district, where they have limited access to jobs or education. The decision by the administration of President Donald Trump to halt most foreign aid and dismantle the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has caused turmoil in the humanitarian sector globally and the U.N. has warned that it will create dire conditions for refugees. At the Bangladesh camps, Rohingya refugees fear the cuts will compound food and health issues and lead to a surge in crime. "There are fewer doctors now. Rohingya volunteers who supported us have been dismissed. People are suffering because they can't get the treatment they need," said Mohammad Sadek, a 24-year-old Rohingya. The U.S. has been the largest provider of aid to the Rohingya refugees, contributing nearly $2.4 billion since 2017, according to a State Department website. The freeze on funds has forced five U.S.-funded hospitals to reduce services, Mohammed Mizanur Rahman, Bangladesh's top official overseeing the refugee camps, said last month. About 48 health facilities, including 11 primary care centres, have also been affected, leaving many refugees without access to essential care, said Hasina Rahman, Bangladesh country director for the International Rescue Committee. "Our priority (now) is to protect the most vulnerable, especially women, girls, and children," she said. David Bugden, principal coordinator of the Inter-Sector Coordination Group, which oversees NGO efforts at Cox's Bazar, said around 300,000 refugees have been impacted by disruptions in healthcare services. Bangladesh's foreign ministry and the U.S. embassy did not respond to requests for comment. Gul Bahar's four-year-old daughter Mukarrama, suffers from cerebral palsy. She has been undergoing therapy for the past three years which has helped improve her condition. "If this centre shuts down, we'll lose everything she's gained. I'll be back to square one," said Bahar, 32, her voice trembling. HUNGER AND CRIME The U.S. cuts and those by some European countries would worsen already dire conditions for the refugees, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned. The U.N. World Food Programme (WFP) said it may be forced to halve the amount of food rations to $6 from April due to a funding shortfall, which would amount to 20 cents a day. A previous round of ration cuts in 2023 that reduced the amount to $8 monthly led to a sharp increase in hunger and malnutrition, the U.N. has said. The cut was later reversed. "We can't work outside the camp, and the rations we get are barely enough. If they reduce it further, crime will increase, people will do anything to survive," said Nojir Ahmad, a father of five, who fled to Bangladesh from Myanmar in 2017. Rohingya camps have seen an upswing in crimes in recent years, according to police data. About 70,000 Rohingya from Myanmar fled to Bangladesh last year, driven in part by growing hunger in their home state of Rakhine. Aid cuts could make refugees more vulnerable to trafficking, radicalisation and exploitation, said a Bangladesh official, who did not want to be named as he was not authorised to speak to the media. "Our food, healthcare, and education systems are collapsing," said Mohammad Jubair, a prominent Rohingya community leader. "If this gets out of hand, it won't just be a problem for Bangladesh - it will become a global issue." Shofiul Islam was bedridden after falling from a tree five years ago. The 35-year-old said his world shrunk to the four walls of his shanty until the rehabilitation centre began treating him. "I couldn't stand up or even turn in bed... because of them, I can move again," he said, using a forearm crutch to support himself. "If it closes, all dreams will be shattered. People like me will have nowhere to turn."
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
A transgender woman's fight for dignity in Bangladesh's Rohingya refugee camps
By Ruma Paul and Sam Jahan KUTUPALONG REFUGEE CAMP, Bangladesh (Reuters) - With her tiny studio tucked in the crowded lanes of the sprawling Rohingya refugee camp in south-eastern Bangladesh, Tanya is a popular beautician, with long lines of people waiting for her signature haircuts and facials. But behind her carefully applied makeup lies a harsher reality for Tanya - she is a transgender woman in a community that barely tolerates her existence. "Being Rohingya is hard," she said. "But being a transgender Rohingya is even harder." Tanya, 25, left Myanmar in 2017 with hundreds of thousands of other Rohingya Muslim refugees escaping a brutal military crackdown. Life in the world's largest refugee settlement is difficult for everyone, but for Tanya, the discrimination adds extra challenges. Along with the hardship of displacement, she faces rejection from her own people, who see her identity as taboo. "I can't visit my 55-year-old mother anymore,' she said, sitting in her 10-by-10-foot (three-by-three metre) salon. "Every time I tried, the neighbours attacked me. They threw water at me, pelted stones, pulled my hair. I couldn't bear it anymore, so I stopped going." Born in Maungdaw in Myanmar's Rakhine state, Tanya knew from an early age she was different. But in the conservative Rohingya society, there was no place for someone like her. When her family refused to accept her, she left home and found support amongst the Hijra, a community of transgender people who often live together for safety and survival. Her godmother in the group gave her the name Tanya. Officials estimate there are about 10,000 hijras, or third-gender people, in Bangladesh but rights groups say the figure could be as high as 1.5 million in the country of 170 million. They face severe social stigma and discrimination in both Myanmar and Bangladesh, with many disowned by their families, denied education, and forced into begging or sex work to survive. Tanya was determined to find another path. While still living in Myanmar, she apprenticed at a local beauty parlour, learning makeup, hairstyling, and bridal makeovers. Those skills became her lifeline when she arrived in Bangladesh. "I had no job when I came here," Tanya said. "But I found the owner of this shop and requested him to open a beauty parlour for me. He gave me a chance. Since then, I've been working here." Today, Tanya earns about 5,000 to 6,000 taka ($45 to $55) a month, enough to cover her basic needs. Her salon attracts both Rohingya refugees and local Bangladeshis, with long queues often forming for facials, haircuts, and wedding makeup. But outside the walls of her shop, acceptance remains distant. "Many transgender people like me hide their identity and live as men just to avoid harassment and rejection," she said. Still, Tanya is determined to make a difference. She has trained four other transgender women as beauticians, and they have since found jobs abroad. Tanya hopes to follow one day. "They always call me and tell me to come. I want to go too," she said. "I dream of opening my own salon and standing on my own feet." Tanya has lost contact with her parents and siblings, some of whom now live in India. "My parents are alive, but I am dead to them," she said. "Even the person I loved left me." As International Transgender Day of Visibility approaches on Monday, Tanya hopes her story will help change how people view transgender Rohingya. "I always tell my community, don't beg - learn a skill," she said. "If we work hard, maybe one day people will respect us." "I just want to be seen as a human being," she added. "Not as a burden, not as a shame - but as someone who deserves dignity." ($1 = 121.0000 taka)
