Despite the government's decision not to allow Rohingya people to go outside their camps at Cox's Bazar and Noakhali's Bhashanchar, scores of refugees from Myanmar's Rakhine have entered the port city in Ramadan and staying here for collecting Jakat.
Around 1.1 million Rohingyas entered Bangladesh in 2016 to escape Myanmar junta's crackdown on the minority Muslim community in Rakhine state.
Many more Rohingyas are either entering Bangladesh to avoid Myanmarese government's continued persecution in that country's Rakhine and other northeastern states or infiltrating Bangladesh from the neighbouring country for shelter, or for livelihood.
The Rohingyas first took shelter in refugee camps set up at Teknaf Upazila of Cox's Bazar and Ramu. Last year, the Bangladesh government started relocation of thousands of Rohingya to newly set-up refugee camps at Bhashanchar of Noakhali district from Teknaf and Ramu refugee camps.
But many Rohingyas, including women and children, managed to leave their Teknaf and Ramu camps and infiltrate Chattogram city and other cities mainly with the aim of earning their livelihood by begging and collecting Jakat money, putting the city-dwellers health at high risk of contacting coronavirus as many Rohingyas may carry the deadly Covid-19 virus which is also spreading in Myanmar since its second wave began in that country last winter.
The infiltrated Rohingyas are now staying at Bahaddarhat, Jamal Khan, Kadam Mobarok, Chandgaon, Lalkhan Bazar, Kazir Dewari, Patenga and Love Lane areas in the port city.
nazim07@yahoo.com