A massive fire ripped through a Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh’s southern district of Cox’s Bazar on Sunday, leaving around 12,000 people homeless, local Superintendent of Police Mohammad Mahfuzul Islam told CNN.
Meanwhile, DW News said the fire was reported to have broken out in the Balukhali camp in the early afternoon. Fire service official Emdadul Haque said there were no immediate casualties.
The UNHCR in Bangladesh wrote in a tweet that volunteers from the camp were tackling the fire. The agency also said it was giving support.
“We currently don’t have an estimate for damages but there are no reports of casualties,” police superintendent at Cox’s Bazar Rafiqul Islam told Reuters. He added that the blaze had been brought under control and that officials from fire, police and refugee relief departments were all on the scene.
“Some 2,000 shelters have been burnt, leaving about 12,000 forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals shelterless,” Mijanur Rahman, Bangladesh’s refugee commissioner, told AFP, adding that 35 mosques and 21 learning centers were among the destroyed buildings.
The Public Security Ministry has denied media reports claiming that the Public Security minister – Ananda Wijepala had met Nissanka Senadhipathi.
The Minister’s media secretary had clarified this in a letter to Acting IGP Priyantha Weerasuriya. Adding that the neither the Minister or a representative had ever met Senadhipathi as claimed, the letter calls for proper investigations into the fake news and legal action against those responsible.
A special transport allowance and a combined allowance will be provided to police personnel assigned to ensure the safety of devotees attending the exposition of the Sacred Tooth Relic (Siri Dalada Vandanawa) in Kandy, the police said.
The measure has been taken over the instructions of the Acting IGP, in consideration of the fact that these police personnel will be on continuous day and night duty for over 10 days, away from their regular stations and incurring additional personal expenses.
The Bill to repeal the Online Safety Act, No. 9 of 2024, and other regulations concerning the Act, has been gazetted.
The Online Safety Bill was passed by a majority vote in Parliament on Jan. 24, 2024.
The Bill that has been gazetted was submitted by opposition MP Ravi Karunanayake.
On Feb. 28, 2025, MP Karunanayake submitted a private member’s Bill to the Parliament Secretary-General, aiming to repeal the controversial Online Safety Act.