Estimated 10,000 to 15,000 refugees stranded near Bangladesh-Myanmar border: UNHCR

Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-18 04:26:21|Editor: Mu Xuequan
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GENEVA, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- The UN refugee agency said Tuesday that an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 new Rohingya refugees had entered Bangladesh through its southeastern border since Sunday, waiting for permission to move away.

The UNHCR said it's concerned about the humanitarian condition of thousands of new arrivals who are stranded near the Bangladesh-Myanmar border.

The spokesperson said that as of Tuesday they are still squatting in the paddy fields of local villages in Bangladesh, waiting for permission to move away from the border.

The UNHCR and the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society are delivering food and water to the stranded refugees, while also advocating with the Bangladesh authorities to urgently admit these refugees fleeing violence and increasingly difficult conditions back home.

As part of the response, the UNHCR is working with the government and other partners to complete a new transit center in Kutupalong refugee camp near the border, with a capacity of sheltering 1,250 people.

An estimated 582,000 refugees have arrived in Bangladesh since violence erupted in Myanmar's northern Rakhine state in late August, according to the UNHCR.

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