Relocation of Rohingya from ‘overcrowded’ camp demanded

Bangladesh should relocate Rohingya refugees living in a “severely overcrowded” mega camp to safer ground in Cox’s Bazar, a global human rights watchdog said on Monday.

“The average usable space [in the camp] is 10.7 square meters per person, compared with the recommended international standard of 45 square meters per person” the Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a report.

Since Aug. 25, 2017, some 750,000 Rohingya, mostly children and women, have fled to bordering Bangladesh after Myanmar forces began a crackdown on the minority Muslim community, according to Amnesty International.

At least 9,000 Rohingya were killed in Myanmar's Rakhine state from Aug. 25 to Sept. 24, 2017, said the Doctors Without Borders.

In a report published last December, the global humanitarian group said the deaths of 71.7 percent or 6,700 Rohingya were caused by violence. They include 730 children below the age of 5.

“Densely packed refugees are at heightened risk of communicable diseases, fires, community tensions, and domestic and sexual violence,” said the HRW.

Bill Frelick, the refugee rights director at the HRW, said: “Bangladesh should register fleeing Rohingya as refugees, ensure adequate health care and education, and let them pursue livelihoods outside the camp.”

The rights watchdog underlined that tens of thousands of Rohingya in these camps are at imminent risk of landslides. “Bangladesh authorities, with the assistance of the United Nations and other humanitarian agencies, should urgently relocate refugees to safer ground.”

The Rohingya, described by the UN as the world's most persecuted people, have faced heightened fears of attack since dozens were killed in communal violence in 2012.

The UN has documented mass gang rapes, killings -- including of infants and young children -- brutal beatings, and disappearances committed by security personnel. In a report, UN investigators said such violations may have constituted crimes against humanity.