Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Bangladesh authorities bulldoze 1,000 Rohingya shops

Bangladesh authorities bulldoze 1,000 Rohingya shops

Bangladesh authorities demolished about 1,000 shops belonging to Rohingya in camps, an official said on Friday (10), with a rights worker saying the move would have a "huge impact" on refugees' livelihoods.

About 850,000 Rohingya are packed into 34 camps across the country, most of whom fled a 2017 military clampdown in neighbouring Myanmar that the United Nations says could be genocide.


Bangladesh has been praised for taking in the refugees but rights groups criticise the authorities for restrictions in the camps and their controversial relocation of thousands of Rohingya to a flood-prone island.

Bangladeshi camp officials armed with excavators, hammers and shovels bulldozed the shops in several camps in the Cox's Bazar area on Thursday and Friday, leaving shell-shocked Rohingya shop-owners scrambling to salvage their goods.

Deputy Refugee Commissioner Shamsud Douza said authorities were demolishing "illegal" shops in all camps.

"We have evicted about a thousand illegal shops. We are evicting illegal shops to build shelters for Rohingya," he told AFP.

Hundreds of Rohingya gathered at the eviction sites as excavators tore through the bamboo and steel structures.

Some broke down in tears, while others panicked.

"They broke down my shop. That was my only means of livelihood. With its income, I could support a family of seven," said Al Amin, 30.

"Thousands of Rohingyas have been hit by this shop demolition drive," he told AFP.

"I don't know what to do now. What can I say? The Myanmar army has destroyed our fortunes. Now we lost our fortune once again."

"My family has to be fed," cosmetics trader Abdur Rashid, 24, said.

"My wife is pregnant. My parents are dependent on my income from this shop. Now I have lost everything."

One international rights group researcher who monitors the situation in the camps said authorities were demolishing the shops to pressure the Rohingya to agree to relocate to the controversial Bhashan Char island in the Bay of Bengal.

"Thousands of refugees were trying to eke out a living with these shops. It will cause huge impact on their livelihood," he said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Bangladesh has so far relocated close to 19,000 Rohingya to Bhashan Char.

More For You

F-35B jet

The UK has agreed to move the aircraft to the Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility at the airport.

Indian Air Force

F-35B jet still stranded in Kerala, UK sends engineers for repair

UK AVIATION engineers are arriving in Thiruvananthapuram to carry out repairs on an F-35B Lightning jet belonging to the Royal Navy, which has remained grounded after an emergency landing 12 days ago.

The jet is part of the HMS Prince of Wales Carrier Strike Group of the UK's Royal Navy. It made the emergency landing at Thiruvananthapuram airport on June 14. The aircraft, valued at over USD 110 million, is among the most advanced fighter jets in the world.

Keep ReadingShow less
Ahmedabad air crash
Relatives carry the coffin of a victim, who was killed in the Air India Flight 171 crash, during a funeral ceremony in Ahmedabad on June 15, 2025. (Photo: Getty Images)

Ahmedabad crash: Grief, denial and trauma haunt families

TWO weeks after the crash of Air India flight AI-171 in Ahmedabad, families of victims are grappling with grief and trauma. Psychiatrists are now working closely with many who continue to oscillate between denial and despair.

The crash occurred on June 12, when the London-bound flight hit the BJ Medical College complex shortly after takeoff, killing 241 people on board and 29 on the ground. Only one passenger survived.

Keep ReadingShow less
Starmer apologises for 'island of strangers' immigration speech

Prime minister Keir Starmer delivers a speech at The British Chambers of Commerce Global Annual Conference in London on June 26, 2025. (Photo by EDDIE MULHOLLAND/AFP via Getty Images)

Starmer apologises for 'island of strangers' immigration speech

PRIME MINISTER Sir Keir Starmer has admitted he was wrong to warn that Britain could become an "island of strangers" due to high immigration, saying he "deeply" regrets the controversial phrase.

Speaking to The Observer, Sir Keir said he would not have used those words if he had known they would be seen as echoing the language of Enoch Powell's notorious 1968 "rivers of blood" speech.

Keep ReadingShow less
Sir Sajid Javid leads commission 'tackling social divisions'

Sir Sajid Javid (Photo by Tom Nicholson-WPA Pool/Getty Images)

Sir Sajid Javid leads commission 'tackling social divisions'

A cross-party group has been formed to tackle the deep divisions that sparked last summer's riots across England. The new commission will be led by former Tory minister Sir Sajid Javid and ex-Labour MP Jon Cruddas.

The Independent Commission on Community and Cohesion has backing from both prime minister Sir Keir Starmer and Tory leader Kemi Badenoch. It brings together 19 experts from different political parties and walks of life.

Keep ReadingShow less
​Masum

Masum was seen on CCTV trying to steer the pram away and, when she refused to go with him, stabbed her multiple times before walking away and boarding a bus. (Photo: West Yorkshire Police)

West Yorkshire Police

Habibur Masum convicted of murdering estranged wife in front of baby

A MAN who stabbed his estranged wife to death in Bradford in front of their baby has been convicted of murder.

Habibur Masum, 26, attacked 27-year-old Kulsuma Akter in broad daylight on April 6, 2024, stabbing her more than 25 times while she pushed their seven-month-old son in a pram. The baby was not harmed.

Keep ReadingShow less