The Bangladesh government is considering to review the operations of the Rohingya refugee camps housing more than 9 lakh people in the Cox’s Bazar and surrounding areas. It is also planning to strictly monitor the activities of International NGOs working in the area.

A meeting of the National Task force on Rohingya Issues was held in Dhaka on Wednesday to discuss these issues. The meeting was presided by the Foreign minister of Bangladesh AK Abdul Momen.

The issue of review came up after Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar area held a large rally on Sunday, August 25, marking the second anniversary of fleeing from Myanmar. Government later said that no permission was granted to hold the rally and such events would not be allowed in future.

After the second effort at repatriation of Rohingyas failed completely as no Rohingya turned up at the camp for repatriation to Myanmar on August 22, government accused international NGOs of instigating them for not going back to Myanmar.

There have been cases of violent clashes between Rohingyas and the locals. Recently a youth leader was allegedly killed by some Rohingyas which led to counter attack by the Bangladeshis on the Rohingya camp. Human trafficking, drug dealing and other petty crimes are also a big issue in the camps and nearby areas.

Bangladesh has raised the issue of repatriation of Rohingya refugees in bilateral and international forums. It has also signed an agreement with Myanmar in November 2017 for the repatriation to be completed within two years but no progress has yet been made on the issue.