Arakan News Agency
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday called for the transfer of tens of thousands of Rohingya refugees from camps in Bangladesh to other places to avoid flooding and other hazards caused by monsoon rains.
“Monsoon rains are the biggest concern,” Guterres told reporters at the UN headquarters in New York, adding that the Rohingya were “vulnerable to monsoon rains.”
He said he discussed with the Bangladeshi government the transfer of refugees and stressed that “highland is the best place for this type of transport.”
Some 150,000 Rohingyas live in flood-hit areas in overcrowded camps in Cox’s Bazaar and can face health risks such as cholera during the monsoon season in June.
The government in Dhaka continues to hold talks with UN organizations on where the Rohingya will be transferred, Guterres said. There were reports that the authorities had proposed moving them to a remote island.
Some 700,000 Rohingya left Bangladesh after a major military campaign in Myanmar’s Arakan province since August 2017.
The Myanmar authorities say the operation is aimed at eliminating extremists.
