Nearly 12,000 to 13,000 Rohingyas from Bangladesh and different other countries of Southeast Asia have been rehabilitated in the US so far. Though they have been rehabilitated in the US on humanitarian grounds, sending the Rohingyas to a third country is not a long term solution.
US embassy Dhaka’s regional refugee coordinator Mackenzie Rowe said this at a press conference in Dhaka on Wednesday afternoon.
The US embassy in Dhaka organised the press conference marking World Refugee Day on 20 June.
When asked how many Rohingyas have been given shelter in the US so far, Mackenzie Rowe said regionally 12,000 to 13,000 Rohingyas have been rehabilitated in the US till now. Probably more Rohingyas will be taken in the future.
Bangladesh has given shelter to a huge number of Rohingya population forcibly displaced from Myanmar on humanitarian grounds but they are unable to return to their country because of the deteriorating situation in Rakhine state.
In addition to the decline in security in the camps of Cox’s Bazar, the Rohingyas are sailing into the sea being lured by the human traffickers. Over all, the Rohingya population has turned into a headache for Bangladesh as well as India and other countries of Southeast Asia.
In this situation, the Biden administration has announced rehabilitation of the Rohingyas to reduce risks. The Rohingyas have been included in the process of providing refugees from different corners of the world with shelter in the US.
Responding to a question about the decline in the security situation at the Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar, Mackenzie Rowe said, “The US is concerned about any activities that obstruct the humanitarian assistance at the Rohingya camps. So we are working with partners to ensure that our support reaches those who need it most.”
US official Mackenzie Rowe also spoke about holding people responsible for violating human rights accountable in response to a question at the press conference.
Ensuring accountability is essential for building a democratic society marked with the rule of law, she remarked.
Mackenzie Rowe added that the US is committed to leading international efforts for holding those responsible for human rights violations against civilians around the world accountable.
She further said that the US is the biggest donor of human aid to people affected by the Rohingya refugee crisis in this region including Myanmar and Bangladesh. More than 740,000 (7.4 lakh) Rohingyas fled to Bangladesh due to mass killing, crime against humanity and ethnic cleansing in the Rakhine state of Myanmar.
Since 2017, the US’ total aid for the Rohingyas have reached almost USD 2.4 billion. Out of this fund, the US has disbursed USD 1.9 billion to the aid of Rohingyas taking refuge in Bangladesh as well as the local communities.
(We copied the article from prothomalo for our readers.)
