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The government is pondering over deploying the army to Rohingya refugee camps to tame the restive situation after multiple violent incidents, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said.
He made the statement in response to the worries expressed by Gwyn Lewis, UN resident coordinator in Bangladesh.
The UN official spoke about the escalating violence in the Rohingya camps with Kamal at a meeting in Dhaka on Tuesday.
“She [Gwyn Lewis] also asked why the violence was taking place in the camps when security forces were present. Whether we have been following the army SOP [standard operating procedure]? We had a candid conversation about everything.”
The home minister said at least 1.2 million people live in the camps in Teknaf and Ukhiya in the bordering district of Cox’s Bazar, creating risks of violence.
Kamal also told the UN official that not only the Rohingya but also two Army and Air Force officers died in violence in the camps.
“We’re aware of the situation and enhancing our capacity to end killings. Our army remains on standby. If needed, we’ll deploy them. We have prepared the SOP accordingly.”
Violent incidents have been reported regularly in the Rohingya camps. At least 132 murders took place in the camps in the last five and a half years.
Kamal said 400,000 local residents in Teknaf and Ukhiya faced myriad problems after Bangladesh offered shelter to the Rohingya.
Their forests and salt fields got damaged as Rohingya took control of the area, Kamal said. “We talked about these issues, too.”
“We told her that we believe the Rohingya will go back to their own country as early as possible and hope the UN will help with the process.”