Indian Navy Ship INS Airavat sailed from Vishakhapatnam and reached Chattogram port (formerly Chittagong) Port yesterday where Indian High Commissioner Harsh Vardhan Shringla handed over the relief consignment to Disaster Management and Relief Minister Mofazzel Hussain Chowdhury Maya. This is the second relief consignment to help thousands of displaced Rohingya Muslims who fled Myanmar following a military crackdown, triggering one of the world’s worst refugee crises.
Over 600,000 Rohingyas have fled Myanmar’s violence-hit Rakhine state to neighbouring Bangladesh since August when the military intensified crackdown against alleged militant outfits of Rohingya Muslims.
Officials familiar with the development said the 373-tonne consignment contained 104 tonnes of milk powder, 102 tonnes of dried fish, 61 tonnes of baby food, 50,000 raincoats and 50,000 pairs of gum boots.
“Another tranche containing 1 million litres of kerosene oil and 20,000 cooking stoves is expected to arrive soon,” Shringla said.
He said India sent the relief in view of the specific needs of the “large number of (Rohingya) women and children living in the camps and the onset of monsoon”.
“We hope this will bring some succour to the people living in camps,” he said.
Bangladesh has repeatedly sought India’s help to put pressure on Myanmar to resolve the Rohingya crisis.
