• Burmese
Friday, July 11, 2025
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
The Irrawaddy
26 °c
Yangon
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
No Result
View All Result
The Irrawaddy
No Result
View All Result
Home News Burma

Bangladesh Police Extorting Rohingya in Camps: HRW

Muktadir Rashid   by Muktadir Rashid  
January 17, 2023
in Burma
Reading Time: 3 mins read
0 0
A A
Bangladesh Police Extorting Rohingya in Camps: HRW

Personnel from Bangladesh’s Armed Police Battalion conduct a nighttime raid at a Rohingya refugee camp in Cox's Bazar in October 2022.

4.2k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

DHAKA – Bangladesh’s Armed Police Battalion, better known as the APBn, is extorting, arbitrarily arresting, and harassing Rohingya refugees who are already facing violence from criminal gangs and armed groups, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Tuesday.

The rights group urged donor governments to press Bangladesh authorities to investigate alleged abuses against Rohingya living in refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, ensure victims have effective remedy, and develop measures to better protect refugees.

In a statement, HRW said it documented over 16 cases of serious abuse by APBn officers after interviewing more than 40 Rohingya refugees in October-November 2022 and reviewing police reports.

RelatedPosts

Bangladesh Recalls Ambassador to Myanmar

Bangladesh Recalls Ambassador to Myanmar

May 29, 2025
2.9k
Paranoid Junta Turns to Foreign Expertise After 4 Years of Chaos; and More

Paranoid Junta Turns to Foreign Expertise After 4 Years of Chaos; and More

May 10, 2025
1.6k
Myanmar Junta Rejects Bangladeshi Call for Rohingya State

Myanmar Junta Rejects Bangladeshi Call for Rohingya State

May 2, 2025
10.4k

These included abuse against 10 refugees who were detained on apparently fabricated charges of trafficking methamphetamine or perpetrating violence, according to HRW.

“Abuses by police in the Cox’s Bazar camps have left Rohingya refugees suffering at the hands of the very forces who are supposed to protect them,” said Shayna Bauchner, Asia researcher at Human Rights Watch.

“Bangladesh authorities should immediately investigate allegations of widespread extortion and wrongful detention by Armed Police Battalion officers and hold all those responsible to account.”

Rights groups including HRW say they have long documented the common practice by Bangladesh security forces of framing suspects with drugs or weapons.

Police generally demanded 10,000-40,000 taka (US$100-400) to avoid arrest, and 50,000-100,000 taka ($500-1,000) for the release of a detained family member. Families often had to sell gold jewelry or borrow money for bribes or legal costs, HRW said.

It added that the APBn had seemingly targeted Rohingya for sharing information about abuses on social media.

Sayed Hossein, 27, a Rohingya citizen journalist and health volunteer with an international organisation, told HRW that about 30 APBn officers raided his house on July 25 last year, handcuffed him, and confiscated his laptop and flash drive.

They took him to a police camp, demanded a bribe, and, when his family could not pay 50,000 taka ($500), they forcibly photographed him with meth tablets and sent him to nearby Ukhiya police station, HRW said.

“I asked them not to take any photos since it would impact my job and future,” Hossein told HRW. “They said that because I’m Rohingya, I don’t have any future.”

APBn posted the photos on their social media accounts and the man spent 41 days in jail on drug trafficking charges before making bail. He said most of his fellow inmates were Rohingya.

APBn officers arrested Soyedul Hoque, 57, in his betel leaf shop on November 2, 2022, and demanded 100,000 takas ($1,000) for his release. “Because we have such little income from the shop, we couldn’t pay the police anything,” his daughter told HRW. He was charged with possession of 2,000 meth tablets and remains in jail.

The APBn crackdown has compounded fear and vulnerability among the one million Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, the majority of whom fled Myanmar military atrocities in late 2017.

The police abuses have escalated amid tightening restrictions on livelihoods, movement, and education in the camps, including harassment at checkpoints and the closing of community schools and markets.

In late October 2022, the APBn initiated “Operation Root Out” in response to a spike in targeted killings by armed groups. The police have arrested at least 900 Rohingya since mid-2022. But refugees allege that APBn corruption has allowed criminal activity to proliferate, while innocent Rohingya are targeted in police crackdowns.

HRW noted that the 2022 Joint Response Plan for the Rohingya humanitarian crisis received less than half of the US$881 million needed for the year. It urged donors including the US, UK, European Union, and Australia to increase funding to meet the protection needs of the Rohingya refugee population while leaning on Bangladesh authorities to end police abuses in the camps.

“Bangladesh should do what Myanmar never has – hold those responsible for abuses against Rohingya to account.”

When approached, APBn deputy inspector general (operations and intelligence) Mahbub Alam claimed they received hardly any formal complaints against their personnel on the ground and that “most were fabricated”. He claimed his troops were facing violent organised criminals supported by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army and needed to use tough measures.

Bangladesh Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner Mohammed Mizanur Rahman said he would respond to HRW’s report after examining it.

The report also documents the case of a recently transferred APBn official who admitted that a camp leader (majhi) was tortured by security forces under the pretext of interrogation.

“It’s a very complex situation inside the camps,” the official said.

A Rohingya rights campaigner living in a camp told the Irrawaddy there are frequent complaints against law enforcers and security agencies, especially over arbitrary arrests.

Almost every case HRW investigated involved extortion directly by APBn officers or communicated through majhis.

Your Thoughts …
Tags: 2022 Joint Response PlanAbuseAPBnArmed Police BattalionBangladeshcampsCox’s BazarextortionHRWHuman Rights WatchRefugeesRohingya
Muktadir Rashid  

Muktadir Rashid  

The Irrawaddy

Similar Picks:

Parents Pull Children From Schools in Yangon as Myanmar Junta Troops Move In
Burma

Parents Pull Children From Schools in Yangon as Myanmar Junta Troops Move In

by The Irrawaddy
November 24, 2023
16.5k

Regime’s decision to station troops at schools in Myanmar’s commercial capital and rumors of forced conscriptions puts city residents on...

Read moreDetails
Myanmar Youth Exodus Feared in Wake of Junta’s Conscription Law
Burma

Myanmar Youth Exodus Feared in Wake of Junta’s Conscription Law

by The Irrawaddy
February 15, 2024
15.7k

Activists warn of increased labor rights violations in Thailand and human trafficking as young people flee to avoid mandatory military...

Read moreDetails
Myanmar’s Military is Nearing Annihilation on Border With Bangladesh
War Against the Junta

Myanmar’s Military is Nearing Annihilation on Border With Bangladesh

by The Irrawaddy
June 15, 2024
11.7k

Arakan Army continues to steamroll through Rakhine State, capturing 10 more junta camps and bases in Maungdaw Township in less...

Read moreDetails
Hundreds of Myanmar Junta Personnel Who Fled Rakhine Clashes Repatriated From Bangladesh
Myanmar’s Crisis & the World

Hundreds of Myanmar Junta Personnel Who Fled Rakhine Clashes Repatriated From Bangladesh

by Muktadir Rashid  
April 25, 2024
11.2k

A Myanmar naval vessel picked up the 288 troops, border police and immigration officials near Cox’s Bazar on Thursday morning,...

Read moreDetails
Reports of Forced Conscription by Myanmar’s Military Spark Panic in Yangon
Burma

Reports of Forced Conscription by Myanmar’s Military Spark Panic in Yangon

by Yuzana
November 24, 2023
11k

The former capital is turning into a ghost town after sunset as workers race to the safety of their homes...

Read moreDetails
By Almost Every Measure, Myanmar Junta Ranks Among World’s Worst Regimes
Analysis

By Almost Every Measure, Myanmar Junta Ranks Among World’s Worst Regimes

by Khin Nadi
February 2, 2024
10.8k

The Irrawaddy unpacks the regime’s three-year track record of violence and rights abuses, as assessed by leading global organizations and...

Read moreDetails
Load More
Next Post
Myanmar Military Manufacturing Weapons With Help From Foreign Companies

Myanmar Military Manufacturing Weapons With Help From Foreign Companies

Myanmar Military Launches Airstrike After ‘Heavy Losses’ in Sagaing Battle

Myanmar Military Launches Airstrike After ‘Heavy Losses’ in Sagaing Battle

No Result
View All Result

Recommended

Trump’s Tariffs to Hit Myanmar’s Garment Manufacturers Hard

Trump’s Tariffs to Hit Myanmar’s Garment Manufacturers Hard

2 days ago
941
‘Reforms Are Not Optional’: Prominent Activist Urges NUG to Act Before It’s Too Late

‘Reforms Are Not Optional’: Prominent Activist Urges NUG to Act Before It’s Too Late

2 days ago
931

Most Read

  • Chinese Investment Reshapes Myanmar’s N. Shan as MNDAA Consolidates Power

    Chinese Investment Reshapes Myanmar’s N. Shan as MNDAA Consolidates Power

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Junta Deploying Conscripts in Major Push to Reclaim Lost Territory

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Junta Bombing of Resistance-Held Areas in Mandalay, Karenni Kills Seven Civilians

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Two Prominent Myanmar Ex-Political Prisoners Die Hours Apart in Yangon

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Chin Resistance Tensions Boil Over as CNA Seizes Rival’s Myanmar HQ

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Newsletter

Get The Irrawaddy’s latest news, analyses and opinion pieces on Myanmar in your inbox.

Subscribe here for daily updates.

Contents

  • News
  • Politics
  • War Against the Junta
  • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
  • Conflicts In Numbers
  • Junta Crony
  • Ethnic Issues
  • Asia
  • World
  • Business
  • Economy
  • Election 2020
  • Elections in History
  • Cartoons
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Commentary
  • Guest Column
  • Analysis
  • Letters
  • In Person
  • Interview
  • Profile
  • Dateline
  • Specials
  • Myanmar Diary
  • Women & Gender
  • Places in History
  • On This Day
  • From the Archive
  • Myanmar & COVID-19
  • Intelligence
  • Myanmar-China Watch
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Food
  • Fashion & Design
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • Photo Essay
  • Donation

About The Irrawaddy

Founded in 1993 by a group of Myanmar journalists living in exile in Thailand, The Irrawaddy is a leading source of reliable news, information, and analysis on Burma/Myanmar and the Southeast Asian region. From its inception, The Irrawaddy has been an independent news media group, unaffiliated with any political party, organization or government. We believe that media must be free and independent and we strive to preserve press freedom.

  • Copyright
  • Code of Ethics
  • Privacy Policy
  • Team
  • About Us
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • Burmese

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Business Roundup
  • Books
  • Donation

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.