*DHAKA: *The Bangladesh military said on Thursday it has ordered aninvestigation after a Rohingya family in a refugee camp accused army troopsof raping a 12-year-old girl.
The inquiry comes as around a million Rohingya in vast camps in Bangladeshface increasing hostility two years after fleeing a military offensive inMyanmar.
Mohammad Osman, an elder brother of the alleged victim, said three soldiersentered their shanty at the Nayapara Rohingya camp on Sunday evening andsexually assaulted his sister.
“She was raped as one of them tightly held her mouth,” he referring to theborder district where the refugee camps are located.
A spokesperson of the Bangladesh Armed Forces, Lieutenant Colonel Abdullahibn Zaid, said they were investigating.
“We have formed a probe committee to investigate the incident and find outthe facts. If (they are) found guilty, exemplary punishment will be given,”ibn Zaid said.
Doctor Shaheen Abdur Rahman said the girl was examined at the centralhospital in Cox’s Bazar but he refused to comment on the findings due tocourt restrictions.
A spokesperson of the United Nations High Commissioner (UNHCR) for Refugeessaid they were also investigating the incident.
“We are aware of the reports. In such cases, individuals are entitled tomedical, physical and psychological support, as well as access to dueprocess,” UNHCR spokesperson Joseph Tripura said.
Tensions have risen in recent weeks with an increasingly frustratedBangladeshi government enacting several measures making life harder for therefugees making life harder for the refugees.
These include blocking mobile internet, confiscating SIM cards and mobilephones and filing hundreds of cases for illegally obtaining citizenshipcards.
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UN experts have expressed “serious concerns” about the restrictions.
Last week Bangladesh’s home minister said that barbed-wire fencing, guardtowers and cameras would be erected around the Rohingya camps, sparkingcriticism from rights groups.
Checkpoints set up on the main highways leading to the camps have stoppedRohingya and sent them back to the settlements when they try to travel toother parts of Bangladesh.
Hundreds of Rohingya found elsewhere in the South Asian nation have alsobeen detained and returned to the camps.
Authorities say the internet ban was sparked by security fears after theRohingya were blamed for the murder of a local politician and drugsmuggling.
More than a dozen Rohingya — most accused of involvement in the murder ofthe politician — have been shot dead by security forces in recent weeks.
Officials also said on Thursday that 45 Rohingya have been charged withinfiltration after they were detained illegally working in a ship-breakingyard.
Rights activists said this could be the first time Rohingya have beencharged with infiltration — an offence that carries five years in jail.-APP/AFP
