{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.markey.senate.gov/news/press-releases/engel-and-markey-call-on-bangladesh-to-restore-telecommunications-for-rohingya-refugee-camps-halt-relocations-to-remote-island", "ENGEL AND MARKEY CALL ON BANGLADESH TO RESTORE TELECOMMUNICATIONS FOR ROHINGYA REFUGEE CAMPS, HALT RELOCATIONS TO REMOTE ISLANDRead More", "2020-12-07", "2020", "2020-12", "Democrat", "House", "MA", "Edward Markey", "M000133", "www.markey.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WashingtonRepresentative Eliot L. Engel, Chairman of\r\nthe House Committee on Foreign Affairs, and Senator Edward Markey today urged\r\nthe government of Bangladesh to restore telecommunications for the Rohingya\r\nrefugee camps in Cox's Bazar. In a letter\r\nto Foreign Minister Abdul Momen, the lawmakers underscored the importance of\r\naccess to communications as critical to humanitarian aid and health services\r\nduring the coronavirus pandemic. The lawmakers also urged the Bangladesh\r\ngovernment to halt further relocations to Bhasan Char, a flood prone island,\r\nuntil the UN Refugee Agency judges the island to be safe and habitable. Telecommunications restrictions hinder humanitarian actors'\r\nability to communicate life-saving information amidst the COVID-19 pandemic,\r\nand barricades impede refugees' ability to access humanitarian services or to\r\nevacuate in an emergency, the lawmakers wrote, adding that we remain troubled\r\nby the relocation of refugees to Bhasan Char.  The letter was also signed by Representatives Ami Bera (D-CA) and\r\nAndy Levin (D-MI).  Full text of the letter can be found here\r\nand below. Dear Minister Momen:  We extend our appreciation to the government and people of\r\nBangladesh for hosting nearly a million Rohingya refugees for more than three\r\nyears. We recognize that both the root of this crisis and its solution lie in\r\nBurma, and the Burmese government must do more to enable the safe, sustainable,\r\nand dignified return of Rohingya refugees back to their homes in Burma.   We also appreciate your government's willingness to engage with us\r\non issues related to the Rohingya and are pleased that your government restored\r\n3G and 4G telecommunications networks in the camps at the end of August. This\r\nwas an important step in protecting people's right to access information and\r\nfurther supporting humanitarian actors' ability to effectively address the\r\nongoing needs of refugees and host communities alike, especially in the midst\r\nof a global pandemic.   As countries worldwide determine the best way to provide for their\r\ncitizens' safety during the pandemic, we understand the need to ensure the\r\nhealth and safety of those residing in Cox's Bazar. But we are concerned by reports\r\nthat 3G and 4G access has once again been restricted in the camps and by\r\nreports that your government has completed fencing around the Kutupalong camps.\r\nTelecommunications restrictions hinder humanitarian actors' ability to\r\ncommunicate life-saving information amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, and\r\nbarricades impede refugees' ability to access humanitarian services or to\r\nevacuate in an emergency. We urge your government to restore telecommunications\r\naccess in the camps to post-August 2020 levels, and to ensure that any security\r\nmeasures implemented are proportional to security concerns and do not infringe\r\non the rights of the Rohingya or host communities.  As Members of Congress have stressed before, we remain troubled by\r\nthe relocation of refugees to Bhasan Char before the UN Refugee Agency has\r\nconducted a comprehensive assessment and determined the island is safe and\r\nhabitable. We welcome your government's commitment that any relocation of\r\nrefugees would need to be fully informed and voluntary, and ask that any\r\nrelocated refugee have the option and ability to safely return to Cox's Bazar.  We will continue to hold members of the Burmese military\r\naccountable for the crimes they committed, and to support political efforts\r\nthat lead to a durable resolution of the conflict and enable the safe,\r\ndignified, and sustainable return of the Rohingya refugees to Burma. We also\r\nremain committed to working with and supporting your government and the people\r\nof Bangladesh.  Sincerely,  ELIOT L. ENGEL Chairman  House Committee on Foreign Affairs   EDWARD J. MARKEY Ranking Member Senate Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International\r\nCybersecurity Policy  AMI BERA, M.D. Chairman House Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, and Nonproliferation   ANDY LEVIN Member of Congress", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.markey.senate.gov/news/press-releases/engel-and-markey-call-on-bangladesh-to-restore-telecommunications-for-rohingya-refugee-camps-halt-relocations-to-remote-island"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.5283599495887756, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}