By Nasriya Naffin

Rohingya refugees who entered Bangladesh in 2017 from Rakhine state in Myanmar after a military crackdown has created an unbalanced pressure on Bangladesh’s limited resources. Over the years the Rohingya crisis has not only become a humanitarian calamity but a potential threat to Bangladesh's internal stability. 

According to the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, “Bangladesh has been hosting 1.1 million forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals. This humanitarian crisis poses a serious security threat.” The Prime Minister has also said that the security threat is not only to Bangladesh but to the entire region. She has urged the global community to assist them to resolve this matter soon.

However, all the attempts of safe return of these refugees back to Myanmar have not succeeded. Most of the Rohingya refugees were given temporary shelter in Ukhiya and Teknaf in Cox's Bazar, and considered it as the world’s largest refugee settlement. At present these camps have become overcrowded, and have created problems in maintaining infrastructure, distribution of health care facilities and other necessities to the refugees.

Living in congested camps with limited resources has caused frustration to some of the Rohingyas which has provoked them to do illegal activities to earn an extra income.  Human and drug trafficking, smuggling and even prostitution has created a social threat to the locals. Involving criminal activities has created violence and crimes.

Speaking at the NADI 3 Asian Confluence River Conclave 2022 recently, Bangladesh Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen said, Bangladesh fears that such a situation may trigger extremism. Some of these refugees have left the camps and have started living in other residential areas. They have mixed with the local population making it difficult to keep a tab on them.  

Growing conflict between armed groups inside the camps has created clashes that have killed many residing in these camps and prompted fear among Bangladeshis.  

The growing population of Rohingya has also become a challenge to the Bangladesh economy as they demand for more jobs, food, and other essential facilities. The government needs to allocate more of its budget each year to fulfill these facilities. Even after the government limitations for these refugees' movement outside the camps local employers have paid more interest in hiring them due to the cheap labor. A large number of aid workers in the area has made a hike in commodity prices making it difficult for the locals to purchase these commodities. Government budget allocation for running these camps has never been enough.

As a result, the government of Bangladesh has started seeking aid from international communities yearly. Even the aid they receive has not been sufficient to provide them with the essentials, basic facilities, and the infrastructure facilities to the camps.  

This group of refugees has also become a political threat to the country. Involvement in illegal activities like smuggling, trafficking, and crimes has created instability in the country from time to time. Some are equipped with arms and there are many crimes reported near India-Bangladesh borders by them. Some predict that these gangs may have connections with world terrorist movements or they may soon get help from them making the situation worst.  

Rohingyas have become a threat to the local environment as well. To provide accommodation for this increasing population a considerable number of trees need to be cut down each year. The impact on the local environment, biodiversity and ecology has been detected. Cutting down trees for construction and firewood can make the hills fragile and lead to landslides. Declining forest cover has harmed the habitat of many wild animals. Over exploitation of natural resources like forest and water has increased the natural disasters in the country. Pollution in these areas and the decline in natural beauty has impacted the tourism industry as well.

The government of Bangladesh needs immediate action on relocating these refugees to a place with better facilities and alternative energy resources should be introduced to minimize environmental damage.  There is also a growing threat of human security within these refugees as well as locals living nearby. To minimize human insecurity these camps should be provided with more facilities like food and medicine. But it is not an easy task for the local government and this is where more aid is needed.  

According to the government of Bangladesh these refugees have become a threat to their foreign relations. Rohingyas have flown to other countries providing fake identities and some of them have gotten involved in crimes in those countries. This has created an unpleasant image to Bangladesh.  Their involvement in trafficking and smuggling has always added pressure to the countries' foreign relationship. 

However, Rohingya refugees, no matter where they come from, have a right to live. They too need to feel safe and have a sound education. Being stateless and deprived of having no citizenship in their own country, they have suffered for years living in these congested camps with limited resources. Therefore, the world leaders should pay more attention to them and take immediate actions to settle them in more comfortable areas for their well-being and Bangladesh.