A top UN official said on Saturday that Bangladesh’s plan to build the world’s biggest refugee camp, for 800,000-plus displaced Rohingya, was dangerous because overcrowding could heighten the risks of deadly diseases spreading quickly. The arrival of more than half a million Rohingya refugees, who have fled an army crackdown in Myanmar’s troubled Rakhine state since August 25, has put an immense strain on already packed camps in Bangladesh. Hard-pressed Bangladesh authorities plan to expand a refugee camp at Kutupalong near the border town of Cox’s Bazar to accommodate the Rohingya. According to the IOM, the proposed camp will be the world’s largest, dwarfing Bidi Bidi in Uganda and Dadaab in Kenya — both housing around 300,000 refugees. Three thousand acres (1,200 hectares) of land next to the existing Kutupalong camp have been set aside for the project.

Source: Dhaka Tribune October 07, 2017 15:56 UTC