In a strategic move aimed at bolstering security measures, the government is looking to leverage the Rohingya refugee database maintained by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to curb identity forgery attempts among Rohingyas seeking Bangladeshi identity documents.
This initiative comes in response to growing concerns over Rohingyas falsifying documents such as national identity cards, passports, and birth registrations, thereby posing a significant security risk.
A spokesperson from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs revealed, “The UNHCR holds a comprehensive database of Rohingyas, and by tapping into this resource, we can effectively mitigate the issuance of fraudulent identity cards to Rohingyas.”
A technical committee has been established to oversee the integration of the database, with plans for it to be operational within a few months.
The proposal, which received initial consent from the United Nations agency, aims to utilize the existing Rohingya database to thwart any attempts by Rohingyas to obtain Bangladeshi identification.
What does the database entail?
Since its inception during the influx in August 2017, the Rohingya database has accumulated extensive information, including fingerprints of both hands and retinal scans, covering approximately 970,000 individuals. This collaborative effort between the Bangladesh Department of Immigration and Passports and UNHCR has been instrumental in documenting Rohingya refugees.
How will it be utilized?
The primary objective of integrating this database is to counteract the Rohingya’s endeavors to acquire Bangladeshi passports, national identity cards, or birth certificates, which pose inherent security risks. An official emphasized, “Utilizing the constantly updated UNHCR database is crucial in thwarting attempts of forged documents.”
The database, currently hosted on a server in Geneva, necessitates technical integration with Bangladesh’s system for effective utilization.
Furthermore, while emphasizing repatriation as the ultimate solution to the Rohingya crisis, the official underscored the government’s commitment to sealing all avenues for Rohingyas to procure identity documents within Bangladesh, as a preventive measure, until repatriation becomes feasible.
