Kolkata Correspondent, bdnews24.com
Published: 2013-04-08 05:51:39.0 Updated: 2013-04-08 05:52:13.0
The Arakan Rohingya National Organisation (ARNO) has strongly denied reports that it paid off 1000 Rohingyas from the refugee camps of Teknaf and Ukhia to join the recent long march of Hifazat-e-Islam.
“ This is a baseless allegation devoid of truth and evidence,” ARNO spokesman Nurul Islam said.
He said media has reported the arrest of 180 Rohingyas who were on their way to join the Hifazat long march.
“All those 180 people who were arrested are Rohingya refugees. They were not going out of their makeshift camps to participate in any rally, but they went out looking for work as they are facing prevalent starvation,” Nurul Islam said.
Islam came down heavily on the Dhaka based Narinjara news group of Rakhine Buddhist in exile for planting this news he described as ‘concocted’.
“They are conspiring to tarnish the image of the ARNO and the Rohingya diaspora in Bangladesh,” Islam said.
“We reiterate that we are committed to pursue a peaceful political settlement of our problem and crisis. We are committed to remain a community within Arakan and to having peaceful and beneficial relations with our neighbours. And ARNO has a strong policy of non-interference in the affairs of other countries and it firmly abides by its policy,” Islam said in a statement.
“The international community is well aware that the Rohingyas, who are facing ethnic cleansing and genocide in Burma, merit international protection, in the absence of domestic security; and to this fact we invite the kind attention and consideration of the people and Government of Bangladesh,” he said.
Meanwhile, Islam requested the Bangladesh authorities to investigate the allegation and the arrest of 180 Rohingya refugees, who deserve sympathy and support on the basis of humanitarianism, in the interest of justice.
SOURCE: http://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2013/04/08/arno-deny-support-to-long-march