Bangladesh recently sought cooperation from China to repatriate Rohingya refugees to Myanmar during a visit by Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who promised better trade ties, investment and support for infrastructure development in the South Asian nation. China had used its influence in Myanmar to broker a November 2017 agreement to repatriate about 700,000 Rohingya Muslim refugees who fled persecution in Myanmar in August that year.
Despite attempts to send them back, Rohingyas refused, fearing danger in Myanmar, which was exacerbated by the military takeover last year. Wang arrived in Dhaka on Saturday and met with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Foreign Minister A K Abdul Momen.
Bangladesh is grappling with rising crimes involving Rohingya community, who are putting up in refugee camps in Bangladesh. According to Bangladesh media reports, Rohingyas have been involved in various crimes including kidnapping, drug peddling, illegal trading of counterfeit money, robbery and gold smuggling.
Security agencies said that the Rohingyas are hard to control even though hundreds from the community have been arrested and charged with numerous crimes in the past years. Police say most of the criminals who are involved with the sale of drugs are Rohingyas. The Bangla Tribune has reported that Rohingyas are now not only limited to drug dealing; they are also involved in major crimes like robbery, extortion and contract killing. Chittagong Narcotics Control Department said in the last six years (from 2017 to June this year), 462 Rohingya men and women have been arrested from Chittagong.
Narcotics Control Department’s Metro Region Deputy Director Mukul Jyoti Chakma told Bangla Tribune: “Rohingyas are now a big cause of concern in Chittagong. They are being used to sell and carry drugs as well.” According to the report, Rohingyas were caught with fake notes. “This is the first time this sort of incident has been reported,” said a police officer. Gang wars between criminal groups within the community are also very common, according to media reports.
There are 11 lakh Rohingyas in Bangladesh, which included minority Hindu Rohingyas also.
