UN plans food aid for up to 700,000

UNHCR chief sees refugees' return home 'big question'

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Published: September 28, 2017 00:59:16 | Updated: October 19, 2017 17:11:24

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COX'S BAZAR, Sept 27 (Agencies): The UN has drawn up a contingency plan to feed up to 700,000 Muslim Rohingya refugees from Myanmar after some 480,000 fled to Bangladesh over the past month and arrivals continue.
The United Nations refugee chief said Wednesday the "big question" was whether Rohingya refugees would be allowed to return to their homeland. In another development on the day Japan assured Bangladesh of its support to address the issue of Rohingya.
A senior official from the UN's World Food Programme (WFP) said they were now prepared to provide massive food and other emergency aid if the influx continues in coming weeks.
"All the UN agencies together have now set a plan for a new influx of 700,000. We can cover if the new influx reaches 700,000," said the WFP's deputy chief in Bangladesh, Dipayan Bhattacharyya, on Wednesday.
Rohingya have been fleeing Rakhine state in northeast Myanmar for decades. The new influx began on August 25 when deadly attacks by Rohingya militants on Myanmar police posts prompted a huge crackdown by the military.
Bhattacharyya said the hunger situation in camps has improved as food aid from WFP and other agencies is now reaching the refugees.
He said the plan also covers some 300,000 Rohingya who were already sheltering in southeast Bangladesh before the latest influx began-meaning it could cater for a million people in total.
"No one would be left out from any humanitarian assistance," he said, adding that the WFP would need about $80 million for the massive aid.
Meanwhile, the UNHCR chief called on Wednesday for the plight of up to 800,000 Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh to be resolved, saying the "big question" was whether they would be allowed to return to their homeland.
Filippo Grandi said that he hoped to discuss the issue of statelessness of Rohingya with Myanmar authorities at a meeting in Geneva next week.
Another report adds, visiting Japanese Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Iwao Horii Wednesday assured Bangladesh of its support to address the issue of Rohingya.
State Minister for Foreign Affairs M Shahriar Alam made the disclosure in a Tweet message after a breakfast meeting with visiting Japanese Iwao Horii.

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