Burmese Refugees Trouble in Bangladesh

Kaladan News
October 6, 2007

Makeshift camp refugees hardly celebrate Ramadan

Teknaf, Bangladesh: Refugees who have been living in Dum Dum Meah make shift camp over the last three years, are observing the month of Ramadan with great difficulty, according to refugees.

"Ramadan brings in a festive air for Muslims. But, for refugees in the makeshift camp it has not brought much cheer. Every Muslim wants to eat sufficient food for fasting in the month of Ramadan. But we are in a hand to mouth situation. We have no regular jobs to maintain our family. We are not recognized refugees where we reside and we only get relief sometimes when any organization came to give the relief goods," said Rahaman, a refugee from the camp.

"Eid is coming and everyone should enjoy. We are struggling to cope with the ongoing price hike. We would like to buy new clothes for our children, but are unable to buy it as we have no money, said a mother of two children Zawmila Begum.

A Rohingya business man said, "I think a better way to celebrate Eid would be donating some of the money, intended for buying some new clothes and other items, to the makeshift camp refugees who desperately need our help. Then it would be a universal celebration,"

Meanwhile, on September 23, International ! Islamic Relief Organization (IIRO) distributed ration to the makeshift camp refugees. They received relief packets that contained four types of food items including 1.5 kilogram of chickpea, one kg of sugar, one liter of edible oil and 10 kg of rice. They distributed to about 2,700 families, according to refugees.

"It is very useful to us, while we have nothing for fasting," a Majee from the camp said.

"We thank the IIRO representatives for distributing some goods to us in time," ! a woman from the makeshift camp said."

There are more than 10,000 refugees living since 2004, in makeshift camps which lies between Naf River bank and the Cox's Bazaar-Teknaf high way. ##