The United Nations refugee agency on Friday said it would raise $920 million in a new plan to aid 900,000 Rohingya refugees living in Bangladesh.

Over half of the solicited money, also meant to assist 330,000 vulnerable Bangladeshi hosts, is needed to meet the basic needs such as food, water, sanitation and shelter of the refugees who have fled from Myanmar to the neighboring country since 2017.

The rest of the fund will be utilized to finance programs related to education, health and the protection of women and children, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

"Our humanitarian imperative today is to stabilize the situation of stateless Rohingya refugees and their Bangladesh hosts. We are hoping for timely, predictable and flexible contributions in order to meet the goals of this year's appeal," said the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi.

The UNHCR in a statement said that the 2019 Joint Response Plan sets out a comprehensive humanitarian effort shaped around three strategic objectives.

"By bringing together 132 partners - UN agencies, international and national NGOs and government bodies in a collective effort - the plan aims to deliver protection to refugee women, men, girls and boys, provide life-saving assistance and foster social cohesion," it said.

IOM Director General Antonio Vitorino said that the UN agencies were reiterating "our commitment to meeting the dire needs of this population and urge the international community to support these efforts".

More than 745,000 Rohingya refugees have fled violence in Myanmar's Rakhine state since August 2017, while 200,000 members of the community had earlier escaped to Bangladesh.

Most of the refugees live under harsh conditions in Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar area near the Myanmar border, which has become the biggest refugee camp in the world.

"I repeat my call to Myanmar to take urgent action to address the root causes of this crisis which have persisted for decades, so that people are no longer forced to flee and can eventually return home in safety and dignity," Grandi said.

Last year, the Joint Response Plan could raise just $655 million against a target of $950 million.

Myanmar does not recognize the Rohingyas, a mostly Muslim minority, as its citizens and considers them Bangladeshi immigrants, although Dhaka has also treated them as foreigners.

The United Nations refugee agency on Friday said it would raise $920 million in a new plan to aid 900,000 Rohingya refugees living in Bangladesh. Over half of the solicited money, also meant to assist 330,000 vulnerable Bangladeshi hosts, is needed to meet the basic needs such as food, water, sanitation and shelter of the refugees who have fled from Myanmar to the neighboring country since 2017.

The United Nations refugee agency on Friday said it would raise $920 million in a new plan to aid 900,000 Rohingya refugees living in Bangladesh. Over half of the solicited money, also meant to assist 330,000 vulnerable Bangladeshi hosts, is needed to meet the basic needs such as food, water, sanitation and shelter of the refugees who have fled from Myanmar to the neighboring country since 2017. The rest of the fund will be utilized to finance programs related to education, health and the protection of women and children, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM). "Our humanitarian imperative today is to stabilize the situation of stateless Rohingya refugees and their Bangladesh hosts. We are hoping for timely, predictable and flexible contributions in order to meet the goals of this year's appeal," said the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi. The UNHCR in a statement said that the 2019 Joint Response Plan sets out a comprehensive humanitarian effort shaped around three strategic objectives. "By bringing together 132 partners - UN agencies, international and national NGOs and government bodies in a collective effort - the plan aims to deliver protection to refugee women, men, girls and boys, provide life-saving assistance and foster social cohesion," it said. IOM Director General Antonio Vitorino said that the UN agencies were reiterating "our commitment to meeting the dire needs of this population and urge the international community to support these efforts". More than 745,000 Rohingya refugees have fled violence in Myanmar's Rakhine state since August 2017, while 200,000 members of the community had earlier escaped to Bangladesh. Most of the refugees live under harsh conditions in Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar area near the Myanmar border, which has become the biggest refugee camp in the world. "I repeat my call to Myanmar to take urgent action to address the root causes of this crisis which have persisted for decades, so that people are no longer forced to flee and can eventually return home in safety and dignity," Grandi said. Last year, the Joint Response Plan could raise just $655 million against a target of $950 million. Myanmar does not recognize the Rohingyas, a mostly Muslim minority, as its citizens and considers them Bangladeshi immigrants, although Dhaka has also treated them as foreigners.

UN plans to raise $920 million in aid for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh

New political groups are emerging to contest<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/myanmar-villagers-flee-fresh-rakhine-state-fighting-enter-bangladesh-195963"> Myanmar</a>'s next election in 2020, aiming to challenge the hegemony of national civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi after she has been weakened by escalating <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/amnesty-says-myanmar-army-shelling-villages-blocking-aid-in-rakhine-196623">ethnic conflicts </a>and slowing economic growth.

Those factors were blamed by party officials for the poor performance of Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) in by-elections in November when it won only seven of the 13 seats up for grabs as regional and army-linked parties made gains.

"Now that ethnic parties have allied with one another and prepared, we can't fully rely on the power of the party. We must try harder than before to win the trust of the people," said Dashi La Seng, an NLD lawmaker from the northern state of Kachin, where the party lost a seat in November.

At stake is the future of Myanmar's transition to democracy. The NLD swept to power in a landslide in 2015, winning a comfortable majority in parliament despite 25 per cent of the seats being reserved for the army.

While the NLD is still expected to do better than other parties in 2020, its majority could suffer severe losses, say analysts.

"It's questionable whether the NLD will win enough seats to form the government. If they don't, they'll have to form a coalition or negotiate with other parties," said Ye Myo Hein, an analyst at the Tagaung Institute of Political Studies.

Suu Kyi has responded to recent setbacks with a flurry of activity.

The Nobel laureate has faced criticism from ethnic leaders that her government is high-handed and lacks understanding of the political demands of the country's myriad minorities, while investors have long complained about the slow pace of reform.

In the space of one week in January the Nobel laureate - often seen as aloof in style - popped into a school in a Muslim neighbourhood of Yangon and launched an investment conference in the commercial capital touting the country's plentiful resources and youthful population, while her party floated changes to the military-drafted constitution.

POLITICAL RIVALS COME OUT

The burst of activity was interpreted as an attempt by Suu Kyi to more actively push the government's message to constituents and investors. But rivals have been busy, too.

Former junta No. 3 Shwe Mann, the influential former lower house speaker who has been Suu Kyi's ally, last week announced the formation of a new political force, the Union Betterment Party.

Shwe Mann was ousted as the head of the army-linked Union Solidarity and Development Party in 2015 and has surrounded himself with moderates from the previous regime.

Ko Ko Gyi, one of the legendary leaders of the student protests in 1988 against junta rule, has also started a party called the People's Party. He has tempted other groups, including ethnic parties, to launch a joint bid for power.

"Even if one party can't win, we can combine in parliament as an alliance. We can stand as one and avoid having our votes split," said Ko Ko Gyi.

Nowhere are the headaches for the NLD bigger than in the western state of Rakhine, where it is dealing with the fallout from an army offensive that in 2017 forced around 730,000 Rohingya Muslims to flee to Bangladesh.

The European Union is considering trade sanctions on the country over the crisis, potentially stripping it of tariff-free access to the world's largest trading bloc.

The measures could include Myanmar's lucrative textile industry and potentially put hundreds of thousands of jobs at risk - many in the areas that overwhelmingly voted NLD in 2015, such as Yangon and Mandalay.

Suu Kyi is also facing a fresh threat from the Arakan Army, a Rakhine rebel group that wants greater autonomy for the state, where the mainly Buddhist Rakhine ethnic group makes up the majority.

The International Crisis Group said in a report from January that the fighting signified "a dangerous shift from politics to the insurgency as the means of addressing ethnic Rakhine grievances".

The Rakhine ethnic party, Arakan National Party, had a strong showing in the 2015 polls, but it has been denied major roles in the local administration, fuelling resentment against the NLD government in the state.

Oo Aung Than, who runs Thazin Community Development Institute, an organization that works on equal rights and development in Rakhine, has complained that the NLD ignored the political will of the Rakhine people in 2015.

"We, ethnic people, can see how they value ethnic people," said Oo Aung Than. "The landslide victory will not happen again in 2020."

New political groups are emerging to contest Myanmar's next election in 2020, aiming to challenge the hegemony of national civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi after she has been weakened by escalating ethnic conflicts and slowing economic growth.

New political groups are emerging to contest Myanmar's next election in 2020, aiming to challenge the hegemony of national civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi after she has been weakened by escalating ethnic conflicts and slowing economic growth. Those factors were blamed by party officials for the poor performance of Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) in by-elections in November when it won only seven of the 13 seats up for grabs as regional and army-linked parties made gains. "Now that ethnic parties have allied with one another and prepared, we can't fully rely on the power of the party. We must try harder than before to win the trust of the people," said Dashi La Seng, an NLD lawmaker from the northern state of Kachin, where the party lost a seat in November. At stake is the future of Myanmar's transition to democracy. The NLD swept to power in a landslide in 2015, winning a comfortable majority in parliament despite 25 per cent of the seats being reserved for the army. While the NLD is still expected to do better than other parties in 2020, its majority could suffer severe losses, say analysts. "It's questionable whether the NLD will win enough seats to form the government. If they don't, they'll have to form a coalition or negotiate with other parties," said Ye Myo Hein, an analyst at the Tagaung Institute of Political Studies. Suu Kyi has responded to recent setbacks with a flurry of activity. The Nobel laureate has faced criticism from ethnic leaders that her government is high-handed and lacks understanding of the political demands of the country's myriad minorities, while investors have long complained about the slow pace of reform. In the space of one week in January the Nobel laureate - often seen as aloof in style - popped into a school in a Muslim neighbourhood of Yangon and launched an investment conference in the commercial capital touting the country's plentiful resources and youthful population, while her party floated changes to the military-drafted constitution. POLITICAL RIVALS COME OUT The burst of activity was interpreted as an attempt by Suu Kyi to more actively push the government's message to constituents and investors. But rivals have been busy, too. Former junta No. 3 Shwe Mann, the influential former lower house speaker who has been Suu Kyi's ally, last week announced the formation of a new political force, the Union Betterment Party. Shwe Mann was ousted as the head of the army-linked Union Solidarity and Development Party in 2015 and has surrounded himself with moderates from the previous regime. Ko Ko Gyi, one of the legendary leaders of the student protests in 1988 against junta rule, has also started a party called the People's Party. He has tempted other groups, including ethnic parties, to launch a joint bid for power. "Even if one party can't win, we can combine in parliament as an alliance. We can stand as one and avoid having our votes split," said Ko Ko Gyi. Nowhere are the headaches for the NLD bigger than in the western state of Rakhine, where it is dealing with the fallout from an army offensive that in 2017 forced around 730,000 Rohingya Muslims to flee to Bangladesh. The European Union is considering trade sanctions on the country over the crisis, potentially stripping it of tariff-free access to the world's largest trading bloc. The measures could include Myanmar's lucrative textile industry and potentially put hundreds of thousands of jobs at risk - many in the areas that overwhelmingly voted NLD in 2015, such as Yangon and Mandalay. Suu Kyi is also facing a fresh threat from the Arakan Army, a Rakhine rebel group that wants greater autonomy for the state, where the mainly Buddhist Rakhine ethnic group makes up the majority. The International Crisis Group said in a report from January that the fighting signified "a dangerous shift from politics to the insurgency as the means of addressing ethnic Rakhine grievances". The Rakhine ethnic party, Arakan National Party, had a strong showing in the 2015 polls, but it has been denied major roles in the local administration, fuelling resentment against the NLD government in the state. Oo Aung Than, who runs Thazin Community Development Institute, an organization that works on equal rights and development in Rakhine, has complained that the NLD ignored the political will of the Rakhine people in 2015. "We, ethnic people, can see how they value ethnic people," said Oo Aung Than. "The landslide victory will not happen again in 2020."

In Myanmar, new parties challenge Suu Kyi's grip on power

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/india-bangladesh-call-for-safe-and-sustainable-repatriation-of-rohingya-refugees-196061">Bangladesh</a> police have stopped 43<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/bangladesh-fears-lingering-rohingya-crisis-may-trigger-radicalism-196630"> Rohingya refugees</a> from being smuggled to Malaysia by boat with a dozen women claiming they were abducted by traffickers, officials said Thursday.

Acting on tip-offs, police found the refugees at two separate places in the southeastern border district of Cox's Bazar, raising the number of Rohingya being rescued from the traffickers to more than 100 in less than a week.

About 740,000 of the Muslim minority fled Myanmar for Bangladesh after a military clampdown in the Buddhist-majority nation in August 2017.

They have joined another 300,000 Rohingya who have already been living in overcrowded camps in Cox's Bazar following previous bouts of violence.

Officials fear many may end up being exploited by an internationally organised human smuggling racket who have previously sent thousands of Rohingya to Malaysia by boats until Bangladesh launched a crackdown in 2015 following the discovery of mass graves of refugees in Thailand.&nbsp;

Rapid Action Battalion, an elite police unit, said they rescued 12 women — mostly in their 20s — from a residential room in Cox's Bazar city early Thursday morning and arrested two alleged traffickers for "abducting" them.

"The young women from the refugee camps were lured by the traffickers. They were promised they would be sent to Malaysia. They were then brought to Cox's Bazar and kept in a house," RAB spokesman Mashkur Rahman told AFP.

Rahman said they were treating it as a case of abduction after the women claimed they were confined in a room without consent.

In another drive late Wednesday, Cox's Bazar police rescued another 31 Rohingya from the southern island of Maheshkhali, some 110 kilometres (70 miles) away from the overcrowded Kutupalong refugee camp.

Local police chief Provash Chandra said the 14 women, 11 men and six children were hiding in a coastal forest at Maheskhali waiting to board a Malaysian-bound boat.

"They paid some 20,000 taka ($240) each to the traffickers for the journey," he said.

He said they arrested a woman trafficker and were "searching for others".

Dangerous sign

An analyst said the latest discovery of Malaysia-bound Rohingya was a "dangerous" sign and shows the desperation at more than 30 refugee camps where the Rohingya live in bamboo and tarpaulin made shanties in squalid conditions.

"It is very natural for the desperate refugees to attempt the risk to search for a better future," Tasneem Siddiqui, who heads a Bangladeshi think tank on migration issues, told AFP.

"They know the way is full of obstacles, yet many think this is their only way out," she said.

Authorities fear that more Rohingya will try to take boats to Malaysia while the Bay of Bengal remains calm before the arrival of monsoons at the end of March.

Bangladesh police have stopped 43 Rohingya refugees from being smuggled to Malaysia by boat with a dozen women claiming they were abducted by traffickers, officials said Thursday.

Bangladesh police have stopped 43 Rohingya refugees from being smuggled to Malaysia by boat with a dozen women claiming they were abducted by traffickers, officials said Thursday. Acting on tip-offs, police found the refugees at two separate places in the southeastern border district of Cox's Bazar, raising the number of Rohingya being rescued from the traffickers to more than 100 in less than a week. About 740,000 of the Muslim minority fled Myanmar for Bangladesh after a military clampdown in the Buddhist-majority nation in August 2017. They have joined another 300,000 Rohingya who have already been living in overcrowded camps in Cox's Bazar following previous bouts of violence. Officials fear many may end up being exploited by an internationally organised human smuggling racket who have previously sent thousands of Rohingya to Malaysia by boats until Bangladesh launched a crackdown in 2015 following the discovery of mass graves of refugees in Thailand. Rapid Action Battalion, an elite police unit, said they rescued 12 women — mostly in their 20s — from a residential room in Cox's Bazar city early Thursday morning and arrested two alleged traffickers for "abducting" them. "The young women from the refugee camps were lured by the traffickers. They were promised they would be sent to Malaysia. They were then brought to Cox's Bazar and kept in a house," RAB spokesman Mashkur Rahman told AFP. Rahman said they were treating it as a case of abduction after the women claimed they were confined in a room without consent. In another drive late Wednesday, Cox's Bazar police rescued another 31 Rohingya from the southern island of Maheshkhali, some 110 kilometres (70 miles) away from the overcrowded Kutupalong refugee camp. Local police chief Provash Chandra said the 14 women, 11 men and six children were hiding in a coastal forest at Maheskhali waiting to board a Malaysian-bound boat. "They paid some 20,000 taka ($240) each to the traffickers for the journey," he said. He said they arrested a woman trafficker and were "searching for others". Dangerous sign An analyst said the latest discovery of Malaysia-bound Rohingya was a "dangerous" sign and shows the desperation at more than 30 refugee camps where the Rohingya live in bamboo and tarpaulin made shanties in squalid conditions. "It is very natural for the desperate refugees to attempt the risk to search for a better future," Tasneem Siddiqui, who heads a Bangladeshi think tank on migration issues, told AFP. "They know the way is full of obstacles, yet many think this is their only way out," she said. Authorities fear that more Rohingya will try to take boats to Malaysia while the Bay of Bengal remains calm before the arrival of monsoons at the end of March.

Bangladesh rescues 'abducted' Malaysia-bound Rohingya

Bangladesh security forces stopped 22 Rohingya Muslims from being smuggled to Malaysia by boat, officials said Monday, the second group in three days prevented from leaving squalid refugee camps.

Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) forces found 11 women, 10 children and a man at a village on the Bay of Bengal coast, near the border with Myanmar, on Sunday.

The 22 had paid traffickers up to $1,200 each to get a place on a small boat for the dangerous journey, a BGB officer said. The people smugglers fled before security forces arrived.

About 740,000 of the Muslim minority fled Myanmar for Bangladesh after a military clampdown in the Buddhist-majority nation in August 2017.&nbsp;

There were already 300,000 Rohingya already in Bangladesh where they are largely confined to the overflowing camps.

"The traffickers took whatever they could from the refugees," Lieutenant Colonel Asadud Zaman Chowdhury, BGB chief for the town of Teknaf, told AFP.

He added that it was possible many of the young women would have ended up in "forced prostitution".

It is the fourth time since November that Rohingya have been intercepted attempting to get a boat to Muslim-majority Malaysia.

On Friday, border guards stopped 30 Rohingya from boarding a boat and sent them back to their camps.

Authorities fear that more Rohingya will try to take boats to Malaysia while the Bay of Bengal is calm up until the end of March.&nbsp;

Bangladesh's refugee commissioner Mohammad Abul Kalam said "an internationally organised racket" was preying on desperation in the Rohingya camps.

"The refugees are lured by false promises. They simply don't have any idea how dangerous these sea journeys can be," he told AFP.

People smugglers sent tens of thousands of Rohingya from the camps to Malaysia before Bangladesh launched a crackdown in 2015.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Bangladesh security forces stopped 22 Rohingya Muslims from being smuggled to Malaysia by boat, officials said Monday, the second group in three days prevented from leaving squalid refugee camps.

Bangladesh security forces stopped 22 Rohingya Muslims from being smuggled to Malaysia by boat, officials said Monday, the second group in three days prevented from leaving squalid refugee camps. Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) forces found 11 women, 10 children and a man at a village on the Bay of Bengal coast, near the border with Myanmar, on Sunday. The 22 had paid traffickers up to $1,200 each to get a place on a small boat for the dangerous journey, a BGB officer said. The people smugglers fled before security forces arrived. About 740,000 of the Muslim minority fled Myanmar for Bangladesh after a military clampdown in the Buddhist-majority nation in August 2017. There were already 300,000 Rohingya already in Bangladesh where they are largely confined to the overflowing camps. "The traffickers took whatever they could from the refugees," Lieutenant Colonel Asadud Zaman Chowdhury, BGB chief for the town of Teknaf, told AFP. He added that it was possible many of the young women would have ended up in "forced prostitution". It is the fourth time since November that Rohingya have been intercepted attempting to get a boat to Muslim-majority Malaysia. On Friday, border guards stopped 30 Rohingya from boarding a boat and sent them back to their camps. Authorities fear that more Rohingya will try to take boats to Malaysia while the Bay of Bengal is calm up until the end of March. Bangladesh's refugee commissioner Mohammad Abul Kalam said "an internationally organised racket" was preying on desperation in the Rohingya camps. "The refugees are lured by false promises. They simply don't have any idea how dangerous these sea journeys can be," he told AFP. People smugglers sent tens of thousands of Rohingya from the camps to Malaysia before Bangladesh launched a crackdown in 2015.

Bangladesh stops more Rohingya taking risky trip to Malaysia

Bangladesh seized a record 53 million methamphetamine pills in 2018 — up 33 per cent in a year — amid a deadly nationwide crackdown on the trade, officials said Sunday.

Nearly 300 suspected <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/arrested-and-killed-inside-the-bangladesh-prime-ministers-war-on-drugs-158786">drug dealers</a> were killed last year, according to authorities, who insisted the seizure figure was proof that their campaign was working.

Rights groups said the record haul showed the deaths had failed to make an impact on the trade.

The government Department of Narcotics Control said the drug — popularly known as 'yaba', a Thai word meaning 'crazy medicine' — was seized across the South Asian nation of 165 million people.

"It is the highest amount seized in a year," Bazlur Rahman, a department deputy director, told AFP.

Masum-e-Rabbani, another senior official at the department, said the record haul was proof that a crackdown launched in May last year was yielding "positive" results.

He said there has been a significant decline in the use and sale of yaba.

Nearly 300 suspected drug dealers were killed by security forces in the campaign and some 25,000 arrests made, according to Rabbani.

Human rights groups say many of the deaths amount to extrajudicial killings, however.

More than 40 were killed in the town of Teknaf, which borders Myanmar's troubled Rakhine state and is close to the refugee camps housing about one million Rohingya Muslims.

Bangladesh has struggled to control a surge in yaba imports crossing the border from Myanmar, where the pills are manufactured by the millions.

The pills have become an easy source of income for the Rohingya who poured across the border after the Myanmar military launched a clampdown in Rakhine in August 2017.

The refugees act as carriers, handing over the pills to dealers on the Bangladesh side of the border who then take them to major cities, according to police.

In October, authorities made yaba a class-A banned substance and parliament passed a law allowing the death penalty for dealing the drug.

A top rights activist said the record yaba seizure meant the hundreds of deaths had failed to make a serious dent in the drug trade.

"It proves that the police crackdown is not working. They need a different approach," an-Nur Khan Liton, a former head of rights group Ain O Salish Kendra, told AFP. 
&nbsp;

Bangladesh seized a record 53 million methamphetamine pills in 2018 — up 33 per cent in a year — amid a deadly nationwide crackdown on the trade, officials said Sunday.

Bangladesh seized a record 53 million methamphetamine pills in 2018 — up 33 per cent in a year — amid a deadly nationwide crackdown on the trade, officials said Sunday. Nearly 300 suspected drug dealers were killed last year, according to authorities, who insisted the seizure figure was proof that their campaign was working. Rights groups said the record haul showed the deaths had failed to make an impact on the trade. The government Department of Narcotics Control said the drug — popularly known as 'yaba', a Thai word meaning 'crazy medicine' — was seized across the South Asian nation of 165 million people. "It is the highest amount seized in a year," Bazlur Rahman, a department deputy director, told AFP. Masum-e-Rabbani, another senior official at the department, said the record haul was proof that a crackdown launched in May last year was yielding "positive" results. He said there has been a significant decline in the use and sale of yaba. Nearly 300 suspected drug dealers were killed by security forces in the campaign and some 25,000 arrests made, according to Rabbani. Human rights groups say many of the deaths amount to extrajudicial killings, however. More than 40 were killed in the town of Teknaf, which borders Myanmar's troubled Rakhine state and is close to the refugee camps housing about one million Rohingya Muslims. Bangladesh has struggled to control a surge in yaba imports crossing the border from Myanmar, where the pills are manufactured by the millions. The pills have become an easy source of income for the Rohingya who poured across the border after the Myanmar military launched a clampdown in Rakhine in August 2017. The refugees act as carriers, handing over the pills to dealers on the Bangladesh side of the border who then take them to major cities, according to police. In October, authorities made yaba a class-A banned substance and parliament passed a law allowing the death penalty for dealing the drug. A top rights activist said the record yaba seizure meant the hundreds of deaths had failed to make a serious dent in the drug trade. "It proves that the police crackdown is not working. They need a different approach," an-Nur Khan Liton, a former head of rights group Ain O Salish Kendra, told AFP.

Bangladesh makes record drugs seizure amid crackdown

Scores of ethnic minority villagers have crossed from western Myanmar into Bangladesh in recent days amid fighting between the<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/rohingya-crisis-bangladesh-to-seek-indian-support-195630"> Myanmar military </a>and ethnic Rakhine rebels, Bangladesh border guards and an activist said on Thursday.

Members of 38 families said they fled their homes <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/bangladesh-foreign-ministers-maiden-india-visit-to-focus-on-rohingya-crisis-five-mous-expected-to-be-signed-195653">fearing attack from military</a> helicopters, said Colonel Zahirul Haque Khan, the Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) commander in Bandarban district where the group of 136 people are now living in shelters.

Clashes between Myanmar's military and the insurgent Arakan Army, which mainly recruits from the Rakhine ethnic group, have displaced more than 5,000 people in parts of Rakhine and Chin states since early December.

Myanmar's leaders have vowed to crush the rebels, who are fighting for autonomy for Rakhine State, and blocked most aid agencies from reaching the area, raising fears of more civilian suffering in an area long scarred by complex ethnic divisions.

While Rakhine State is majority Buddhist, in 2017 attacks on security posts by insurgents from the Muslim Rohingya minority provoked a military crackdown that forced 730,000 people from their homes and into camps in Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar district, according to U.N. agencies.

Win Thein, a member of the nongovernmental Bangladesh Human Rights Commission, said he had visited the refugees, who are members of the Khumi, Cho and Rakhine ethnic groups, in their remote jungle camp.

They had crossed into Bangladesh on Sunday and Monday after fleeing from two villages in Chin state's rugged Paletwa township after they heard gunfire and saw helicopters nearby, he said.

Some villagers said they later witnessed Myanmar soldiers looting and setting fire to homes, he said.

Win Thein said some of the refugee children were seriously ill and had no access to medical care.

"There are no blankets at all and it is very cold," he said.

State media in Myanmar said on Friday the Arakan Army had "taken about 200 Rakhine and other ethnic nationals including 38 schoolchildren to Bangladesh territory".

An announcement carried in official newspapers said the government was providing humanitarian assistance to displaced people, and said the insurgents may have taken the people into Bangladesh to "create misunderstanding between the two neighbours".

Khine Thu Kha, an Arakan Army spokesman based outside Myanmar, said the armed group had helped the displaced villagers to reach the border, but did so because the villagers feared being detained by the military.

The government was using "fake news" to cover up military abuses, he said.

Bangladesh summoned Myanmar's ambassador on Tuesday to protest over the new arrivals, according to a senior Bangladesh foreign ministry official.

Bangladesh had beefed up security near the border to prevent more refugee arrivals, Minister of Home Affairs Asaduzzaman Khan told reporters on Thursday.

Scores of ethnic minority villagers have crossed from western Myanmar into Bangladesh in recent days amid fighting between the Myanmar military and ethnic Rakhine rebels, Bangladesh border guards and an activist said on Thursday.

Scores of ethnic minority villagers have crossed from western Myanmar into Bangladesh in recent days amid fighting between the Myanmar military and ethnic Rakhine rebels, Bangladesh border guards and an activist said on Thursday. Members of 38 families said they fled their homes fearing attack from military helicopters, said Colonel Zahirul Haque Khan, the Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) commander in Bandarban district where the group of 136 people are now living in shelters. Clashes between Myanmar's military and the insurgent Arakan Army, which mainly recruits from the Rakhine ethnic group, have displaced more than 5,000 people in parts of Rakhine and Chin states since early December. Myanmar's leaders have vowed to crush the rebels, who are fighting for autonomy for Rakhine State, and blocked most aid agencies from reaching the area, raising fears of more civilian suffering in an area long scarred by complex ethnic divisions. While Rakhine State is majority Buddhist, in 2017 attacks on security posts by insurgents from the Muslim Rohingya minority provoked a military crackdown that forced 730,000 people from their homes and into camps in Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar district, according to U.N. agencies. Win Thein, a member of the nongovernmental Bangladesh Human Rights Commission, said he had visited the refugees, who are members of the Khumi, Cho and Rakhine ethnic groups, in their remote jungle camp. They had crossed into Bangladesh on Sunday and Monday after fleeing from two villages in Chin state's rugged Paletwa township after they heard gunfire and saw helicopters nearby, he said. Some villagers said they later witnessed Myanmar soldiers looting and setting fire to homes, he said. Win Thein said some of the refugee children were seriously ill and had no access to medical care. "There are no blankets at all and it is very cold," he said. State media in Myanmar said on Friday the Arakan Army had "taken about 200 Rakhine and other ethnic nationals including 38 schoolchildren to Bangladesh territory". An announcement carried in official newspapers said the government was providing humanitarian assistance to displaced people, and said the insurgents may have taken the people into Bangladesh to "create misunderstanding between the two neighbours". Khine Thu Kha, an Arakan Army spokesman based outside Myanmar, said the armed group had helped the displaced villagers to reach the border, but did so because the villagers feared being detained by the military. The government was using "fake news" to cover up military abuses, he said. Bangladesh summoned Myanmar's ambassador on Tuesday to protest over the new arrivals, according to a senior Bangladesh foreign ministry official. Bangladesh had beefed up security near the border to prevent more refugee arrivals, Minister of Home Affairs Asaduzzaman Khan told reporters on Thursday.

Myanmar villagers flee fresh Rakhine State fighting, enter Bangladesh

Bangladesh security forces stopped 30 Rohingya refugees from being smuggled to Malaysia by boat, officials said Friday, as fears rise that calmer seas may tempt those living in squalid camps to make the journey to Southeast Asia.

Two suspected human traffickers were detained in the operation by Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) forces in Cox's Bazar district late Thursday, the officials said.

About 740,000 Rohingya fled Myanmar for Bangladesh following a military clampdown in August 2017. They joined about 300,000 of the Muslim minority already in the country where they are largely confined to camps, which have strained Bangladesh's resources to the limit.

The 17 women, six children and seven men were detained on a beach near the coastal town of Teknaf, which borders Myanmar's violence-wracked Rakine state, the BGB said.

It is the third time since November that Rohingya have been intercepted while attempting to reach the more prosperous and Muslim-majority Malaysia by boat.

Some boats have also been intercepted trying to leave Myanmar.

Lieutenant Colonel Asadud Zaman Chowdhury told AFP the 30 Rohingya were lured by human traffickers operating in refugee camps in Cox's Bazar.

He said the Rohingya, who had paid about $1,000 each for "safe passage" to Malaysia, would be sent back to the camps.

One of the women in the group said she was going to Malaysia "to get married" to a Rohingya man she had never met.

"My uncle set me up for the journey and paid for the trip. My husband to be was meant to meet me once I reached Malaysia," she told AFP, refusing to give her name.

There are fears that with improving weather more Rohingya may be tempted by traffickers to leave the Bangladesh camps and make the dangerous boat journey to Malaysia.

People smugglers sent tens of thousands of Rohingya from the camps to Malaysia before Bangladesh launched a crackdown in 2015. This came after Thai authorities discovered mass graves of refugees and overcrowded boats were intercepted at sea.

The Bay of Bengal -- which the boats must cross on their way to Malaysia -- is calmer between November and March. But many of the small boats are critically overcrowded by the owners seeking to make more money.

Bangladesh security forces stopped 30 Rohingya refugees from being smuggled to Malaysia by boat, officials said Friday, as fears rise that calmer seas may tempt those living in squalid camps to make the journey to Southeast Asia.

Bangladesh security forces stopped 30 Rohingya refugees from being smuggled to Malaysia by boat, officials said Friday, as fears rise that calmer seas may tempt those living in squalid camps to make the journey to Southeast Asia. Two suspected human traffickers were detained in the operation by Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) forces in Cox's Bazar district late Thursday, the officials said. About 740,000 Rohingya fled Myanmar for Bangladesh following a military clampdown in August 2017. They joined about 300,000 of the Muslim minority already in the country where they are largely confined to camps, which have strained Bangladesh's resources to the limit. The 17 women, six children and seven men were detained on a beach near the coastal town of Teknaf, which borders Myanmar's violence-wracked Rakine state, the BGB said. It is the third time since November that Rohingya have been intercepted while attempting to reach the more prosperous and Muslim-majority Malaysia by boat. Some boats have also been intercepted trying to leave Myanmar. Lieutenant Colonel Asadud Zaman Chowdhury told AFP the 30 Rohingya were lured by human traffickers operating in refugee camps in Cox's Bazar. He said the Rohingya, who had paid about $1,000 each for "safe passage" to Malaysia, would be sent back to the camps. One of the women in the group said she was going to Malaysia "to get married" to a Rohingya man she had never met. "My uncle set me up for the journey and paid for the trip. My husband to be was meant to meet me once I reached Malaysia," she told AFP, refusing to give her name. There are fears that with improving weather more Rohingya may be tempted by traffickers to leave the Bangladesh camps and make the dangerous boat journey to Malaysia. People smugglers sent tens of thousands of Rohingya from the camps to Malaysia before Bangladesh launched a crackdown in 2015. This came after Thai authorities discovered mass graves of refugees and overcrowded boats were intercepted at sea. The Bay of Bengal -- which the boats must cross on their way to Malaysia -- is calmer between November and March. But many of the small boats are critically overcrowded by the owners seeking to make more money.

Bangladesh stops Rohingya trying to get to Malaysia

India has assured Bangladesh of its continued support with respect to the repatriation of Rohingya refugees. Both the countries have called for safe and sustainable repatriation of the refugees.&nbsp;

Bangladesh's&nbsp;foreign minister Dr AK Abdul Momen is in Delhi on a 4-day visit and took part in the fifth meeting of the India-Bangladesh Joint Consultative Commission. The meeting was co-chaired by India's External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Friday.&nbsp;

The joint press release noted, "External Affairs Minister expressed appreciation for the humanitarian gesture of Bangladesh in supporting a large number of displaced persons from the Rakhine region of Myanmar" and "assured the Foreign Minister of India’s continued support for safe, speedy and sustainable return of the displaced persons to Myanmar".

Bangladesh's foreign minister conveyed his country's gratitude for the humanitarian assistance provided by India in four tranches since September 2017 to help meet the requirements of the displaced persons from Myanmar.

This is the first high-level visit from PM Hasina's government after her electoral victory in December 2018.

The release added, the two ministers agreed on the need to "expedite, safe and sustainable repatriation" of the displaced people from the Rakhine state of Myanmar.

India has been calling on Myanmar to implement the Rohingya repatriation accord that it signed with Bangladesh. The agreement involves the return of the refugees to Myanmar.

India started 'Operation Insaniyat' to help Rohingya refugees in September 2017. In December 2018, India began the 4th tranche of relief assistance to Rohingya refugees camping in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar.&nbsp;

Bangladeshi foreign minister Momen had called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday during which the Rohingya issue was also raised. PM Modi assured India's support to the neighbouring country.

 
&nbsp;

India has assured Bangladesh of its continued support with respect to the repatriation of Rohingya refugees. Both the countries have called for safe and sustainable repatriation of the refugees.

India has assured Bangladesh of its continued support with respect to the repatriation of Rohingya refugees. Both the countries have called for safe and sustainable repatriation of the refugees. Bangladesh's foreign minister Dr AK Abdul Momen is in Delhi on a 4-day visit and took part in the fifth meeting of the India-Bangladesh Joint Consultative Commission. The meeting was co-chaired by India's External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Friday. The joint press release noted, "External Affairs Minister expressed appreciation for the humanitarian gesture of Bangladesh in supporting a large number of displaced persons from the Rakhine region of Myanmar" and "assured the Foreign Minister of India’s continued support for safe, speedy and sustainable return of the displaced persons to Myanmar". Bangladesh's foreign minister conveyed his country's gratitude for the humanitarian assistance provided by India in four tranches since September 2017 to help meet the requirements of the displaced persons from Myanmar. This is the first high-level visit from PM Hasina's government after her electoral victory in December 2018. The release added, the two ministers agreed on the need to "expedite, safe and sustainable repatriation" of the displaced people from the Rakhine state of Myanmar. India has been calling on Myanmar to implement the Rohingya repatriation accord that it signed with Bangladesh. The agreement involves the return of the refugees to Myanmar. India started 'Operation Insaniyat' to help Rohingya refugees in September 2017. In December 2018, India began the 4th tranche of relief assistance to Rohingya refugees camping in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar. Bangladeshi foreign minister Momen had called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday during which the Rohingya issue was also raised. PM Modi assured India's support to the neighbouring country.

India, Bangladesh call for safe and sustainable repatriation of Rohingya refugees

Indonesian police found 193 Bangladeshis locked up in a shophouse after human traffickers had lured them with the promise of getting them to Malaysia, an immigration official said on Thursday.

The men entered Indonesia as tourists via Bali and the city of Yogyakarta with the intention of going to Malaysia for work, North Sumatra's immigration chief said.

"They are victims of human trafficking and were lured here," Fery Monang Sihite said by telephone, adding that the men had been locked up in Medan on the island of Sumatra.

The men, who were described as in a healthy condition when they were found on Tuesday night, had been taken to an immigration detention centre and would be sent back to Bangladesh, Sihite said.

One of the men, named as 39-year old Mahbub, was quoted by online news portal Tribun Medan as saying that some of the group had been held by the traffickers for three months.

"All of us were conned. The destination was meant to be Malaysia. We left from Bangladesh to Bali and arrived here after taking a four-day bus trip," Mahbub was quoted as saying.

Reuters could not immediately reach the men or police for comment.

Authorities were first alerted to the case after neighbours had reported hearing suspicious noises coming from the building, according to media.

Sihite said the men were not Rohingya Muslims.

Hundreds of Rohingya have landed by boat in Sumatra in recent years after fleeing Myanmar and Bangladesh, often intending to reach Malaysia.

Myanmar regards Rohingya as illegal migrants and has confined tens of thousands to sprawling camps in Rakhine state since violence swept the area in 2012.

More than 700,000 Rohingya crossed into Bangladesh after fleeing an army crackdown in the north of Rakhine, according to U.N. agencies.

Indonesian police found 193 Bangladeshis locked up in a shophouse after human traffickers had lured them with the promise of getting them to Malaysia, an immigration official said on Thursday.

Indonesian police found 193 Bangladeshis locked up in a shophouse after human traffickers had lured them with the promise of getting them to Malaysia, an immigration official said on Thursday. The men entered Indonesia as tourists via Bali and the city of Yogyakarta with the intention of going to Malaysia for work, North Sumatra's immigration chief said. "They are victims of human trafficking and were lured here," Fery Monang Sihite said by telephone, adding that the men had been locked up in Medan on the island of Sumatra. The men, who were described as in a healthy condition when they were found on Tuesday night, had been taken to an immigration detention centre and would be sent back to Bangladesh, Sihite said. One of the men, named as 39-year old Mahbub, was quoted by online news portal Tribun Medan as saying that some of the group had been held by the traffickers for three months. "All of us were conned. The destination was meant to be Malaysia. We left from Bangladesh to Bali and arrived here after taking a four-day bus trip," Mahbub was quoted as saying. Reuters could not immediately reach the men or police for comment. Authorities were first alerted to the case after neighbours had reported hearing suspicious noises coming from the building, according to media. Sihite said the men were not Rohingya Muslims. Hundreds of Rohingya have landed by boat in Sumatra in recent years after fleeing Myanmar and Bangladesh, often intending to reach Malaysia. Myanmar regards Rohingya as illegal migrants and has confined tens of thousands to sprawling camps in Rakhine state since violence swept the area in 2012. More than 700,000 Rohingya crossed into Bangladesh after fleeing an army crackdown in the north of Rakhine, according to U.N. agencies.

Indonesia finds 193 Bangladeshis locked up in shophouse

Bangladesh Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen will be in India on a 4-day visit starting Wednesday.

During his visit,&nbsp;Momen is expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Thursday and Friday respectively.

On Friday, Momen will take part in the fifth Joint Consultative Committee Meeting, considered an important part of his visit.

This will be the first high-level visit from Bangladesh to India since Sheikh Hasina's landslide victory in December's Parliamentary elections.

Speaking to local state news agency, Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, ahead of the visit, Momen said, "We want to consult with my counterpart about the early resolution of Rohingya crisis as it may affect regional stability. I am visiting India in my maiden foreign tour to honour our great neighbour, the world's greatest democracy."

Last year in December India began the fourth tranche of relief assistance to Rohingya refugees camping in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar as a part of Operation Insaniyat. India's Operation Insaniyat started in September 2017 to help the refugees who had fled Myanmar and are currently taking shelter in Bangladesh.

During the visit, five memoranda of understandings (MoUs) are expected to be signed. These are MoU between the Anti-corruption Commission (ACC) of Bangladesh and CBI, Bangladesh Television (BTV) and Prasar Bharati, Directorate General of Health Services of Bangladesh and National Medicinal Plants Board, Ministry of Ayush in the field of Medicinal plants and Hiranandani group and Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA) for developing Indian Economic Zone in Mongla, Bangladesh.&nbsp;

Other than this, a MoU between National Centre for Good Governance, Departement of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances, India and Ministry of Public Administration, Bangladesh will be signed on training and capacity building programme for Bangladesh Civil servants.

Modi was the first leader to congratulate PM Hasina after the victory in December elections and reiterated the priority "India attaches to Bangladesh as a neighbour".

Modi met Hasina three times in 2018. First was in London during the Commonwealth summit, second in Nepal during the BIMSTEC summit and third was during her visit to India. She had visited India in 2018 for the inauguration of Bangladesh Bhaban at Santiniketan University in West Bengal along with Modi.

During the visit, Hasina was awarded a Doctor of Literature (D Lit) by Kazi Nazrul University, Asansol.

Bangladesh Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen will be in India on a 4-day visit starting Wednesday. During his visit, Momen is expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Thursday and Friday respectively.

Bangladesh Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen will be in India on a 4-day visit starting Wednesday. During his visit, Momen is expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Thursday and Friday respectively. On Friday, Momen will take part in the fifth Joint Consultative Committee Meeting, considered an important part of his visit. This will be the first high-level visit from Bangladesh to India since Sheikh Hasina's landslide victory in December's Parliamentary elections. Speaking to local state news agency, Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, ahead of the visit, Momen said, "We want to consult with my counterpart about the early resolution of Rohingya crisis as it may affect regional stability. I am visiting India in my maiden foreign tour to honour our great neighbour, the world's greatest democracy." Last year in December India began the fourth tranche of relief assistance to Rohingya refugees camping in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar as a part of Operation Insaniyat. India's Operation Insaniyat started in September 2017 to help the refugees who had fled Myanmar and are currently taking shelter in Bangladesh. During the visit, five memoranda of understandings (MoUs) are expected to be signed. These are MoU between the Anti-corruption Commission (ACC) of Bangladesh and CBI, Bangladesh Television (BTV) and Prasar Bharati, Directorate General of Health Services of Bangladesh and National Medicinal Plants Board, Ministry of Ayush in the field of Medicinal plants and Hiranandani group and Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA) for developing Indian Economic Zone in Mongla, Bangladesh. Other than this, a MoU between National Centre for Good Governance, Departement of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances, India and Ministry of Public Administration, Bangladesh will be signed on training and capacity building programme for Bangladesh Civil servants. Modi was the first leader to congratulate PM Hasina after the victory in December elections and reiterated the priority "India attaches to Bangladesh as a neighbour". Modi met Hasina three times in 2018. First was in London during the Commonwealth summit, second in Nepal during the BIMSTEC summit and third was during her visit to India. She had visited India in 2018 for the inauguration of Bangladesh Bhaban at Santiniketan University in West Bengal along with Modi. During the visit, Hasina was awarded a Doctor of Literature (D Lit) by Kazi Nazrul University, Asansol.

Bangladesh foreign minister's maiden India visit to focus on Rohingya crisis; five MoUs expected to be signed

Bangladesh will seek India's support for an early resolution to the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/rohingya-crisis-bangladesh-seeks-international-support-180899">Rohingya crisis</a> during its Foreign Minister's maiden official visit to New Delhi.

AK Abdul Momen is all set to leave for his three-day visit to India on Wednesday night.

"Among other things, we want to consult with my counterpart about the early resolution of <a href="http://www.wionews.com/opinions/the-rohingya-crisis-what-to-watch-for-in-2019-187973">Rohingya crisis</a> as it may affect regional stability," Momen told Bangladesh`s state news agency Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha.

He was appointed as the Foreign Minister after Sheikh Hasina's Awami League came into power following a landslide victory after the 11th Parliamentary elections held on December 30 last year.

"I am visiting India in my maiden foreign tour to honour our great neighbour, the world’s greatest democracy," he said.

The Foreign Minister highlighted that as many as five memoranda of understanding (MoU) could be signed between the two sides during the visit.

Momen also highlighted that India and Bangladesh now share warm relations.

"We have some other issues as neighbours, everywhere in the world has issues. But by now, we have amicably resolved several of them -- like the major maritime boundary and the land boundary. We expect the others to be solved as well since we now enjoy the warmest-ever relations."

Officials told the national broadcaster that one of the three MoUs is about cooperation between New Delhi and Dhaka about graft investigations, while the other two are regarding TV broadcasting and medicinal plants.

Bangladesh’s Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) and India’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) will sign the first MoU. Bangladesh TV and India`s Prasar Bharti will sign the second one. The health ministries of both nations will sign the third MoU.

Momen will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday. He will attend the fifth India-Bangladesh Joint Consultative Commission (JCC) on Friday. The last JCC meet held during October 2017 in Dhaka was attended by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.

The visiting dignitary is also scheduled to meet former President Pranab Mukherjee on Friday before returning home the next day.

Bangladesh will seek India's support for an early resolution to the Rohingya crisis during its Foreign Minister's maiden official visit to New Delhi. AK Abdul Momen is all set to leave for his three-day visit to India on Wednesday night.

Bangladesh will seek India's support for an early resolution to the Rohingya crisis during its Foreign Minister's maiden official visit to New Delhi. AK Abdul Momen is all set to leave for his three-day visit to India on Wednesday night. "Among other things, we want to consult with my counterpart about the early resolution of Rohingya crisis as it may affect regional stability," Momen told Bangladesh`s state news agency Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha. He was appointed as the Foreign Minister after Sheikh Hasina's Awami League came into power following a landslide victory after the 11th Parliamentary elections held on December 30 last year. "I am visiting India in my maiden foreign tour to honour our great neighbour, the world’s greatest democracy," he said. The Foreign Minister highlighted that as many as five memoranda of understanding (MoU) could be signed between the two sides during the visit. Momen also highlighted that India and Bangladesh now share warm relations. "We have some other issues as neighbours, everywhere in the world has issues. But by now, we have amicably resolved several of them -- like the major maritime boundary and the land boundary. We expect the others to be solved as well since we now enjoy the warmest-ever relations." Officials told the national broadcaster that one of the three MoUs is about cooperation between New Delhi and Dhaka about graft investigations, while the other two are regarding TV broadcasting and medicinal plants. Bangladesh’s Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) and India’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) will sign the first MoU. Bangladesh TV and India`s Prasar Bharti will sign the second one. The health ministries of both nations will sign the third MoU. Momen will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday. He will attend the fifth India-Bangladesh Joint Consultative Commission (JCC) on Friday. The last JCC meet held during October 2017 in Dhaka was attended by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. The visiting dignitary is also scheduled to meet former President Pranab Mukherjee on Friday before returning home the next day.

Rohingya crisis: Bangladesh to seek India's support for early resolution

Bangladesh has protested to Myanmar over a new influx of refugees fleeing troubled Rakhine state after clashes between security forces and an insurgent group, an official said Wednesday.

Bangladesh's foreign ministry summoned Myanmar's ambassador late Tuesday to protest over the arrivals from Rakhine, already notorious following a military clampdown on Muslim Rohingya in August 2017 which sent more than 700,000 people across the border.

The new arrivals are from Rakhine Buddhist and other tribal groups, a senior foreign ministry official told AFP on condition of anonymity, without giving a figure.

"The number is increasing. Some people are already waiting on the border and they may also enter. We have asked them (Myanmar) to take effective and urgent steps so that violence is stopped," the official said.

A Bangladesh border guard official said the refugees had crossed in a remote hill area of Bandarban district in the southeast of the country.

Bangladesh is already struggling to cope with the 740,000 Rohingya Muslims who arrived after August 2017 adding to 300,000 who had fled earlier violence in Rakhine.

Now Rakhine's ethnic majority, who are Buddhist, are in conflict with the army they helped to drive out the Rohingya just 18 months ago.

On January 4 the Arakan Army (AA), a militant group calling for greater autonomy for Rakhine, killed 13 people in raids on police border posts. &nbsp; &nbsp;

The army says 13 militants have been killed in reprisal attacks while the United Nations says at least 5,200 people have been displaced by the violence.

An accurate death toll has been impossible to ascertain because the zone is under a near-blanket lockdown.

The fighting has added a new, complex dimension to the troubles in Rakhine that since 2012 have seen religious and communal riots, the mass exodus of Rohingya and killings across all ethnic lines.

The Bangladesh protest came after Hollywood superstar Angelina Jolie said Tuesday that Myanmar must "show genuine commitment" to end violence that has driven the Rohingya into Bangladesh.

The UN is preparing to launch a new international appeal for nearly one billion dollars to look after the Rohingya.

Bangladesh has protested to Myanmar over a new influx of refugees fleeing troubled Rakhine state after clashes between security forces and an insurgent group, an official said Wednesday.

Bangladesh has protested to Myanmar over a new influx of refugees fleeing troubled Rakhine state after clashes between security forces and an insurgent group, an official said Wednesday. Bangladesh's foreign ministry summoned Myanmar's ambassador late Tuesday to protest over the arrivals from Rakhine, already notorious following a military clampdown on Muslim Rohingya in August 2017 which sent more than 700,000 people across the border. The new arrivals are from Rakhine Buddhist and other tribal groups, a senior foreign ministry official told AFP on condition of anonymity, without giving a figure. "The number is increasing. Some people are already waiting on the border and they may also enter. We have asked them (Myanmar) to take effective and urgent steps so that violence is stopped," the official said. A Bangladesh border guard official said the refugees had crossed in a remote hill area of Bandarban district in the southeast of the country. Bangladesh is already struggling to cope with the 740,000 Rohingya Muslims who arrived after August 2017 adding to 300,000 who had fled earlier violence in Rakhine. Now Rakhine's ethnic majority, who are Buddhist, are in conflict with the army they helped to drive out the Rohingya just 18 months ago. On January 4 the Arakan Army (AA), a militant group calling for greater autonomy for Rakhine, killed 13 people in raids on police border posts. The army says 13 militants have been killed in reprisal attacks while the United Nations says at least 5,200 people have been displaced by the violence. An accurate death toll has been impossible to ascertain because the zone is under a near-blanket lockdown. The fighting has added a new, complex dimension to the troubles in Rakhine that since 2012 have seen religious and communal riots, the mass exodus of Rohingya and killings across all ethnic lines. The Bangladesh protest came after Hollywood superstar Angelina Jolie said Tuesday that Myanmar must "show genuine commitment" to end violence that has driven the Rohingya into Bangladesh. The UN is preparing to launch a new international appeal for nearly one billion dollars to look after the Rohingya.

Bangladesh protests to Myanmar over new arrivals from Rakhine state

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/entertainment/angelina-jolie-visits-rohingya-camp-in-bangladesh-195095">Angelina Jolie said Tuesday</a> that Myanmar must "show genuine commitment" to end violence that has driven hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims into neighbouring Bangladesh.

The superstar envoy for the UN refugee agency made the comments on the second day of emotional meetings with Rohingya, including rape survivors, in Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar district where some 740,000 Rohingya have taken refuge since August 2017.

There were already about 300,000 in camps before the exodus, which has strained Bangladesh's resources to the limit.

The visit came ahead of a new UN appeal to raise nearly one billion dollars for the one million Rohingya now in the camps around the town of Cox's Bazar.&nbsp;

"It was deeply upsetting to meet the families who have only known persecution and statelessness their whole lives, who speak of being 'treated like cattle'," Jolie told reporters.&nbsp;

"The Rohingya families I have met are no different from other refugees in one crucial respect: they want to be able to return home," she said.

The latest wave of refugees arrived after a military clampdown in Myanmar's Rakhine state.

Jolie insisted that the refugees should return home "only when they feel safe enough to do so voluntarily and they know that their rights will be respected."

"I met a woman yesterday, a survivor of rape in Myanmar, and she told me, 'You would have to shoot me where I stand before I go back without my rights'," the 43-year-old said.

"The responsibility to ensure those rights and make it possible for the Rohingya people to return to Rakhine state lies squarely with the government and the authorities in Myanmar," she added.

She called for an end to violence in Rakhine, which UN officials have compared to genocide, and demanded action against the perpetrators.&nbsp;

"I urge the Myanmar authorities to show the genuine commitment needed to end the cycle of violence and displacement and improve the conditions for all communities in Rakhine state," she said.

Jolie has previously met with displaced Rohingya while in Myanmar in July 2015 and in India in 2006.

She will conclude her visit on Wednesday by meeting Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen, and other senior officials in Dhaka, a UN statement said.

The talks will focus on how the UN's refugee agency can help Bangladesh's efforts for the Rohingya and "sustainable solutions" to settle the persecuted minority, the statement added.

Angelina Jolie said Tuesday that Myanmar must "show genuine commitment" to end violence that has driven hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims into neighbouring Bangladesh.

Angelina Jolie said Tuesday that Myanmar must "show genuine commitment" to end violence that has driven hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims into neighbouring Bangladesh. The superstar envoy for the UN refugee agency made the comments on the second day of emotional meetings with Rohingya, including rape survivors, in Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar district where some 740,000 Rohingya have taken refuge since August 2017. There were already about 300,000 in camps before the exodus, which has strained Bangladesh's resources to the limit. The visit came ahead of a new UN appeal to raise nearly one billion dollars for the one million Rohingya now in the camps around the town of Cox's Bazar. "It was deeply upsetting to meet the families who have only known persecution and statelessness their whole lives, who speak of being 'treated like cattle'," Jolie told reporters. "The Rohingya families I have met are no different from other refugees in one crucial respect: they want to be able to return home," she said. The latest wave of refugees arrived after a military clampdown in Myanmar's Rakhine state. Jolie insisted that the refugees should return home "only when they feel safe enough to do so voluntarily and they know that their rights will be respected." "I met a woman yesterday, a survivor of rape in Myanmar, and she told me, 'You would have to shoot me where I stand before I go back without my rights'," the 43-year-old said. "The responsibility to ensure those rights and make it possible for the Rohingya people to return to Rakhine state lies squarely with the government and the authorities in Myanmar," she added. She called for an end to violence in Rakhine, which UN officials have compared to genocide, and demanded action against the perpetrators. "I urge the Myanmar authorities to show the genuine commitment needed to end the cycle of violence and displacement and improve the conditions for all communities in Rakhine state," she said. Jolie has previously met with displaced Rohingya while in Myanmar in July 2015 and in India in 2006. She will conclude her visit on Wednesday by meeting Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen, and other senior officials in Dhaka, a UN statement said. The talks will focus on how the UN's refugee agency can help Bangladesh's efforts for the Rohingya and "sustainable solutions" to settle the persecuted minority, the statement added.

Angelina Jolie demands 'genuine commitment' from Myanmar to ending anti-Rohingya violence

A Rohingya Muslim group of eight women and 17 children, who were arrested after being stuck at the India-Bangladesh border last month, was on Monday released from jail following the deposit of bail bonds by Rohingya Refugee Community.

Judicial Magistrate (First Class), S L Tripura Monday ordered for releasing them from jail after the bail bonds of Rs 5,000 for each of them were deposited.

The Magistrate also granted bails for six Rohingya men, also of the same stranded group, during the day on condition that Rs 30,000 is to be deposited per person.

Advocate Prasenjit Debnath, who moved the bail petition for the Rohingyas men, said if the bail bonds are deposited on February 8, when they would be produced in the court again, they would be freed.

Meanwhile, Md Shaqir, a member of Rohingya Refugee Community, who came from Delhi for depositing the bail bonds, told reporters that he would talk to his community for gathering the money for bail bonds for the six men, who were again taken to jail as bail bonds could not be deposited.

The BSF on January 22 handed over the 31 Rohingya Muslims, who were stranded on the India-Bangladesh border since January 18, to the Tripura police, after the paramilitary force and its counterpart, the BGB, failed to reach a decision during talks on the issue, officials said.&nbsp;

A Rohingya Muslim group of eight women and 17 children, who were arrested after being stuck at the India-Bangladesh border last month, was on Monday released from jail following the deposit of bail bonds by Rohingya Refugee Community.

A Rohingya Muslim group of eight women and 17 children, who were arrested after being stuck at the India-Bangladesh border last month, was on Monday released from jail following the deposit of bail bonds by Rohingya Refugee Community. Judicial Magistrate (First Class), S L Tripura Monday ordered for releasing them from jail after the bail bonds of Rs 5,000 for each of them were deposited. The Magistrate also granted bails for six Rohingya men, also of the same stranded group, during the day on condition that Rs 30,000 is to be deposited per person. Advocate Prasenjit Debnath, who moved the bail petition for the Rohingyas men, said if the bail bonds are deposited on February 8, when they would be produced in the court again, they would be freed. Meanwhile, Md Shaqir, a member of Rohingya Refugee Community, who came from Delhi for depositing the bail bonds, told reporters that he would talk to his community for gathering the money for bail bonds for the six men, who were again taken to jail as bail bonds could not be deposited. The BSF on January 22 handed over the 31 Rohingya Muslims, who were stranded on the India-Bangladesh border since January 18, to the Tripura police, after the paramilitary force and its counterpart, the BGB, failed to reach a decision during talks on the issue, officials said.

Rohingya row at India-Bangladesh border: 8 women, 17 children released from jail

Hollywood superstar Angelina Jolie visited a Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh on Monday ahead of a new UN appeal for nearly one billion dollars to look after the refugee influx.

After arriving in the South Asian nation, Jolie, a special envoy of the UN Refugee agency UNHCR, went straight to a camp in Teknaf near the Myanmar border to talk to some of the 720,000 Muslims who fled a military clampdown in the neighbouring state in August 2017.

The 43-year-old made no immediate public comment, but Cox's Bazar district deputy police chief Ikbal Hossain told AFP that Jolie will be visiting more camps on Tuesday.

Jolie is in Bangladesh to assess the humanitarian needs of the one million Rohingya in camps around the town of Cox's Bazar.

She has previously met with displaced Rohingya while in Myanmar in July 2015 and in India in 2006.

Bangladesh has been reeling since more than 730,000 Rohingya arrived from Myanmar after August 2017. More than 620,000 of the Muslims live in the Kutupalong camp, the world's largest refugee settlement.

There were already about 300,000 in the camps before the exodus which has strained Bangladesh's resources to the limit.

Jolie will conclude her visit by meeting Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen, and other senior officials in Dhaka, a UNHCR statement said.

The talks will focus on how the UNHCR can help Bangladesh's efforts for the Rohingya and the need for "sustainable solutions" to settle the persecuted minority, the statement added.

The UN is to soon launch a new international appeal for $920 million to meet the needs of Rohingya refugees and the communities hosting them, the refugee agency said.

Hollywood superstar Angelina Jolie visited a Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh on Monday ahead of a new UN appeal for nearly one billion dollars to look after the refugee influx.

Hollywood superstar Angelina Jolie visited a Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh on Monday ahead of a new UN appeal for nearly one billion dollars to look after the refugee influx. After arriving in the South Asian nation, Jolie, a special envoy of the UN Refugee agency UNHCR, went straight to a camp in Teknaf near the Myanmar border to talk to some of the 720,000 Muslims who fled a military clampdown in the neighbouring state in August 2017. The 43-year-old made no immediate public comment, but Cox's Bazar district deputy police chief Ikbal Hossain told AFP that Jolie will be visiting more camps on Tuesday. Jolie is in Bangladesh to assess the humanitarian needs of the one million Rohingya in camps around the town of Cox's Bazar. She has previously met with displaced Rohingya while in Myanmar in July 2015 and in India in 2006. Bangladesh has been reeling since more than 730,000 Rohingya arrived from Myanmar after August 2017. More than 620,000 of the Muslims live in the Kutupalong camp, the world's largest refugee settlement. There were already about 300,000 in the camps before the exodus which has strained Bangladesh's resources to the limit. Jolie will conclude her visit by meeting Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen, and other senior officials in Dhaka, a UNHCR statement said. The talks will focus on how the UNHCR can help Bangladesh's efforts for the Rohingya and the need for "sustainable solutions" to settle the persecuted minority, the statement added. The UN is to soon launch a new international appeal for $920 million to meet the needs of Rohingya refugees and the communities hosting them, the refugee agency said.

Angelina Jolie visits Rohingya camp in Bangladesh

The <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/2013-bodh-gaya-blasts-patna-court-finds-all-5-accused-guilty-139635">Bodh Gaya blast in 2018 </a>was carried out in retaliation of alleged atrocities against the<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/un-expert-urges-caution-on-bangladeshs-rohingya-island-relocation-plan-192852"> Rohingyas in Myanmar</a> and to overawe the Indian government by the terrorist act, according to a supplementary charge sheet filed on Monday in a Patna court by the NIA.

It said Bangladesh-based terrorist group Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen was responsible for hatching the conspiracy to attack <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/bodh-gaya-blasts-man-arrested-for-helping-procure-explosive-143687">Bodh Gaya temple</a> and other symbols of Buddhist faith.

In the charge sheet, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) named six people behind carrying out the attack.

Also read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/unicef-boss-urges-myanmar-to-enact-kofi-annans-recommendations-on-rohingya-crisis-193481">UNICEF chief urges Myanmar to enact Kofi Annan's recommendations on Rohingya crisis</a>

One of them is Bangladesh resident Md Jahidul Islam, and the other five are Md Adil Sheikh, Dilwar Hossain, Abdul Karim, Mustafizur Rahman and Arif Hussain from West Bengal, according to a statement issued Monday.

The NIA said the investigation has revealed that Md Jahidul Islam alias Kausar along with the other accused formed a terrorist gang and hatched a conspiracy to plant IEDs in the Bodh Gaya temple complex and other symbols of Buddhist faith.

"The motive was to attack symbols of Buddhism in retaliation to the alleged atrocities committed on the Rohingyas in Myanmar and to overawe the government of India by the terrorist act," it said.

Investigations also revealed that the accused Ahmed Ali, Nur Alam, Paigambar Sheikh, Adil Sheikh, Dilwar Hossain, Abdul Karim, Kausar and Mustafizur Rehman travelled to different places in south India, including Hyderabad and Chennai, where the conspiracy to target Bodh Gaya and other Buddhist places of worship was hatched, the NIA said.

"In furtherance of the conspiracy, the accused persons contacted and assembled at various places, took hideouts at Jehanabad and Masaurhi, recceed Bodh Gaya temple complex, procured the explosives and other materials for fabrication of the IEDs," it said.

According to the statement, Jahidul Islam fabricated three improvised explosive device (IED) and two hand grenades.

CCTV footage of the Bodh Gaya temple complex along with evidences collected during the probe established that Adil Sheikh, Dilwar Hossain and Arif Hussain planted the IEDs in and around the premises of the Mahabodhi temple complex in Bodh Gaya on January 19, 2018, to cause loss of life and property during the auspicious

presence of Dalai Lama and also during the visit of the Governor of Bihar and thus committed a terrorist act, it said.

Dilwar Hossain also put one of the IEDs (hand grenades) in the cistern of a public toilet near Kalachakra maidan which was later recovered, the NIA said.

The investigation also established that the accused used fake and assumed names for travel and for renting hideouts, and used protected text for communication to conceal their real identities. The designs of the conspiracy to wage war against the government, it said.

The probe agency said that investigation also brought out that Jahidul Islam is a Bangladeshi fugitive who was staying in India without any legal documents and used different fake IDs.&nbsp;

It has been revealed that after committing the act of terror, the accused escaped and were hiding in various locations in and around Bengaluru and other places.

"The accused persons also committed a number of dacoities in and around Bengaluru in order to raise funds for their criminal activities. Accused Arif Hussain is still absconding and investigation against him continues," the NIA said.

A charge sheet was filed earlier against three accused Paigambar Sheikh, Ahmad Ali and Nur Alam in the NIA special court, Patna, on September 27, 2018.&nbsp;

The Bodh Gaya blast in 2018 was carried out in retaliation of alleged atrocities against the Rohingyas in Myanmar and to overawe the Indian government by the terrorist act, according to a supplementary charge sheet filed on Monday in a Patna court by the NIA.

The Bodh Gaya blast in 2018 was carried out in retaliation of alleged atrocities against the Rohingyas in Myanmar and to overawe the Indian government by the terrorist act, according to a supplementary charge sheet filed on Monday in a Patna court by the NIA. It said Bangladesh-based terrorist group Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen was responsible for hatching the conspiracy to attack Bodh Gaya temple and other symbols of Buddhist faith. In the charge sheet, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) named six people behind carrying out the attack. Also read: UNICEF chief urges Myanmar to enact Kofi Annan's recommendations on Rohingya crisis One of them is Bangladesh resident Md Jahidul Islam, and the other five are Md Adil Sheikh, Dilwar Hossain, Abdul Karim, Mustafizur Rahman and Arif Hussain from West Bengal, according to a statement issued Monday. The NIA said the investigation has revealed that Md Jahidul Islam alias Kausar along with the other accused formed a terrorist gang and hatched a conspiracy to plant IEDs in the Bodh Gaya temple complex and other symbols of Buddhist faith. "The motive was to attack symbols of Buddhism in retaliation to the alleged atrocities committed on the Rohingyas in Myanmar and to overawe the government of India by the terrorist act," it said. Investigations also revealed that the accused Ahmed Ali, Nur Alam, Paigambar Sheikh, Adil Sheikh, Dilwar Hossain, Abdul Karim, Kausar and Mustafizur Rehman travelled to different places in south India, including Hyderabad and Chennai, where the conspiracy to target Bodh Gaya and other Buddhist places of worship was hatched, the NIA said. "In furtherance of the conspiracy, the accused persons contacted and assembled at various places, took hideouts at Jehanabad and Masaurhi, recceed Bodh Gaya temple complex, procured the explosives and other materials for fabrication of the IEDs," it said. According to the statement, Jahidul Islam fabricated three improvised explosive device (IED) and two hand grenades. CCTV footage of the Bodh Gaya temple complex along with evidences collected during the probe established that Adil Sheikh, Dilwar Hossain and Arif Hussain planted the IEDs in and around the premises of the Mahabodhi temple complex in Bodh Gaya on January 19, 2018, to cause loss of life and property during the auspicious presence of Dalai Lama and also during the visit of the Governor of Bihar and thus committed a terrorist act, it said. Dilwar Hossain also put one of the IEDs (hand grenades) in the cistern of a public toilet near Kalachakra maidan which was later recovered, the NIA said. The investigation also established that the accused used fake and assumed names for travel and for renting hideouts, and used protected text for communication to conceal their real identities. The designs of the conspiracy to wage war against the government, it said. The probe agency said that investigation also brought out that Jahidul Islam is a Bangladeshi fugitive who was staying in India without any legal documents and used different fake IDs. It has been revealed that after committing the act of terror, the accused escaped and were hiding in various locations in and around Bengaluru and other places. "The accused persons also committed a number of dacoities in and around Bengaluru in order to raise funds for their criminal activities. Accused Arif Hussain is still absconding and investigation against him continues," the NIA said. A charge sheet was filed earlier against three accused Paigambar Sheikh, Ahmad Ali and Nur Alam in the NIA special court, Patna, on September 27, 2018.

Bodh Gaya blast in retaliation to alleged atrocities against Rohingyas in Myanmar: NIA to court

Bangladesh must not "rush to relocate refugees" from the Rohingya Muslim minority, a top UN rights official said Friday, amid plans to move the community to an island vulnerable to extreme monsoon weather.

Some 750,000 Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar escaped a bloody military crackdown in northern Rakhine state since August 2017 and joined some 300,000 refugees living in the already overcrowded Bangladesh camps.

Dhaka has spent some $280 million transforming Bhashan Char, a muddy silt islet that only emerged from the Bay of Bengal nearly two decades ago, into a camp for some of the refugees.

But the island, in a coastal region where extreme weather has killed hundreds of thousands of people in recent decades, is one hour by boat from the nearest land and over a stretch of sea prone to violent storms.

Yanghee Lee, a UN Special Rapporteur of human rights, visited the island on Thursday and urged Bangladesh to observe "caution and patience" before proceeding with any relocation plan.

"There should be no rush to relocate refugees, such as before the monsoon season which is one of the possibilities that has been outlined to me," she told reporters on Friday.

"It is imperative that any measures to relocate the refugees enhance their enjoyment of rights and do not create a new crisis," she added.

Lee also advised Dhaka to share feasibility studies and allow the UN to carry out a "full technical and humanitarian assessment, including a security assessment, before making any further plans for the housing of people on the island".

"The island's isolation does particularly trouble me, especially in the event of cyclones or other natural disasters," she added.

Lee did not provide further details about the island, which is still strictly off limits to the public and the media.

Plans for the island camp were first floated in 2015 and Bangladesh had previously wanted to start relocating refugees to the island last June before the monsoon season began.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was then slated to open the new settlement, built to house 100,000 refugees, last October, but the inauguration was postponed.

A senior disaster management official told AFP in September that nearly three-quarters of the project was complete, with the navy fast-tracking construction of shelters and evacuation centres.

Local officials have pointed to a newly-constructed three-metre (nine-feet) embankment around the island that they say will keep out tidal surges in the event of a cyclone.

Lee, who also visited Rohingya camps in Cox's Bazar, said the refugees "cannot return to Myanmar in the near future".

"I encourage the government to begin to engage in longer-term planning and prepare the local population for this reality," she said.

Bangladesh must not "rush to relocate refugees" from the Rohingya Muslim minority, a top UN rights official said Friday, amid plans to move the community to an island vulnerable to extreme monsoon weather.

Bangladesh must not "rush to relocate refugees" from the Rohingya Muslim minority, a top UN rights official said Friday, amid plans to move the community to an island vulnerable to extreme monsoon weather. Some 750,000 Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar escaped a bloody military crackdown in northern Rakhine state since August 2017 and joined some 300,000 refugees living in the already overcrowded Bangladesh camps. Dhaka has spent some $280 million transforming Bhashan Char, a muddy silt islet that only emerged from the Bay of Bengal nearly two decades ago, into a camp for some of the refugees. But the island, in a coastal region where extreme weather has killed hundreds of thousands of people in recent decades, is one hour by boat from the nearest land and over a stretch of sea prone to violent storms. Yanghee Lee, a UN Special Rapporteur of human rights, visited the island on Thursday and urged Bangladesh to observe "caution and patience" before proceeding with any relocation plan. "There should be no rush to relocate refugees, such as before the monsoon season which is one of the possibilities that has been outlined to me," she told reporters on Friday. "It is imperative that any measures to relocate the refugees enhance their enjoyment of rights and do not create a new crisis," she added. Lee also advised Dhaka to share feasibility studies and allow the UN to carry out a "full technical and humanitarian assessment, including a security assessment, before making any further plans for the housing of people on the island". "The island's isolation does particularly trouble me, especially in the event of cyclones or other natural disasters," she added. Lee did not provide further details about the island, which is still strictly off limits to the public and the media. Plans for the island camp were first floated in 2015 and Bangladesh had previously wanted to start relocating refugees to the island last June before the monsoon season began. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was then slated to open the new settlement, built to house 100,000 refugees, last October, but the inauguration was postponed. A senior disaster management official told AFP in September that nearly three-quarters of the project was complete, with the navy fast-tracking construction of shelters and evacuation centres. Local officials have pointed to a newly-constructed three-metre (nine-feet) embankment around the island that they say will keep out tidal surges in the event of a cyclone. Lee, who also visited Rohingya camps in Cox's Bazar, said the refugees "cannot return to Myanmar in the near future". "I encourage the government to begin to engage in longer-term planning and prepare the local population for this reality," she said.

UN expert urges caution on Bangladesh's Rohingya island 'relocation' plan

India's Border security force arrests 31 Rohingya

At least 30 Rohingyas were apprehended by Assam police from a Guwahati-bound bus in Churaibari village near Tripura border.

The group, consisting of male, female and children, were apprehended on Monday while they were moving towards Guwahati on a bus from Agartala.

One of the arrested Rohingya claimed that they had come from Jammu to Agartala via Delhi and Guwahati in search of work but even after staying in a hotel for three days, they did not get any work in Agartala.

Hence, they were returning to Guwahati to find some job there. The arrested Rohingya also informed that a West Bengal-based man named Raju had brought them there.

However, police have found UN cards from some of them but are checking the authenticity of the cards.

Meantime, <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/rohingya-muslim-group-fleeing-india-to-bangladesh-stuck-on-zero-line-191773">31 Rohingyas including 16 children</a> and nine female are spending chill winter nights in the open sky for the fourth consecutive day at Rayermura under Amtali police station in the outskirts of Tripura capital Agartala.

They are stranded between the Indian barbed wire border fencing and the border pillars demarcating India and Bangladesh as reportedly border guards of both the nations are alleging each other for pushing them to the other nation's territory.

While the Border Security Force (BSF) has alleged that the Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) tried to push them to Indian Territory on the contrary BGB alleges the opposite.

At least 30 Rohingyas were apprehended by Assam police from a Guwahati-bound bus in Churaibari village near Tripura border. The group, consisting of male, female and children, were apprehended on Monday while they were moving towards Guwahati on a bus from Agartala.

At least 30 Rohingyas were apprehended by Assam police from a Guwahati-bound bus in Churaibari village near Tripura border. The group, consisting of male, female and children, were apprehended on Monday while they were moving towards Guwahati on a bus from Agartala. One of the arrested Rohingya claimed that they had come from Jammu to Agartala via Delhi and Guwahati in search of work but even after staying in a hotel for three days, they did not get any work in Agartala. Hence, they were returning to Guwahati to find some job there. The arrested Rohingya also informed that a West Bengal-based man named Raju had brought them there. However, police have found UN cards from some of them but are checking the authenticity of the cards. Meantime, 31 Rohingyas including 16 children and nine female are spending chill winter nights in the open sky for the fourth consecutive day at Rayermura under Amtali police station in the outskirts of Tripura capital Agartala. They are stranded between the Indian barbed wire border fencing and the border pillars demarcating India and Bangladesh as reportedly border guards of both the nations are alleging each other for pushing them to the other nation's territory. While the Border Security Force (BSF) has alleged that the Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) tried to push them to Indian Territory on the contrary BGB alleges the opposite.

Assam Police apprehend 30 more Rohingyas near Tripura border

Bangladesh has denied entry to 31 <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/rohingya-insurgents-attack-police-in-western-myanmar-wounding-six-state-tv-191526&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=0ahUKEwjQ_rDw0_7fAhUS148KHVMvC14QFggFMAA&amp;client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;usg=AOvVaw2RCHQFjfdN3gmu8TkpKrWA">Rohingya Muslims</a> trying to enter from India and they are stuck in no man's land on the border, Bangladesh authorities said on Monday, as India cracks down on members of the community.

The stranded Rohingya, including women and children, had been living in the Indian state of <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.wionews.com/india-news/encounter-underway-in-jammu-and-kashmirs-budgam-district-191710&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=0ahUKEwjX0rqI1P7fAhWTiXAKHebqBtIQFggFMAA&amp;client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;usg=AOvVaw0Skug--IXG_8mHmvL6efxK">Jammu and Kashmir</a>, according to a Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) official who said he had seen some of their identity cards issued by the UN refugee agency in India.

The 31 had been stuck on Bangladesh's border with northeast India since Friday, said the BGB commander in the area, Golam Kabir.

"We stopped them as they were crossing the border," Kabir told Reuters by telephone.

"They've been on the zero lines since the 18th of this month," he said, referring to the border. Two rounds of talks on what to do with the 31, with India's Border Security Force on Sunday, had "ended without any conclusive decision", Kabir said.

Many hundreds of thousands of members of mostly Buddhist Myanmar's Rohingya community have left their homes in Myanmar's Rakhine State over the decades, most fleeing military crackdowns and discrimination.

Many have sought shelter in Bangladesh - where nearly 1 million live - but others have ended up in India, Southeast Asia and beyond.

An Indian border force officer in Tripura state told reporters on Sunday that they were providing food and clothing to the Rohingya, 16 of whom were children.

The force could not be reached for comment on Monday.

India estimates that 40,000 Rohingya are living in scattered settlements in various parts of the country.

But its&nbsp;government regards them as illegal aliens and a security threat and has ordered that they are identified and repatriated.

The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, has issued about 16,500 Rohingya in India with identity cards that it says can help "prevent harassment, arbitrary arrests, detention, and deportation". India does not recognise the cards.

Hundreds of Rohingya families have left India for Bangladesh since seven Rohingya men were deported to Myanmar in October. This month, India sent a Rohingya family of five to Myanmar.

The United Nations says conditions are not conducive for Rohingya to return to Myanmar.

In August, the United Nations accused the Myanmar military of mass killings and rapes of Rohingya with "genocidal intent" in a 2017 military operation that drove more than 700,000 of them into Bangladesh, according to UN agencies.

Myanmar has denied the accusations, saying its military launched a counter-insurgency operation after attacks on security posts by Muslim terrorists.

Bangladesh has denied entry to 31 Rohingya Muslims trying to enter from India and they are stuck in no man's land on the border, Bangladesh authorities said on Monday, as India cracks down on members of the community.

Bangladesh has denied entry to 31 Rohingya Muslims trying to enter from India and they are stuck in no man's land on the border, Bangladesh authorities said on Monday, as India cracks down on members of the community. The stranded Rohingya, including women and children, had been living in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, according to a Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) official who said he had seen some of their identity cards issued by the UN refugee agency in India. The 31 had been stuck on Bangladesh's border with northeast India since Friday, said the BGB commander in the area, Golam Kabir. "We stopped them as they were crossing the border," Kabir told Reuters by telephone. "They've been on the zero lines since the 18th of this month," he said, referring to the border. Two rounds of talks on what to do with the 31, with India's Border Security Force on Sunday, had "ended without any conclusive decision", Kabir said. Many hundreds of thousands of members of mostly Buddhist Myanmar's Rohingya community have left their homes in Myanmar's Rakhine State over the decades, most fleeing military crackdowns and discrimination. Many have sought shelter in Bangladesh - where nearly 1 million live - but others have ended up in India, Southeast Asia and beyond. An Indian border force officer in Tripura state told reporters on Sunday that they were providing food and clothing to the Rohingya, 16 of whom were children. The force could not be reached for comment on Monday. India estimates that 40,000 Rohingya are living in scattered settlements in various parts of the country. But its government regards them as illegal aliens and a security threat and has ordered that they are identified and repatriated. The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, has issued about 16,500 Rohingya in India with identity cards that it says can help "prevent harassment, arbitrary arrests, detention, and deportation". India does not recognise the cards. Hundreds of Rohingya families have left India for Bangladesh since seven Rohingya men were deported to Myanmar in October. This month, India sent a Rohingya family of five to Myanmar. The United Nations says conditions are not conducive for Rohingya to return to Myanmar. In August, the United Nations accused the Myanmar military of mass killings and rapes of Rohingya with "genocidal intent" in a 2017 military operation that drove more than 700,000 of them into Bangladesh, according to UN agencies. Myanmar has denied the accusations, saying its military launched a counter-insurgency operation after attacks on security posts by Muslim terrorists.

Bangladesh denies entry to 31 Rohingyas trying to flee India

Six Myanmar border guard police have been wounded in <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/new-myanmar-unrest-panics-rohingya-in-border-limbo-189193">an attack by Rohingya Muslim insurgents</a> in Rakhine state, government media reported on Saturday, amid fears of escalating violence in the region.

About 10 armed attackers from the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) ambushed a border guard post near Wet Kyein village in Maungdaw township in the north of the state on Wednesday, according to the government-controlled Myanmar TV network.

A government spokesman could not be reached for comment.

Rakhine has been roiled by violence for weeks since fighting broke out between security forces and another armed group, the Arakan Army (AA).

The AA, which pre-dates ARSA, is a rebel group dominated by ethnic Rakhine Buddhists that has been fighting for autonomy for the western state for around a decade.

ARSA, which emerged with attacks on border posts in 2016, is focused on winning rights for Rohingya, the mostly stateless Muslim minority long persecuted in Myanmar.

Some 5,000 civilians have been forced to flee their homes in the recent violence, according to the United Nations.

A crackdown on the Rohingya Muslim minority in Buddhist-majority Rakhine in 2017 triggered an exodus of about 730,000 Rohingya refugees to neighbouring Bangladesh.

The United Nations and Western governments denounced the military operations as ethnic cleansing. Myanmar has said it was conducting a legitimate offensive against insurgents.

Earlier reports had attributed an attack on Wednesday in the same area to the AA, but an official with the Maungdaw border guard police said ARSA, which had previously attacked the security forces, was responsible.

"At first, it was a preliminary investigation, but now it is sure," Police Lieutenant-Colonel Tin Han Lin told Reuters.

On Friday, Yanghee Lee, UN special rapporteur for human rights in Myanmar, voiced alarm at the "escalating violence" in Rakhine, and urged both sides to show restraint and protect civilians.

Rakhine has been roiled by violence for weeks since fighting broke out between security forces and another armed group, the Arakan Army (AA).

Six Myanmar border guard police have been wounded in an attack by Rohingya Muslim insurgents in Rakhine state, government media reported on Saturday, amid fears of escalating violence in the region. About 10 armed attackers from the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) ambushed a border guard post near Wet Kyein village in Maungdaw township in the north of the state on Wednesday, according to the government-controlled Myanmar TV network. A government spokesman could not be reached for comment. Rakhine has been roiled by violence for weeks since fighting broke out between security forces and another armed group, the Arakan Army (AA). The AA, which pre-dates ARSA, is a rebel group dominated by ethnic Rakhine Buddhists that has been fighting for autonomy for the western state for around a decade. ARSA, which emerged with attacks on border posts in 2016, is focused on winning rights for Rohingya, the mostly stateless Muslim minority long persecuted in Myanmar. Some 5,000 civilians have been forced to flee their homes in the recent violence, according to the United Nations. A crackdown on the Rohingya Muslim minority in Buddhist-majority Rakhine in 2017 triggered an exodus of about 730,000 Rohingya refugees to neighbouring Bangladesh. The United Nations and Western governments denounced the military operations as ethnic cleansing. Myanmar has said it was conducting a legitimate offensive against insurgents. Earlier reports had attributed an attack on Wednesday in the same area to the AA, but an official with the Maungdaw border guard police said ARSA, which had previously attacked the security forces, was responsible. "At first, it was a preliminary investigation, but now it is sure," Police Lieutenant-Colonel Tin Han Lin told Reuters. On Friday, Yanghee Lee, UN special rapporteur for human rights in Myanmar, voiced alarm at the "escalating violence" in Rakhine, and urged both sides to show restraint and protect civilians.

Rohingya insurgents attack police in western Myanmar, six wounded

Myanmar's army said Friday it killed 13 ethnic Rakhine fighters in counterstrikes after the well-armed group carried out deadly attacks on police posts earlier this month.

Rakhine state has seen new levels of violence in recent weeks between the Arakan Army (AA) -- insurgents fighting for greater autonomy for ethnic Rakhine Buddhists -- and security forces.

Many of the battles are taking place in the same region from which more than 720,000 Rohingya Muslims fled to Bangladesh after August 2017 when the army launched a crackdown the UN deemed ethnic cleansing.

The AA are a more formidable force than the fighters claiming to represent the Rohingya and have inflicted historically higher death tolls on the military.

On January 4, also Myanmar's independence day, the AA launched pre-dawn raids that killed 13 police officers and wounded nine before the army stepped in, setting off violence that has displaced thousands.

But the army hit back, killing the same number of AA rebels in total in operations from January 5-16.

"We got 13 dead bodies of enemies and seized three weapons," Major General Tun Tun Nyi said in a rare press conference in the capital Naypyidaw.

"Some officers and soldiers from our side were killed," he added, without releasing the figures.

Myanmar's military almost never provides statistics on casualties suffered in fighting against the country's myriad ethnic armed groups.

The army called a temporary ceasefire against different insurgents in northern Myanmar last month but Rakhine state was excluded from the move because of the AA and the Rohingya militant group, which is called the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA).

The troubled state is a complex patchwork of Rakhine, Rohingya, and other ethnic minorities that intercommunal violence has largely driven apart.

Most of the Rohingya in the northern part of the state have been pushed into Bangladesh, where they refuse to return to Myanmar without guarantees of safety and citizenship.

The United Nations has called for Myanmar's top generals to be investigated for genocide as a result of the operations but they reject the accusation.

The fighting with AA rebels complicates an already fraught repatriation process for the Rohingya.

Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun blamed the AA insurgents for the police post attacks earlier this month and accused them of "stabbing from the back".&nbsp;

Myanmar's army said Friday it killed 13 ethnic Rakhine fighters in counterstrikes after the well-armed group carried out deadly attacks on police posts earlier this month.

Myanmar's army said Friday it killed 13 ethnic Rakhine fighters in counterstrikes after the well-armed group carried out deadly attacks on police posts earlier this month. Rakhine state has seen new levels of violence in recent weeks between the Arakan Army (AA) -- insurgents fighting for greater autonomy for ethnic Rakhine Buddhists -- and security forces. Many of the battles are taking place in the same region from which more than 720,000 Rohingya Muslims fled to Bangladesh after August 2017 when the army launched a crackdown the UN deemed ethnic cleansing. The AA are a more formidable force than the fighters claiming to represent the Rohingya and have inflicted historically higher death tolls on the military. On January 4, also Myanmar's independence day, the AA launched pre-dawn raids that killed 13 police officers and wounded nine before the army stepped in, setting off violence that has displaced thousands. But the army hit back, killing the same number of AA rebels in total in operations from January 5-16. "We got 13 dead bodies of enemies and seized three weapons," Major General Tun Tun Nyi said in a rare press conference in the capital Naypyidaw. "Some officers and soldiers from our side were killed," he added, without releasing the figures. Myanmar's military almost never provides statistics on casualties suffered in fighting against the country's myriad ethnic armed groups. The army called a temporary ceasefire against different insurgents in northern Myanmar last month but Rakhine state was excluded from the move because of the AA and the Rohingya militant group, which is called the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA). The troubled state is a complex patchwork of Rakhine, Rohingya, and other ethnic minorities that intercommunal violence has largely driven apart. Most of the Rohingya in the northern part of the state have been pushed into Bangladesh, where they refuse to return to Myanmar without guarantees of safety and citizenship. The United Nations has called for Myanmar's top generals to be investigated for genocide as a result of the operations but they reject the accusation. The fighting with AA rebels complicates an already fraught repatriation process for the Rohingya. Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun blamed the AA insurgents for the police post attacks earlier this month and accused them of "stabbing from the back".

Myanmar army 'kills 13' in counterattacks on Rakhine rebels

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/new-myanmar-unrest-panics-rohingya-in-border-limbo-189193">Myanmar</a>'s government says it has ordered the military to "crush" rebels in the western state of Rakhine, following raids by insurgents that killed 13 police officers earlier this month.

The United Nations says fighting between the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/opinions/the-rohingya-crisis-what-to-watch-for-in-2019-187973">Myanmar military and Arakan Army</a>, which recruits from among the mainly Buddhist Rakhine ethnic group, has forced about 5,000 people from their homes in the state in the past month.

The latest violence underscores the complexity of the ethnic divisions that have long scarred Rakhine. In 2017 attacks on security posts in the north of the state by insurgents from the Muslim Rohingya minority provoked a military crackdown that sent more than 730,000 fleeing to neighbouring Bangladesh, according to UN agencies, and sparked the biggest crisis of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi`s young administration.

Aid workers say military aircraft and trucks have been seen arriving in Rakhine since early January - raising fears conflict could intensify once again in the state.

The group`s rise threatens to further undermine Suu Kyi`s hopes of securing peace across Myanmar, but who are the fighters of the Arakan Army, and what do they want?

JADE MINES TO SNIPER RIFLES&nbsp;

The Arakan Army says it formed nearly a decade ago to fight for self-determination for Rakhine, which it says has been exploited by a remote central government.

Many early recruits were ethnic Rakhine Buddhists who had travelled to northern Myanmar to make their fortune toiling in the jade mines there.

They gathered and trained in territory along Myanmar`s border with China that is held by the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), one of the largest ethnic armed groups still fighting the Myanmar military. Arakan Army fighters have fought the military alongside the KIA as part of a "northern alliance" in northern Shan state since late 2016.

Arakan Army forces have also moved into the rugged western borderlands with India and Bangladesh, where they are believed to number about 3,000. 
In parallel, the group has launched a propaganda push aimed at inspiring an uprising across Rakhine in 2020.

Slick online videos show young men and women insurgents marching, wrestling and firing modern assault weapons and sniper rifles. They often feature the group`s charismatic chief, Twan Mrat Naing, who wears thick-rimmed glasses and a military beret.&nbsp;

ETHNIC GRIEVANCES

The Arakan Army in its propaganda largely steers clear of the communal conflict between Buddhists and Muslims that has riven Rakhine in recent years.&nbsp;

Instead, the group has found fertile ground appealing to a sense of economic and historical injustice directed at the Myanmar state and its Bamar ethnic majority.

Though rich in oil and other natural resources and a focus of China`s Belt and Road Initiative investment drive, Rakhine remains one of Myanmar`s poorest states.

Only 17 per cent of households in the state have access to safe drinking water year-round, far below the proportion elsewhere in Myanmar, according to a 2017 World Bank survey. Nearly 300,000 households there do not have a toilet, it found.

The coastal area now known as Rakhine was historically an independent kingdom, Arakan, until a Burmese invasion in the 18th century. A demonstration in January last year to mark the anniversary of the Arakan kingdom`s overthrow ended in bloodshed when police opened fire on protesters.&nbsp;

The figurehead of the state`s most popular political party, the Arakan National Party (ANP) was arrested soon after with another activist and charged with high treason. They remain on trial. Many ethnic Rakhines resent that Suu Kyi`s National League for Democracy installed its own chief minister in the state after taking power in 2016, despite the ANP winning most seats in the state at elections in 2015.

INSURGENT INFILTRATION

After only sporadic encounters with the military in recent years, the Arakan Army has reported at least two dozen clashes with security forces in the last few months. It says it is responding to military aggression in Rakhine that has also targeted civilians.

"Rakhine state must have its own army," Arakan Army chief Twan Mrat Naing told local news site the Irrawaddy this week. "Having an armed group means the survival of the Rakhine ethnicity."

The government describes the group as a terrorist organisation and says it could destabilise the state for years to come.

Analysts say the Arakan Army, which has trained with Kachin rebels, poses a potentially greater military threat than the ill-equipped Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army that precipitated the 2017 crisis.

Arakan Army (AA) fighters appear to be "well-trained and generally extremely well-equipped", said Anthony Davis, a security analyst with Jane`s at IHS-Markit, describing the recent violence as a "watershed" for the conflict.&nbsp;

"What we`ve seen is the AA shifting from a preparatory phase of political and military infiltration into northern Rakhine state that began in 2015," said Davis.

"They`ve now taken it to a much higher level, operating at platoon and even company strength across almost all the townships in the north of the state, and that`s new."

Myanmar's government says it has ordered the military to "crush" rebels in the western state of Rakhine, following raids by insurgents that killed 13 police officers earlier this month.

Myanmar's government says it has ordered the military to "crush" rebels in the western state of Rakhine, following raids by insurgents that killed 13 police officers earlier this month. The United Nations says fighting between the Myanmar military and Arakan Army, which recruits from among the mainly Buddhist Rakhine ethnic group, has forced about 5,000 people from their homes in the state in the past month. The latest violence underscores the complexity of the ethnic divisions that have long scarred Rakhine. In 2017 attacks on security posts in the north of the state by insurgents from the Muslim Rohingya minority provoked a military crackdown that sent more than 730,000 fleeing to neighbouring Bangladesh, according to UN agencies, and sparked the biggest crisis of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi`s young administration. Aid workers say military aircraft and trucks have been seen arriving in Rakhine since early January - raising fears conflict could intensify once again in the state. The group`s rise threatens to further undermine Suu Kyi`s hopes of securing peace across Myanmar, but who are the fighters of the Arakan Army, and what do they want? JADE MINES TO SNIPER RIFLES The Arakan Army says it formed nearly a decade ago to fight for self-determination for Rakhine, which it says has been exploited by a remote central government. Many early recruits were ethnic Rakhine Buddhists who had travelled to northern Myanmar to make their fortune toiling in the jade mines there. They gathered and trained in territory along Myanmar`s border with China that is held by the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), one of the largest ethnic armed groups still fighting the Myanmar military. Arakan Army fighters have fought the military alongside the KIA as part of a "northern alliance" in northern Shan state since late 2016. Arakan Army forces have also moved into the rugged western borderlands with India and Bangladesh, where they are believed to number about 3,000. In parallel, the group has launched a propaganda push aimed at inspiring an uprising across Rakhine in 2020. Slick online videos show young men and women insurgents marching, wrestling and firing modern assault weapons and sniper rifles. They often feature the group`s charismatic chief, Twan Mrat Naing, who wears thick-rimmed glasses and a military beret. ETHNIC GRIEVANCES The Arakan Army in its propaganda largely steers clear of the communal conflict between Buddhists and Muslims that has riven Rakhine in recent years. Instead, the group has found fertile ground appealing to a sense of economic and historical injustice directed at the Myanmar state and its Bamar ethnic majority. Though rich in oil and other natural resources and a focus of China`s Belt and Road Initiative investment drive, Rakhine remains one of Myanmar`s poorest states. Only 17 per cent of households in the state have access to safe drinking water year-round, far below the proportion elsewhere in Myanmar, according to a 2017 World Bank survey. Nearly 300,000 households there do not have a toilet, it found. The coastal area now known as Rakhine was historically an independent kingdom, Arakan, until a Burmese invasion in the 18th century. A demonstration in January last year to mark the anniversary of the Arakan kingdom`s overthrow ended in bloodshed when police opened fire on protesters. The figurehead of the state`s most popular political party, the Arakan National Party (ANP) was arrested soon after with another activist and charged with high treason. They remain on trial. Many ethnic Rakhines resent that Suu Kyi`s National League for Democracy installed its own chief minister in the state after taking power in 2016, despite the ANP winning most seats in the state at elections in 2015. INSURGENT INFILTRATION After only sporadic encounters with the military in recent years, the Arakan Army has reported at least two dozen clashes with security forces in the last few months. It says it is responding to military aggression in Rakhine that has also targeted civilians. "Rakhine state must have its own army," Arakan Army chief Twan Mrat Naing told local news site the Irrawaddy this week. "Having an armed group means the survival of the Rakhine ethnicity." The government describes the group as a terrorist organisation and says it could destabilise the state for years to come. Analysts say the Arakan Army, which has trained with Kachin rebels, poses a potentially greater military threat than the ill-equipped Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army that precipitated the 2017 crisis. Arakan Army (AA) fighters appear to be "well-trained and generally extremely well-equipped", said Anthony Davis, a security analyst with Jane`s at IHS-Markit, describing the recent violence as a "watershed" for the conflict. "What we`ve seen is the AA shifting from a preparatory phase of political and military infiltration into northern Rakhine state that began in 2015," said Davis. "They`ve now taken it to a much higher level, operating at platoon and even company strength across almost all the townships in the north of the state, and that`s new."

Explainer: The insurgents plunging Myanmar's Rakhine back into chaos

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/un-appeals-to-myanmar-for-peaceful-solution-amid-troop-build-up-in-rakhine-state-189298">Myanmar has postponed a planned visit </a>by the UN refugee chief to Rakhine state following renewed fighting between security forces and insurgents, a spokesman said Monday.

UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi was due to visit last week but Myanmar authorities scrapped the trip to Rakhine, where hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims were driven out in a military crackdown that started in 2017.

The troubled western state has seen fighting flare again in recent weeks, this time between security forces and the Arakan Army (AA), an ethnic Rakhine armed group calling for more autonomy for the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/new-myanmar-unrest-panics-rohingya-in-border-limbo-189193">state's Rakhine Buddhist population</a>.

Thirteen police officers were killed by AA militants in January 4 attacks on police posts near the Bangladeshi border.

"Based on assessment of Myanmar authorities of the security situation in Rakhine, the visit has been postponed," said UNHCR spokesman Andrej Mahecic.

Britain is expected to raise the issue at the UN Security Council later this week, according to diplomats.

The decision to delay Grandi's trip and uncertainty surrounding a separate planned visit by the UN envoy Christine Schraner Burgener to Myanmar is fueling concerns that authorities are backtracking on their commitments to address the Rohingya refugee crisis.

"They have done nothing at all and didn't particularly want that to be exposed," said a Security Council diplomat of the decision to postpone Grandi's visit.

Myanmar's mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to requests for information.

Britain in December circulated a draft Security Council resolution on Myanmar that would have set a deadline for authorities to roll out a strategy for addressing the Rohingya crisis.

China, backed by Russia, however, raised strong objections and refused to take part in negotiations, suggesting it was ready to use its veto at the council to block the measure.

Myanmar's violent military campaign in 2017 forced more than 720,000 Rohingya across the border to Bangladesh, with refugees bringing accounts of murder, rape, and arson.

Britain, France, the United States, and UN chief Antonio Guterres have described the campaign as ethnic cleansing while UN investigators have called for top generals to be investigated for genocide.

Rohingya in Buddhist-majority Myanmar have suffered decades of persecution and are denied citizenship rights.

Myanmar has denied that it has singled out the Rohingya and described its army operations as a campaign to root out terrorists.

UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi was due to visit last week but Myanmar authorities scrapped the trip to Rakhine.

Myanmar has postponed a planned visit by the UN refugee chief to Rakhine state following renewed fighting between security forces and insurgents, a spokesman said Monday. UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi was due to visit last week but Myanmar authorities scrapped the trip to Rakhine, where hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims were driven out in a military crackdown that started in 2017. The troubled western state has seen fighting flare again in recent weeks, this time between security forces and the Arakan Army (AA), an ethnic Rakhine armed group calling for more autonomy for the state's Rakhine Buddhist population. Thirteen police officers were killed by AA militants in January 4 attacks on police posts near the Bangladeshi border. "Based on assessment of Myanmar authorities of the security situation in Rakhine, the visit has been postponed," said UNHCR spokesman Andrej Mahecic. Britain is expected to raise the issue at the UN Security Council later this week, according to diplomats. The decision to delay Grandi's trip and uncertainty surrounding a separate planned visit by the UN envoy Christine Schraner Burgener to Myanmar is fueling concerns that authorities are backtracking on their commitments to address the Rohingya refugee crisis. "They have done nothing at all and didn't particularly want that to be exposed," said a Security Council diplomat of the decision to postpone Grandi's visit. Myanmar's mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to requests for information. Britain in December circulated a draft Security Council resolution on Myanmar that would have set a deadline for authorities to roll out a strategy for addressing the Rohingya crisis. China, backed by Russia, however, raised strong objections and refused to take part in negotiations, suggesting it was ready to use its veto at the council to block the measure. Myanmar's violent military campaign in 2017 forced more than 720,000 Rohingya across the border to Bangladesh, with refugees bringing accounts of murder, rape, and arson. Britain, France, the United States, and UN chief Antonio Guterres have described the campaign as ethnic cleansing while UN investigators have called for top generals to be investigated for genocide. Rohingya in Buddhist-majority Myanmar have suffered decades of persecution and are denied citizenship rights. Myanmar has denied that it has singled out the Rohingya and described its army operations as a campaign to root out terrorists.

Myanmar delays United Nation refugee chief Filippo Grandi's visit

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