NEW DELHI: Rohingya Muslim refugees from Myanmar, angry at living conditions on a remote Bangladeshi island, suffered baton injuries as they protested against the lack of access to a visiting UN team, two of the refugees said.
The Rohingya, who fled violence in Buddhist-majority Myanmar, cannot move off the flood-prone island of Bhasan Char, several hours away from the mainland by sea.
A two-member delegation from the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) was joined by Bangladesh foreign ministry officials on Monday on the visit to Bhasan Char, where Bangladesh wants to transfer 100,000 of the more than a million refugees who fled violence and persecution in Myanmar.
Two refugees told Reuters by phone that they protested because Bangladesh had blocked them from speaking to the UNHCR delegates.
“They only allowed the delegates to meet a few refugees who would not say anything critical against Bangladesh,” said Ali, who declined to give his last name for fear of reprisals from authorities.
“We wanted to speak to the UN officials to tell them about the real situation here,” he added. “We don’t have work ... how will we earn? And there is also no proper health care here.”
They said hundreds of refugees protested and were baton-charged by police.
Despite criticism from rights groups, Bangladesh has already moved some 18,000 Rohingya to the island.
The UNHCR said it “had the opportunity to talk to a large group of refugees, predominantly young men,” adding they had raised concerns about a lack of access to jobs and education. It said in a statement it was “deeply concerned” to learn of injuries.
Bangladesh’s foreign ministry said a large number of Rohingya gathered and launched a demonstration during the UNHCR visit.
“At one point, the crowd got agitated and in the process some of the Rohingya reportedly got minor injuries,” it said in a statement. It said the crowd had “free and frank interactions” with the UN officials.
Myanmar is facing genocide charges at the international court of justice in The Hague over the 2017 campaign against the Rohingya. The military denies the charges, saying it was waging a legitimate campaign against insurgents who attacked police posts.
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Rohingya Muslim refugees ‘injured in protests’ on isolated island during UNHCR visit
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Rohingya Muslim refugees ‘injured in protests’ on isolated island during UNHCR visit
- A two-member delegation from UNHCR was joined by Bangladesh foreign ministry officials on Monday
- Two refugees said protested because Bangladesh had blocked them from speaking to UNHCR delegates
‘New progress’ on North Korea possible in coming days, Seoul official says
- Senior official says Seoul has made considerable efforts to bring North Korea to dialogue
- Trump administration has decided to lift sanctions for humanitarian aid projects to North Korea
SEOUL: A senior South Korean official said Friday “new progress” on North Korea could come within days, with a local report saying the Trump administration has decided to approve humanitarian sanctions exemptions for Pyongyang.
In a meeting with reporters in the United States, the senior official said Seoul has made considerable efforts to bring North Korea to dialogue.
“There could be some new progress in the coming days” on North Korea, the government official said on condition of anonymity.
Washington has long demanded that Pyongyang give up its banned nuclear weapons program, with the country under successive rounds of UN sanctions over it.
The South Korean senior official’s comments came while addressing US President Donald Trump’s scheduled trip to China in April.
Trump last year made repeated overtures to Pyongyang’s leader Kim Jong Un during his barnstorming tour of Asia, saying he was “100 percent” open to a meeting and even bucking decades of US policy by conceding that North Korea was “sort of a nuclear power.”
North Korea did not respond to Trump’s offer, and has repeatedly said it will never give up its nuclear weapons.
South Korea’s daily Dong-A Ilbo reported on Friday, citing Seoul’s unnamed government sources, that the Trump administration has decided to lift sanctions for humanitarian aid projects to North Korea, at the UN Security Council’s 1718 Committee.
Analysts say the move would allow South Korea’s NGOs to provide humanitarian assistance — such as nutritional supplements, medical equipment and water purification systems — to North Korea, an improverished state that has struggled to provide for its people.
Trump met North Korea’s Kim three times. The US leader once famously declared they were “in love” during his first term, in efforts to reach a denuclearization deal.
But since a summit in Hanoi in 2019 fell through over differences about what Pyongyang would get in return for giving up its nuclear weapons, no progress has been made between the two countries.
Seoul and Washington earlier this week reaffirmed their commitment to North Korea’s “complete denuclearization” and cooperation on Seoul’s nuclear-powered submarine plan, a move that has previously drawn an angry response from Pyongyang.
North Korea is set to hold a landmark congress of its ruling party soon, its first in five years.
Ahead of that conclave, Kim ordered the “expansion” and modernization of the country’s missile production.
In a meeting with reporters in the United States, the senior official said Seoul has made considerable efforts to bring North Korea to dialogue.
“There could be some new progress in the coming days” on North Korea, the government official said on condition of anonymity.
Washington has long demanded that Pyongyang give up its banned nuclear weapons program, with the country under successive rounds of UN sanctions over it.
The South Korean senior official’s comments came while addressing US President Donald Trump’s scheduled trip to China in April.
Trump last year made repeated overtures to Pyongyang’s leader Kim Jong Un during his barnstorming tour of Asia, saying he was “100 percent” open to a meeting and even bucking decades of US policy by conceding that North Korea was “sort of a nuclear power.”
North Korea did not respond to Trump’s offer, and has repeatedly said it will never give up its nuclear weapons.
South Korea’s daily Dong-A Ilbo reported on Friday, citing Seoul’s unnamed government sources, that the Trump administration has decided to lift sanctions for humanitarian aid projects to North Korea, at the UN Security Council’s 1718 Committee.
Analysts say the move would allow South Korea’s NGOs to provide humanitarian assistance — such as nutritional supplements, medical equipment and water purification systems — to North Korea, an improverished state that has struggled to provide for its people.
Trump met North Korea’s Kim three times. The US leader once famously declared they were “in love” during his first term, in efforts to reach a denuclearization deal.
But since a summit in Hanoi in 2019 fell through over differences about what Pyongyang would get in return for giving up its nuclear weapons, no progress has been made between the two countries.
Seoul and Washington earlier this week reaffirmed their commitment to North Korea’s “complete denuclearization” and cooperation on Seoul’s nuclear-powered submarine plan, a move that has previously drawn an angry response from Pyongyang.
North Korea is set to hold a landmark congress of its ruling party soon, its first in five years.
Ahead of that conclave, Kim ordered the “expansion” and modernization of the country’s missile production.
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