Operators selling SIMs to Rohingyas to face action: govt

The government yesterday warned the mobile operators of legal action if they are caught selling SIM cards to Rohingya refugees, who do not have legal identity cards.

The development comes after the telecom division got information that different mobile operators' local representatives were selling SIM cards to Rohingyas who are biometrically verified using details of Bangladeshi nationals.

“This is a punishable offence,” said Tarana Halim, state for posts and telecom, in a press conference after a meeting with the telecom regulator and the law enforcement agencies yesterday.

According to the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission's rule, operators could be fined Tk 4,000 for each SIM card sold to the refugees. However, on humanitarian grounds the government will set up several service points of state-owned mobile operator Teletalk at the refugee camps within three days to facilitate communication, she said.

From the service points, the Rohingya refugees, who entered Bangladesh to escape genocide in Myanmar, will be able to make local calls at a cheap rate.

“We took the step on humanitarian ground but at the same time our own security issue should not be compromised.”

Until further notice, no SIM cards will be sold to the Rohingya refugees, she said.

“We have brought the use of mobile phones under a system by biometric registration to prevent all kinds of criminal activities.”

Earlier this month, different local news media published reports that retailers and distributors of mobile operators were using loud speakers near the refugee camps advertising their pre-activated and biometrically verified SIM cards.

“We also learned that people are giving their biometric fingerprints to register SIM cards in exchange for some money.”

Those people are disregarding the fact that if any crime is committed with the mobile connections he/she will be liable, Tarana said.

The government will conduct awareness campaigns on the matter and also operate mobile courts against the offenders and the mobile operators will also be fined if found involved in such acts, Tarana added.

She said they are also initiating a process to detect the SIMs being used by Rohingyas.

“We will collect the data of the SIMs activated since July 1. We have the list of retailers, so we can easily detect the actual number of SIMs.”

However, the government is also working out a process to sell SIM cards to the Rohingyas.

The Department of Immigration and Passports has already started a process to biometrically register all the Rohingya refugees who entered Bangladesh. About 10,000 refugees have been registered so far.

The Rohingyas are given a card loaded with their biometrics, and the BTRC plans to allow them to buy SIM cards with six months validity with that ID card.

The telecom regulator last week wrote to the government for its nod, said a top official of the telecom division requesting not to be named.

“Once all the Rohingya refugees are biometrically registered, we will decide whether to sell temporary SIM cards to them,” Tarana said at the press conference held at the BTRC headquarters.