Authorities in Bangladesh are surrounding the Rohingya [8] refugee camps with barbed-wire fencing and watchtowers, turning them into what refugees and rights groups liken to a "prison." Southeast Asia-based NGO Fortify Rights [9] says construction on some 28 kilometers [10] of fencing is nearly complete around parts of the camps, which are home to some 900,000 Rohingya pushed out [11] of Myanmar. Humanitarian workers fear the fencing could hamper aid delivery and block access to medical clinics. Bangladeshi officials say [12] the fencing is a response to growing concerns about crime [13] and gang violence [14]; humanitarian groups say any security measures must be proportionate. "The civilian and humanitarian character of the camps must be maintained," the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, warned [15] in December.
Rights groups and aid workers also say the fencing appears to redraw the camp boundaries and leaves thousands of refugees on the outside—sparking concern it's part of a plan to push [8] families to the disaster [17]-prone Bhasan Char [18] island camp, to where most refugees have refused to relocate.
Meanwhile, aid agencies are preparing for a donor pledging conference [19] for the Rohingya refugees. Less than half [20] of this year's $1 billion response plan has been funded.
From The New Humanitarian [21], Oct. 16
