Scores of Rohingya refugees demonstrated against the planned closure of the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Sri Lanka, given the lack of definite solutions to their situation.<\/p>\n
We don\u2019t know what will happen when they leave,\u201d one of the refugees, who asked not to be named due to fear of reprisals in a nation that \u2013 like others in South Asia \u2013 does not recognize the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and Its 1967 Protocol, told EFE.<\/p>\n
Fleeing repression in their native Myanmar \u2013 where in 2017 the authorities unleashed a wave of violence that has often been described as genocide against the ethnic Muslim minority -, Rohingya refugees have so far been supported by the UN agency in Sri Lanka.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe UNHCR gave a monthly allowance to cover our food cost, accommodation, clothing, communication, transport, and other essential needs,\u201d said the refugee during the protest in front of the UN body\u2019s main office in Sri Lanka.<\/p>\n
Shouting slogans such as \u201cWe want justice\u201d and \u201cNo more refugee life,\u201d the protesters underlined their fear that UNHCR\u2019s departure will close the doors to a durable solution, such as repatriation or relocation in another country.<\/p>\n
Abubakr, another demonstrator \u2013 who identifies with just his first name -, told EFE that they are demanding one of three solutions.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne is to discuss with the Myanmar government and repatriate us, the other is for the Sri Lankan government to give us citizenship, and lastly to send us to a Western country so that we can start our lives there,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The 27-year-old stressed that he has been a refugee all his life, as his family fled Myanmar to neighboring Bangladesh in 1992.<\/p>\n
A UNHCR official, who requested anonymity, confirmed to EFE that the office in Colombo was to be closed, but did not give a specific date. The decision has also been criticized by human rights experts.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe UNHCR should have an exit plan. Right now, there\u2019s no proper plan and no solution provided to the refugees,\u201d human rights lawyer Suren D. Perera told EFE.<\/p>\n
Bangladesh currently hosts nearly one million members of this Bengali speaking persecuted minority, while more Rohingyas continue to flee Myanmar as well as Bangladesh by sea in precarious boats.<\/p>\n
In 2022, Sri Lanka rescued more than a hundred Rohingyas who were adrift on one of these boats, joining the nearly 800 refugees of different nationalities recognized by UNHCR in the island nation.<\/p>\n
Courtesy: Colombo Gazette<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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