THE United Nations wants to increase its manpower in Bangladesh to deal with the coronavirus in the Rohingya camps. To this end, the agency has sent a list of 63 people to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Dhaka. However, the ministry has approved to bring only 19 people.
■ A visual history of the Rohingya refugee crisis | Doctors Without Borders
Meanwhile, the UN has put various kinds of pressure on the Bangladesh government to bring everyone on the list. Despite not being attacked by a Rohingya, the Foreign Minister has expressed doubts about the need to bring so much manpower to deal with Corona, minister AK Abdul Momen.
Confirming the matter, the foreign minister told local media that no one affected by the corona has yet been found in the Rohingya refugee camps. But some quarters are very active so that the disease (coronavirus) does not go there. Many are showing a lot of activities.
“There was no epidemic, despite these various organisations are sending more people there. The United Nations has given us a list of 73 people they want,” Momen said.
Who knows whether the Rohingyas who are coming by boat are being attacked or not ! We sent them away to Vasanchar. So that they can be kept separate from the other Rohingyas in the camp
“We have agreed for 19 people,” Momen said. The UN is pushing hard to Bangladesh to bring them. Even they have given many conditions. We did not agree to bring in those who did not have medical experience. The UN has put us under pressure. ”
Expressing doubts, the foreign minister said, “I am afraid that the UN is sending people to stop the infection in the first place, even though no one has been infected.” Meanwhile, who knows whether the Rohingyas who are coming by boat are being attacked or not ! We sent them away to Vasanchar. So that they can be kept separate from the other Rohingyas in the camp.”
As of last week, 52 confirmed cases of #Coronavirus in Cox's Bazaar.
So how do you prevent the spread of #Covid19 in a refugee camp which over 600,000 people call home?
Moury, one of our public health promotion officers there explains how it's not easy, but we're working hard. pic.twitter.com/3Yfuo2U541
— Oxfam International (@Oxfam) May 11, 2020
Meanwhile, foreign ministry sources said the UN was so desperate to bring in its own people that even though all flights were currently suspended due to the Corona epidemic, it wanted to bring them on a flight charter.
In this regard, senior officials of the foreign ministry say, although the purpose of bringing these 63 people is not to deal with, but the reason for bringing people who have no experience in medical services is not clear to us.
Sources told LOOKEAST that so far the money for the Joint Response Plan (JRP) has not been properly raised. Meanwhile, preparations for the upcoming monsoon season have not been completed yet. There is also a funding crisis to deal with the coronavirus. ■
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