UNHCR to look after Rohingya families awaiting repatriation

Rohingyas stage demonstration in Coxs Bazar

Dhaka, June 6 - UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, has said they will continue to provide food, healthcare and some essential non-food items to the four Rohingya families currently staying at the government-managed Repatriation site in Kutupalong.

"No refugee should be deprived of basic assistance, including food aid," a spokesperson at UNHCR Bangladesh office told UNB when his attention was drawn regarding a media report.

Meanwhile, UNHCR Representative in Bangladesh Johannes van der Klaauw was summoned at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday to warn the UN agency, said a diplomatic source. 

Bangladesh does not want any barriers from the UNHCR regarding repatriation effects, the source said.

UNHCR has asked the authorities to share information on the future for this group, which had been brought from Bashar Char to Cox’s Bazar by the authorities on 25 May ahead of a visiting delegation from Myanmar in Teknaf on 26 May, although they were not taken to participate in that meeting, said the UNHCR Spokesperson in Dhaka.

UNHCR continues to advocate for creating conducive conditions in Myanmar so that refugees can go back safely and in dignity, and returns can be sustainable.

Refugees who wish to return, should have access to clear, comprehensive, and factual information to be able to make a free and informed decision, UNHCR said.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has stopped providing food assistance to 23 Rohingya people belonging to four families in Cox’s Bazar, Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner (RRRC) Md Mizanur Rahman told reporters, adding that their food aid has been stopped since Monday morning. -  UNB