Refugee Camps “bursting at the seams” in Bangladesh

New arrivals struggle to find space in the already-overcrowded Kutupalong camp, which saw over 16,000 new arrivals within a week of the outbreak of violence in Myanmar on 25 August 2017. Credit: UNHCR/Vivian TanBy Tharanga YakupitiyageUNITED NATIONS, Sep 9 2017 (IPS)A dramatic increase in the number of refugees fleeing Myanmar is placing a huge strain on already very limited resources in Bangladesh, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said. In the last two weeks alone, an estimated 270,000 Rohingya refugees had sought safety in Bangladesh amid escalating violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine State.“The situation is very grave,” said UNCHR Bangladesh’s spokesperson Joseph Tripura to IPS.“There are people everywhere and refugees are scattered…[the camps] are at a point of saturation,” he continued.Two refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar in south-east Bangladesh has seen its population more than double, from nearly 34,000 to over 70,000 Rohingya refugees.“These are people that have been walking for days, many of them are tired and hungry and many are traumatized,” Tripura said.Though many arrive on foot, refugees are now seeking alternative and risky routes including a five-hour boat ride across the Bay of Bengal.One family of seven, one of whom was born just nine days ago, told UNHCR that they walked three days through the jungle to Myanmar’s border before taking a fishing boat to neighboring Bangladesh.At least 300 boats carrying refugees arrived at Cox’s Bazar on Wednesday...

Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - September 9, 2017 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Tharanga Yakupitiyage Tags: Aid Armed Conflicts Asia-Pacific Crime & Justice Featured Headlines Health Human Rights Humanitarian Emergencies Indigenous Rights Migration & Refugees Peace Religion TerraViva United Nations Source Type: news