Stop telecom services in Rohingya camps: Bangladeshi officials to opera

Pic/AFP

Bangladesh's telecommunications authority ordered all mobile phone operators to stop telecommunication services and sale of sim cards to almost one million Rohingya refugees living in Cox's Bazar camps, ANI reported on Wednesday. The order has been issued in the interest of public safety after a series of violent crimes was reported in the camps in the past few weeks.

Also Read: 65 Rohingyas found shipwrecked in Thailand

According to a report in the Bangladeshi daily Dhaka Tribune, the notice issued by the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has reportedly stated that the telecommunication operators have seven days to submit reports to the government on the actions taken by them in this issue.

More than 700,000 Rohingya were reportedly forced to flee the northern state of Rakhine in western Myanmar due to a brutal military crackdown in 2017. The minorities have taken shelter in three dozen camps in Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar town, leading to a rise in the number of Rohingya refugees in the country to above 1.2 million.

With inputs from ANI

Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates