Bangladesh won't grant Rohingya refugee status

(April 12, 2010) Bangladesh has rejected a United Nations proposal that it grant refugee status to tens of thousands of Muslims who fled alleged persecution by the military junta in neighbouring Myanmar, a top Foreign Ministry official said on Saturday. Foreign Secretary Mijarul Quayes said his government will not recognize some 200,000 Rohingya, ethnic Muslims who live under constant threat of being arrested or sent back home and have no access to services provided at international refugee camps. «They must go back to their land,» Quayes said. Bangladesh recognizes some 28,000 Rohingya as refugees who receive shelter, medical care and food in two official camps run by the U.N. refugee agency and the government. Quayes said Bangladesh will not extend the recognition to any more asylum seekers. Predominantly Buddhist Myanmar refuses to grant citizenship to the Rohingya, but Bangladesh fears that if they grant full rights to the group, it will encourage even more Rohingya to come. They say their country is already overwhelmed with its own impoverished and malnourished population. International right groups have alleged that Dhaka is cracking down on the group, arresting and repatriating many and stepping up security along the porous border to prevent more from arriving.