INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
After 23 hours on his first international flight, it was only after stepping off the plane in the United States that Nurul Haque finally
felt the relief of escaping the refugee camps of Bangladesh, where he was born.Haque was among the first Rohingya refugees allowed to leave
Bangladesh in more than a decade
The 62 people who have flown to the US since late last year might be few, but resettlement has given them hope of opportunity and security
travelling beyond the fenced-in refugee camps, which have existed since the 90s
One of them, Kutupalong, is the largest refugee camp in the world.Nurul Haque, along with his wife and son, were able to move to Portland,
Photograph: Don Ryan/APBangladesh had also blocked the resettlement of refugees to third countries since 2010, but in December 2023 allowed
the first cohorts to leave after the US agreed to take some of the refugees
For years, the only way for Rohingya to escape the refugee camps had been to rely on human traffickers operating between Bangladesh and
Malaysia.While Bangladesh has been in talks with Myanmar about repatriating some of the Rohingya population, the refugees and humanitarian
organisations have rejected a return without a promise of safety
The resettlement of some refugees, even in relatively small numbers, is considered one of the few ways to ease the burdens on the camps.The
NGO Refugees International suggested last month that resettlement is an achievable way of helping the refugees in Bangladesh and that the US
should take 50,000.Bangladeshi media reported that theforeign minister, AK Abdul Momen, wants richer nations to take 100,000 refugees and
was critical about the pace of the resettlement process, saying that the 62 taken so far fell short of what is needed.An aerial view of the
Photograph: Munir Uz Zaman/AFP/Getty ImagesHaque, like others in the first groups resettled, has been a civil society activist whose
security was threatened by the armed groups who have filled a security vacuum in the camps, and often targeted activists with kidnapping,
extortion and, in some cases, assassinations.The prominent activist Mohib Ullah, who had been invited to speak at the UN and visit the White
House, was killed in 2021 by gunmen who stormed his tent, and this still fuels the fears of many activists.While Haque is now safe, he says
threats continue against his family, which makes it difficult for him to settle as he is constantly worried for their safety.After coming to
America, we gained freedom
We can go anywhere without fear
We feel much better and more secureYasmin AraThe south-east Asia-based rights group Fortify Rights has warned about risks to Rohingya in the
camps from both armed groups and Bangladeshi security forces, whose members have been accused of using violence to extort money from
cases treated more urgently
I have spoken to some refugees who have not heard back from UNHCR protection focal points for months
paying rent and sustaining the family due to a lack of job and income
However, after coming to America, we gained freedom
We can go anywhere without fear
Malaysia while he searches for permanent accommodation and work
Long-term, he hopes to study
Despite a ban on Rohingya studying in Bangladesh, he was able to get a university degree by registering as a Bangladeshi.Now he wants to
return home to Myanmar, to make sure we get rights there
This article first appeared/also appeared in theguardian.com
