Mohammad Ali Jinnat

Rohingya Return: Verification begins for first batch

Amid mounting global pressure, a 17-member Myanmar delegation yesterday started verifying the identities of the Rohingya refugees in Teknaf, as the first group of Myanmar’s displaced people is expected to be repatriated in a few months.

2w ago

ARSA behind the recent murders in Rohingya camps

Amid the armed conflicts along the border over the last two months, gang members living in the no-man’s-land entered Bangladesh and engaged in criminal activities, including murders, at the refugee camps, police and locals said.

Gunfire, shelling again on Myanmar side of border

Panic grips the locals in bordering areas of Cox’s Bazar’s Whaikhyang and Bandarban’s Tambru, as heavy gunfire and intermittent shelling on the Myanmar side have been heard again after a pause of 10 days.

Gunshots now heard from Ukhiya

As firing and mortar shelling in Myanmar were now heard from Ukhiya border of Cox’s Bazar yesterday, the local authorities warned the boat owners of not carrying Rohingyas amid fear of their fresh entry.

Tensions in Ghumdhum: 300 families ‘to be moved’

Amid incessant gunfire and mortar shelling in Myanmar close to the Bangladesh border, the local administration is planning to evacuate around 300 families in Ghumdhum union of Bandarban’s Naikhongchhari upazila.

5 Years of rohingya influx: A sense of unease growing among locals

Five years ago, they were the first to welcome with open arms the thousands of Rohingyas fleeing persecution in Myanmar, setting an example of how compassionate our society is here in Bangladesh.

Longing for home: 5th anniversary of Rohingya influx

For Shamsul Ahmed, life in the Rohingya refugee camp is now much better than it was five years ago, but his heart longs for home.

Mohib ullah murder: Police press charges against 29 Rohingyas

His popularity among Rohingya community and stance against all kinds of crimes and irregularities inside the refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar triggered the grisly murder of Mohib Ullah, said the charge sheet submitted after an eight-month investigation.

Mohib Ullah murder: Charges pressed against 29 Rohingyas without naming ARSA

Police today pressed charges against 29 Rohingyas in a case filed over the grisly murder of Rohingya leader Mohib Ullah.

Torn apart by tourists

Defying the government’s directives, a large number of tourists regularly visit Chera Dwip, the southernmost island of Bangladesh.

Zeal for repatriation cost him his life

About four months before his assasination, Rohingya leader Mohib Ullah’s organisation took an initiative to form repatriation committees in every refugee camp to facilitate the return of the refugees.

Rohingya leader Mohib Ullah Killing: Where shall we seek justice?

Rohingya leader Mohib Ullah came home in Lambashia camp in Ukhia after his Esha prayers on Wednesday night. His wife, Nasima, asked him whether he wanted to eat something.

Rohingya leader Mohib Ullah Killing: Caught between fear and distrust

Life in Lambashia Rohingya camp in Ukhia appeared normal. People roaming here and there. Grocers busy with customers. Kids playing on the street. Youths gossiping and watching videos on their smartphones.

A murder well-planned

Fear, frustration, and anger gripped refugees in Cox’s Bazar as the identity of the gunmen and their motive behind killing Rohingya leader Mohib Ullah remain unknown.

Pandemic chronicles: No tourists mean no money to feed the horses of Cox’s Bazar beach

Chancing upon tourists horseback riding along the beaches of Cox’s Bazar would have been a common sight during the bustling tourist season. But not anymore.

Second whale carcass washes ashore

A second whale carcass washed ashore at Himchhari beach of Cox’s Bazar yesterday.

Gone with the blaze

Fleeing a crackdown by the Myanmar military, 35-year-old Chubera Begum, along with her four children, arrived in Ukhiya from Rakhine State in August, 2017. She then found shelter in a tent at Balukhali camp, the largest refugee camp in the world.

Parents get to bury Lakingme after 25 days

The family of Lakingme Chakma finally received her body yesterday, 25 days after her mysterious death, and buried her in Ramu upazila of Cox’s Bazar.

Rohingya Relocation: First batch off to Bhasan Char

The government yesterday began transferring Rohingyas to Bhasan Char from the congested camps in Ukhia and Teknaf where about a million of them have been living.

Pay or Die

With suspended officer-in-charge of Teknaf Police Station Pradeep Kumar Das now behind bars over the killing of retired army major Sinha, stories are unearthed about the unwritten law of the upazila town: you pay, you live.

Facilities in Bhashan Char: Rohingya leaders satisfied after trip

Rohingya leaders, who went on a “go-and-visit” to Bhashan Char housing project, said they were happy with the facilities there and that those were far better than their current living conditions in Teknaf and Ukhiya camps.

Witnesses to Sinha Killing: Cops out to use them as pawns

Nestled between hills on one side and the sea on the other, Marishbunia village in Teknaf’s Baharchhara union is pure beauty. Babbling brooks, mossy arched bridges and hibiscus shrubs in full bloom -- this was the last location where Maj (retd) Sinha Rashed Md Khan was filming before he was killed in police firing on July 31.

Case Against Shipra: Two witnesses ‘forced’ to sign on blank papers

Witnesses in a narcotic case, filed against Stamford University student Shipra Debnath, claimed they were forced to sign on blank papers.

Armed police battalions take charge of Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar

Two special police battalions, formed to ensure security of Rohingyas, have finally taken over the responsibility to ensure law and order inside the refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar.

30 drug dealers to surrender today

At least 30 top drug dealers, who have been in police’s “safe house” for the last seven months, are set to surrender in Cox’s Bazar today.

96 ‘robbers, arms dealers’ surrender

With one police jeep in front and another behind, three buses carried 96 arms makers and dealers along with robbers to Kalarmarchhara Union Parishad ground in Maheshkhali so that they surrender before Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan.

Stage set for surrender of 150 criminals

Three microbuses with tinted windows and no number plates entered the Cox’s Bazar Police Lines, escorted by four police vans on November 8.

Distrust holds them back

The failure of the second attempt to begin repatriating the Rohingyas has once again exposed Myanmar’s lack of sincerity, experts said. Rohingyas say Myanmar has not taken into consideration any of their core demands -- guarantee of citizenship, recognition as an

Rohingya Repatriation Attempt: Doomed to fail again?

The second attempt to start repatriation of Rohingyas to Myanmar today may turn out to be futile, as hardly any refugees seem to be willing to go back.

Aug 22 Repatriation of Rohingyas: Doubts linger over voluntary return

The much-awaited Rohingya repatriation is set to begin on Thursday, around 10 months after the first attempt failed as the refugees didn’t choose to go back.

More yaba godfathers, dealers to surrender

Police are making preparations for a second surrender programme of yaba godfathers and dealers in Cox’s Bazar.

Teknaf Yaba Godfathers: Assets being sold to avert confiscation

As law enforcers are looking into the properties of 102 yaba godfathers and dealers who have surrendered, their families and paid agents are trying to sell off the assets fearing those would be confiscated.

Cox’s Bazar forests in grave danger

The critical biodiversity areas in Cox’s Bazar -- Teknaf Wildlife Sanctuary, Himchhari National Park and Inani National Park -- face a grave risk of peril due to high level of human interventions following the Rohingya influx, according to two recent studies.

Yaba Trade in Teknaf: Surrender has little impact

The surrender of 102 drug lords on February 16 now seems merely an eyewash as the yaba empire in Teknaf remains mostly intact with some of their family members and paid agents taking care of the illegal trade.

The rise of the rogues

From political leaders to businessmen, fish traders to poultry farm owners and brickfield workers to tailors -- the professions of 102 yaba godfathers and dealers who surrendered to police on February 16 are as varied as their age.

Crazy pills spill via new routes

A new strategy of yaba smuggling, involving fresh routes and hundi traders, has been at work since the surrender of 102 godfathers and dealers in Cox's Bazar in February.

The island of ILLEGAL ARMS

The type of light guns put on display during the recent surrender of 102 narcos in Teknaf is easily available in Moheshkhali island, where illegal makeshift factories manufacture such firearms.

43 godfathers still at large

Despite the surrender of 102 top narcos in Teknaf, yaba smuggling continues under the supervision of some listed godfathers and hundi traders who recently launched credit sales of the pink pills.

102 narcos give themselves up

With one police jeep in front and another behind, four buses brought 102 yaba godfathers and dealers to Teknaf Model Primary School from Cox's Bazar Police Lines around 9:00am yesterday.

100 yaba Godfathers, Dealers: Stage set for surrender today

For the first time in the country, around 100 yaba godfathers and dealers will surrender today at a formal programme in Teknaf, the entry point for the deadly drug from Myanmar.

Cox's Bazar's 'Yaba Village': Paid agents now running the show

One would be mesmerised by the duplex mansions by the 13km road between Teknaf Zero Point and Shah Porir Island. Most of the mansions are in the middle of farmland, forest or just beside the road.

Yaba Trade in Cox's Bazar: Situation changes, so does strategy

With law enforcers locking up listed drug dealers and smugglers, new groups are filling their shoes adopting generous marketing strategies, including sales on credit. They are also using new routes to smuggle in yaba from Myanmar.

For them, past is not past at all

Nahiyan often springs up from bed at midnight and starts looking for her father Akramul Haque, the slain ward councillor of Teknaf municipality. The 12-year-old scurries to her father's bed and breaks down.

Magical way to get rich

Take a trip down the Cox's Bazar-Teknaf highway, and you cannot miss the eye-catching duplex building by the main road near Leda station.

'Kingpins' safe in 'safe home'

A two-storey training centre inside the secure compound of Cox's Bazar Police Lines is now the “safe home” for 63 alleged yaba godfathers and dealers in the district. At least 24 of them are on the government list of 73 top drug dealers in the country, said a top police official in Cox's Bazar.