Thousands of Rohingya refugees waiting in no man's land to enter Bangladesh

Dhaka [Bangladesh], October 17 (ANI): The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on Tuesday said that at least 10,000 to 15000 Rohingya refugees are stranded near the Bangladesh-Myanmar border.

Since Sunday night, an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 Rohingya refugees entered Bangladesh through the Anjuman Para border crossing point The Daily Star quoted UNHCR spokesperson Andrej Mahecic as saying.

More than 500,000 Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh since the Myanmar security forces launched an operation in response to alleged attacks by militants on August 25 against 30 police posts and a regimental headquarters.

The UNHCR staff spoke to many refugees, who say they had initially chosen to remain in their homes in Rakhine state despite repeated threats. They finally fled when their villages were set on fire.

Yesterday, Bangladesh High Commissioner to India Syed Moazzam Ali said it's necessary to resolve the Rohingya issue at the earliest as Bangladesh has given shelter to the refugees on the humanitarian grounds.

Earlier on October 12, a United Nations report based on interviews conducted in Bangladesh, has found that brutal attacks against Rohingya in northern Rakhine State have been well-organised, coordinated and systematic, with the intent of not only driving the population out of Myanmar but preventing them from returning to their homes.

The Rakhine State is home to the Rohingya community of Myanmar, ethnic Muslims, who have long faced persecution in the Buddhist-majority country, especially from the country's Buddhist extremists. (ANI)