Two Army camps to be set up near Rohingya camps to curb abductions, crimes: Home minister
Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed on Thursday said the government has decided to set up two Army camps in the hilly areas near the Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar to curb abductions and other crimes.
The camps will be established at Noakhalipara and Rangikhali under the 10 Infantry Division based in Ramu, he told reporters after a meeting at the Secretariat.
The meeting discussed coordination and management of forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals, the National Law and Order Committee’s meeting, and the overall law-and-order situation in Jungle Salimpur in Chattogram.
Salahuddin said abductions frequently occur in the hilly areas of Rangikhali and Noakhalipara, where victims are taken into the hills and ransom is demanded.
“After taking opinions from all concerned, a decision has been made to establish Army camps in the two areas to stop such crimes,” he said.
The government has also decided to reconstruct damaged sections of the barbed-wire fencing around the Rohingya camps, he said. Solar-powered lights will be installed, while CCTV cameras, control towers and watchtowers will be set up at intervals.
Salahuddin said law enforcement agencies were conducting joint operations inside and outside the camps to combat drug trafficking, arms smuggling, human trafficking and other crimes.
A deputy inspector general of the Armed Police Battalion (APBn) is leading the operations, with personnel from other law enforcement agencies also taking part, he said.
Major crimes linked to the camps include drug trafficking, online gambling, human trafficking and activities of various armed groups, along with other offences under the Penal Code.
Salahuddin said the government had recently empowered the APBn under the law to conduct investigations.
Regarding Jungle Salimpur, he said the government had taken several decisions to bring government land there under proper management.
A police academy modelled on the Sardah Police Academy will be established in the area, he said, adding that land for the academy is being identified.