Following social media outcry, authorities in Bangladesh have dropped plans of opening a dedicated beach only for women and women after facing accusations that were they acquiescing to hardline Islamises.

On Thursday officials had opened a section of shoreline on the world’s longest natural sea beach in Cox’s Bazar exclusively for women and children. But hours later announced they were dropping the idea.

The decision to segregate the beach was made following requests from some conservative women, officials had said.

“(The women) requested a dedicated beach section for themselves, because they felt shy and insecure in a crowded place,” Abu Sufian, a senior official in Cox's Bazar, told AFP.

The move to open an exclusive beach also came after gang rape of a woman in Cox's Bazar last week shocked the country, sparking an outcry over women's safety in the area.

But the decision triggered an uproar on social media, with critics accusing the government of paying heed to hardline Islamists who have recently held massive rallies demanding gender segregation in workplaces and factories.

One commentator described the beach segregation as “Talibistan,” referring to the Taliban Islamist group which has in recent months curbed women's rights in Afghanistan.

Cox's Bazar is one of the largest tourist attractions in Bangladesh. Hundreds of thousands visit during festive periods, and the tourism sector has boomed in recent years.

To provide security to the growing number of tourists, authorities have set up a tourism police unit to patrol beach towns.

(With inputs from agencies)

Following social media outcry, authorities in Bangladesh have dropped plans of opening a dedicated beach only for women and women after facing accusations that were they acquiescing to hardline Islamises.

Following social media outcry, authorities in Bangladesh have dropped plans of opening a dedicated beach only for women and women after facing accusations that were they acquiescing to hardline Islamises. On Thursday officials had opened a section of shoreline on the world’s longest natural sea beach in Cox’s Bazar exclusively for women and children. But hours later announced they were dropping the idea. The decision to segregate the beach was made following requests from some conservative women, officials had said. “(The women) requested a dedicated beach section for themselves, because they felt shy and insecure in a crowded place,” Abu Sufian, a senior official in Cox's Bazar, told AFP. The move to open an exclusive beach also came after gang rape of a woman in Cox's Bazar last week shocked the country, sparking an outcry over women's safety in the area. But the decision triggered an uproar on social media, with critics accusing the government of paying heed to hardline Islamists who have recently held massive rallies demanding gender segregation in workplaces and factories. One commentator described the beach segregation as “Talibistan,” referring to the Taliban Islamist group which has in recent months curbed women's rights in Afghanistan. Cox's Bazar is one of the largest tourist attractions in Bangladesh. Hundreds of thousands visit during festive periods, and the tourism sector has boomed in recent years. To provide security to the growing number of tourists, authorities have set up a tourism police unit to patrol beach towns. (With inputs from agencies)

Bangladesh authorities reverse decision to open women-only beach after uproar

Images from witnesses showed a massive blaze consuming huts and scores of refugees fleeing on foot

Thousands of homes burn as fire sweeps Rohingya camp

Fifteen people have so far been confirmed dead and 400 are still missing in a huge blaze at the Rohingya refugee camp in Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh, the United Nations said Tuesday.

"What we have seen in this fire is something we have never seen before in these camps. It is massive. It is devastating," Johannes van der Klaauw, the UN Refugee Agency's representative in Bangladesh, told reporters in Geneva via video-link from Dhaka.

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Bangladeshi officials are investigating the cause of the blaze even as officials, aid workers and families sift through the debris looking for further victims. The fire ripped through the Balukhali camp near the southeastern town of Cox's Bazar late on Monday, burning through thousands of shanties as people scrambled to save their meagre possessions.

Sanjeev Kafley, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies's delegation head in Bangladesh, said more than 17,000 shelters had been destroyed and tens of thousands of people displaced.

More than a thousand Red Cross staff and volunteers worked with fire services to extinguish the blaze, spread over four sections of the camp containing roughly 124,000 people, he said. That represents around one-tenth of an estimated 1 million&nbsp;Rohingya&nbsp;refugees in the area, Kafley said.

The UN's International Organization for Migration said it has pledged $1 million to relief efforts but a further $20 million would be required to react to the most urgent needs.

IOM spokeswoman Angela Wells said the fire had caused "catastrophic damage", and the health clinic run by the IOM, the camp's largest, was completely destroyed.

"The fire has since subsided, but not before consuming essential facilities in the camps, shelters and the personal belongings of tens of thousands of refugees.&nbsp;The cause of the fire is still unknown as are the exact number of casualties," she said.

Wells said the first responders were Rohingya volunteers who helped people to safety, supporting the fire response efforts and helping the relief efforts.&nbsp;

IOM teams worked through the night to help those who fled the scene.

"Today, families have begun to return to their plots of land," Wells told reporters.

"IOM is distributing emergency assistance to all those affected. This assistance includes shelter kits that will allow people to begin to rebuild their homes, as well as emergency items such as blankets, solar lights, mosquito nets, and jerry cans.&nbsp;

"With the start of the monsoon looming, rebuilding is critical.&nbsp;IOM will continue to help people reconstruct&nbsp;durable shelters,&nbsp;emergency latrines and the vital&nbsp;health facility."

Fifteen people have so far been confirmed dead and 400 are still missing in a huge blaze at the Rohingya refugee camp in Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh, the United Nations said Tuesday.

Fifteen people have so far been confirmed dead and 400 are still missing in a huge blaze at the Rohingya refugee camp in Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh, the United Nations said Tuesday. "What we have seen in this fire is something we have never seen before in these camps. It is massive. It is devastating," Johannes van der Klaauw, the UN Refugee Agency's representative in Bangladesh, told reporters in Geneva via video-link from Dhaka. Bangladeshi officials are investigating the cause of the blaze even as officials, aid workers and families sift through the debris looking for further victims. The fire ripped through the Balukhali camp near the southeastern town of Cox's Bazar late on Monday, burning through thousands of shanties as people scrambled to save their meagre possessions. Sanjeev Kafley, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies's delegation head in Bangladesh, said more than 17,000 shelters had been destroyed and tens of thousands of people displaced. More than a thousand Red Cross staff and volunteers worked with fire services to extinguish the blaze, spread over four sections of the camp containing roughly 124,000 people, he said. That represents around one-tenth of an estimated 1 million Rohingya refugees in the area, Kafley said. The UN's International Organization for Migration said it has pledged $1 million to relief efforts but a further $20 million would be required to react to the most urgent needs. IOM spokeswoman Angela Wells said the fire had caused "catastrophic damage", and the health clinic run by the IOM, the camp's largest, was completely destroyed. "The fire has since subsided, but not before consuming essential facilities in the camps, shelters and the personal belongings of tens of thousands of refugees. The cause of the fire is still unknown as are the exact number of casualties," she said. Wells said the first responders were Rohingya volunteers who helped people to safety, supporting the fire response efforts and helping the relief efforts. IOM teams worked through the night to help those who fled the scene. "Today, families have begun to return to their plots of land," Wells told reporters. "IOM is distributing emergency assistance to all those affected. This assistance includes shelter kits that will allow people to begin to rebuild their homes, as well as emergency items such as blankets, solar lights, mosquito nets, and jerry cans. "With the start of the monsoon looming, rebuilding is critical. IOM will continue to help people reconstruct durable shelters, emergency latrines and the vital health facility."

15 dead, 400 missing in fire at Rohingya camp in Bangladesh, says UN

Two Rohingya refugees were killed in a gun battle with Bangladeshi border guards as they tried to cross into Bangladesh from Myanmar on Friday, officials said.

More than 730,000 <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/bangladesh-to-fence-rohingya-camps-in-further-crackdown-252243/amp">Rohingya</a> refugees live in Bangladesh, having fled persecution in neighbouring Myanmar where security forces are accused of carrying out killings, gang rape and arson in a crackdown after attacks on police posts by Rohingya insurgents in&nbsp;August 2017.

Bangladesh is hosting refugees in cramped conditions in camps in the border district of Cox's Bazar, but wants to move them to a remote island in the Bay of Bengal, citing monsoons and an increasingly deteriorating law and order situation fueled by drug smuggling.

Mohammad Faisal Hasan Khan, the commanding officer of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) in the Teknaf sub-district of Cox's Bazar, said that in early hours on Friday a group of Rohingya were crossing a river on the border by boat when border guards challenged them and asked them to surrender.

"But instead of surrendering they responded with firearms," Hasan said.

"When attack and counter-attack stopped the BGB members went to the spot and found two Rohingya laid down on the ground with bullet (wounds)," he told Reuters.

They were pronounced dead on arrival at a local hospital. The BGB said it recovered 70,000 methamphetamine tablets, known locally as Yaba, along with a rifle and bullets, from the bodies.

Iqbal Hossain, additional police superintendent in the Cox's Bazar district, said that 44 Rohingya have been killed in gunfights with law enforcement agencies from January to date.

"All of them were engaged with drug peddling, robbery, human trafficking, and arms trade," Hossain told Reuters.

"In recent months a section of Rohingya are getting involved in crimes and out of them some were killed in gunfights with law enforcement agencies."

Prodeep Kumar Das, officer in charge of Teknaf police station, told Reuters that several police officers have been injured in gun battles with refugees.

Rohingya rights groups say they want the killings investigated.

"We don't support any criminal activities, but we cannot accept such killing. We demand thorough investigations of all such killings," said Syed Ullah, general secretary of Arakan Rohingya Society for Peace and Human Rights of Kutupalong camp in Teknaf.

"Rohingyas can not do it without the support and help from local people."

Two Rohingya refugees were killed in a gun battle with Bangladeshi border guards as they tried to cross into Bangladesh from Myanmar on Friday, officials said. More than 730,000 Rohingya refugees live in Bangladesh, having fled persecution in neighbouring Myanmar where security forces are accused of carrying out killings, gang rape and arson in a crackdown after attacks on police posts by Rohingya insurgents in August 2017.

Two Rohingya refugees were killed in a gun battle with Bangladeshi border guards as they tried to cross into Bangladesh from Myanmar on Friday, officials said. More than 730,000 Rohingya refugees live in Bangladesh, having fled persecution in neighbouring Myanmar where security forces are accused of carrying out killings, gang rape and arson in a crackdown after attacks on police posts by Rohingya insurgents in August 2017. Bangladesh is hosting refugees in cramped conditions in camps in the border district of Cox's Bazar, but wants to move them to a remote island in the Bay of Bengal, citing monsoons and an increasingly deteriorating law and order situation fueled by drug smuggling. Mohammad Faisal Hasan Khan, the commanding officer of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) in the Teknaf sub-district of Cox's Bazar, said that in early hours on Friday a group of Rohingya were crossing a river on the border by boat when border guards challenged them and asked them to surrender. "But instead of surrendering they responded with firearms," Hasan said. "When attack and counter-attack stopped the BGB members went to the spot and found two Rohingya laid down on the ground with bullet (wounds)," he told Reuters. They were pronounced dead on arrival at a local hospital. The BGB said it recovered 70,000 methamphetamine tablets, known locally as Yaba, along with a rifle and bullets, from the bodies. Iqbal Hossain, additional police superintendent in the Cox's Bazar district, said that 44 Rohingya have been killed in gunfights with law enforcement agencies from January to date. "All of them were engaged with drug peddling, robbery, human trafficking, and arms trade," Hossain told Reuters. "In recent months a section of Rohingya are getting involved in crimes and out of them some were killed in gunfights with law enforcement agencies." Prodeep Kumar Das, officer in charge of Teknaf police station, told Reuters that several police officers have been injured in gun battles with refugees. Rohingya rights groups say they want the killings investigated. "We don't support any criminal activities, but we cannot accept such killing. We demand thorough investigations of all such killings," said Syed Ullah, general secretary of Arakan Rohingya Society for Peace and Human Rights of Kutupalong camp in Teknaf. "Rohingyas can not do it without the support and help from local people."

Two Rohingya killed in gun battle with Bangladesh border guards

A 65-day ban on fishing from the sea in Bangladesh is impacting not only the vulnerable fishermen but also the whole supply chain -- from traders to boat owners to fish factories and their workers across the country.

Bangladesh has, for the first time, imposed a fishing ban from May 20 to July 23 to help boost marine fish stock and to tackle overfishing during a key breeding season for many food fish in the Bay of Bengal.

A month after the ban was enforced, fishing boats are sitting idle at the Bakkhali River bordering Cox's Bazar, while the fishing harbour is void of any marine vessel. Up in the jetty, workers are repairing their nets and patching their fishing boats, in anticipation of the ban being lifted in another month's time.

But many of these fishermen and related odd-job workers were simply filling their time, with virtually no other skills to make a living.

"Now we cannot go to the sea for fishing so we are repairing our fishing nets. After a month we will go fishing," said fisherman, Mohammad Shahadat. He is one of the 80,000 fishermen working with 4,000 fishing boats in Cox's Bazar.

Next to the fishermen, traders were haggling over prices for fish -- but these were all frozen fish, caught months before and being sold now to supply local markets.

Bangladesh's coastal districts are home to about 20 million people, the majority of which are directly or indirectly dependent on the fishing industry. Local media reported that the ban has hit the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of people.

"These are my boats but at the moment I cannot take my boats out for fishing. I am facing a problem because I am unable to pay my workers' (fishermen) salaries as I don't have any income. Now all the workers are jobless," said boat owner, Mohammad Jashim.

Further down the seafood supply chain, in Naziratek -- the industry's biggest dried fish yard in Bangladesh -- the owner of a dried fish factory is looking at rows of empty racks, the likes of which were once heaving with between 5 million and 6 million tonnes of dried fish at peak fishing season.

"We are not getting fresh fish so we are marketing the dried fish from our old stock," said the factory owner Abdul Aziz.

In the past, Bangladesh had imposed short-term bans on fishing, mainly on large commerial fishing trawlers, but this is the first long-term ban, which will also include all fishing boats, such as small and artisanal fishermen. "From 20th May to 23rd July is the main breeding period, so at this time fishing was banned in the sea. Overfishing has caused shortage of fishes," said Saiful Islam, Manager at Bangladesh Fisheries Development Corporation.

The department of fisheries will also provide 400,000 coastal fishing families with 40 kilograms of rice per month to help out-of-work fishermen.

Bangladesh is a key supplier of fish to the global market, producing about four million metric tonnes of fish in 2016, according to World Bank data.

A 65-day ban on fishing from the sea in Bangladesh is impacting not only the vulnerable fishermen but also the whole supply chain -- from traders to boat owners to fish factories and their workers across the country.

A 65-day ban on fishing from the sea in Bangladesh is impacting not only the vulnerable fishermen but also the whole supply chain -- from traders to boat owners to fish factories and their workers across the country. Bangladesh has, for the first time, imposed a fishing ban from May 20 to July 23 to help boost marine fish stock and to tackle overfishing during a key breeding season for many food fish in the Bay of Bengal. A month after the ban was enforced, fishing boats are sitting idle at the Bakkhali River bordering Cox's Bazar, while the fishing harbour is void of any marine vessel. Up in the jetty, workers are repairing their nets and patching their fishing boats, in anticipation of the ban being lifted in another month's time. But many of these fishermen and related odd-job workers were simply filling their time, with virtually no other skills to make a living. "Now we cannot go to the sea for fishing so we are repairing our fishing nets. After a month we will go fishing," said fisherman, Mohammad Shahadat. He is one of the 80,000 fishermen working with 4,000 fishing boats in Cox's Bazar. Next to the fishermen, traders were haggling over prices for fish -- but these were all frozen fish, caught months before and being sold now to supply local markets. Bangladesh's coastal districts are home to about 20 million people, the majority of which are directly or indirectly dependent on the fishing industry. Local media reported that the ban has hit the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of people. "These are my boats but at the moment I cannot take my boats out for fishing. I am facing a problem because I am unable to pay my workers' (fishermen) salaries as I don't have any income. Now all the workers are jobless," said boat owner, Mohammad Jashim. Further down the seafood supply chain, in Naziratek -- the industry's biggest dried fish yard in Bangladesh -- the owner of a dried fish factory is looking at rows of empty racks, the likes of which were once heaving with between 5 million and 6 million tonnes of dried fish at peak fishing season. "We are not getting fresh fish so we are marketing the dried fish from our old stock," said the factory owner Abdul Aziz. In the past, Bangladesh had imposed short-term bans on fishing, mainly on large commerial fishing trawlers, but this is the first long-term ban, which will also include all fishing boats, such as small and artisanal fishermen. "From 20th May to 23rd July is the main breeding period, so at this time fishing was banned in the sea. Overfishing has caused shortage of fishes," said Saiful Islam, Manager at Bangladesh Fisheries Development Corporation. The department of fisheries will also provide 400,000 coastal fishing families with 40 kilograms of rice per month to help out-of-work fishermen. Bangladesh is a key supplier of fish to the global market, producing about four million metric tonnes of fish in 2016, according to World Bank data.

Vulnerable fishermen and supply chain hit by fishing ban in Bangladesh

Hundreds of Rohingya Muslims have crossed into Bangladesh in recent days following a fresh military build-up in Myanmar&#39;s Rakhine state, community leaders said Wednesday.

They said at least 500 Rohingya had made the difficult journey into Bangladesh, some claiming they had been abused by soldiers in Myanmar.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/rohingya-refugees-hide-run-pay-and-stay-alive-891">Also read:&nbsp;Rohingya refugees--Hide, run, pay and stay alive</a>

The latest influx follows a months-long bloody military crackdown on the mainly Muslim minority in Myanmar last year that led tens of thousands to flee across the border. The United Nations has said the violence may amount to ethnic cleansing.

Abu Toyyob said he escaped with his seven-member family as the army vandalised Rohingya houses and detained young men.

&quot;They arrested my younger brother from home and injured my two-year-old son by kicking him with boots,&quot; the 25-year-old told AFP.

&quot;I immediately set off with my family and crossed the Naf two nights ago,&quot; he added, referring to the river that divides the two countries.

Dhaka estimates that nearly 400,000 Rohingya refugees are living in squalid refugee camps and makeshift settlements in the resort district of Cox&#39;s Bazar, which borders Rakhine.

Their numbers swelled last October when more than 70,000 Rohingya villagers began arriving, bringing stories of systematic rape, murder and arson at the hands of Myanmar soldiers.

Bangladesh border guards said they had stepped up patrols after reports of a military build-up on the other side of the river.

Last week, the UN special rapporteur Yanghee Lee voiced alarm at reports that an army battalion had flown into Rakhine to help local authorities boost security in the region.

Buddhist-majority Myanmar has long faced criticism for its treatment of the more than one million Rohingya who live in Rakhine, who are seen as interlopers from Bangladesh, denied citizenship and access to basic rights.

But they are also increasingly unwelcome in Muslim-majority Bangladesh, where police often blame them for crimes such as drug trafficking.

Dhaka has floated the idea of relocating tens of thousands of Rohingya refugees to a remote, flood-prone island off its coast, despite opposition from rights groups.

An official with the UN International Organisation for Migration (IOM), which looks after settlements for unregistered Rohingya refugees, said the organisation was aware of new arrivals.

The numbers were &quot;not as alarming as the October influx,&quot; the official said.

Dhaka estimates that nearly 400,000 Rohingya refugees are living in squalid refugee camps and makeshift settlements in the resort district of Cox's Bazar, which borders Rakhine

Hundreds of Rohingya Muslims have crossed into Bangladesh in recent days following a fresh military build-up in Myanmar's Rakhine state, community leaders said Wednesday. They said at least 500 Rohingya had made the difficult journey into Bangladesh, some claiming they had been abused by soldiers in Myanmar. Also read: Rohingya refugees--Hide, run, pay and stay alive The latest influx follows a months-long bloody military crackdown on the mainly Muslim minority in Myanmar last year that led tens of thousands to flee across the border. The United Nations has said the violence may amount to ethnic cleansing. Abu Toyyob said he escaped with his seven-member family as the army vandalised Rohingya houses and detained young men. "They arrested my younger brother from home and injured my two-year-old son by kicking him with boots," the 25-year-old told AFP. "I immediately set off with my family and crossed the Naf two nights ago," he added, referring to the river that divides the two countries. Dhaka estimates that nearly 400,000 Rohingya refugees are living in squalid refugee camps and makeshift settlements in the resort district of Cox's Bazar, which borders Rakhine. Their numbers swelled last October when more than 70,000 Rohingya villagers began arriving, bringing stories of systematic rape, murder and arson at the hands of Myanmar soldiers. Bangladesh border guards said they had stepped up patrols after reports of a military build-up on the other side of the river. Last week, the UN special rapporteur Yanghee Lee voiced alarm at reports that an army battalion had flown into Rakhine to help local authorities boost security in the region. Buddhist-majority Myanmar has long faced criticism for its treatment of the more than one million Rohingya who live in Rakhine, who are seen as interlopers from Bangladesh, denied citizenship and access to basic rights. But they are also increasingly unwelcome in Muslim-majority Bangladesh, where police often blame them for crimes such as drug trafficking. Dhaka has floated the idea of relocating tens of thousands of Rohingya refugees to a remote, flood-prone island off its coast, despite opposition from rights groups. An official with the UN International Organisation for Migration (IOM), which looks after settlements for unregistered Rohingya refugees, said the organisation was aware of new arrivals. The numbers were "not as alarming as the October influx," the official said.

Bangladesh witnesses fresh influx of Rohingyas from Myanmar

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