45,866 Rohingyas off voter list

EC acts after scrutiny
The Daily Star, Bangladesh: A Correspondent, Cox's BazarThe Election Commission has dropped the names of 45,866 Rohingya infiltrators from Myanmar from the draft voter list in six upazilas of Cox's Bazar after a thorough scrutiny.

District Election Officer Syed Amirul Islam said the Election Commission (EC) found that a huge number of Rohingyas got their names registered as voters in 12 upazilas of Cox's Bazar, Bandarban and Rangamati after the ninth Jatiya Sangsad elections by giving false information in October last year when the voter list was updated.

The EC in December last year suspended publication of the draft voter list following allegations.

Sources said the EC officials in a door-to-door visit scrutinised 72,684 voter application (information) forms as part of reviewing the updated voter list.

Of them, 24,011applications were accepted and the rest 48,673 cancelled as the applicants failed to provide valid information in their applications.

Of the cancelled applications, some 45,866 are in Cox's Bazar, 2,220 in Bandarban and 587 in Rangamati.

Sources said the EC on July 21 this year separately published draft voter lists for the three districts. August 3 was the last date for making application for any kind of objection or demand regarding the draft.

Cox's Bazar Election Office sources said they received some 500 such applications till yesterday.

After disposing of the demands and objections by August 19, the final voter list is scheduled to be published on September 9.

EC sources said the Rohingyas got themselves enrolled in the voter list with the help of local representatives and influential persons.

In the voter list prepared in 2009, the total number of voters in eight upazilas of Cox's Bazar was 10,69,339. About one-lakh Rohingyas were dropped from the list then.

Cox's Bazar Deputy Commissioner Md Gias Uddin Ahmed said some union parishad chairmen and members helped Rohingyas enroll their names in the draft voter list by providing false nationality certificates.

As per the draft voter list, some 12,762 persons were dropped in Chakoria upazila, 4,154 in Pekua, 12,092 in Sadar, 6,052 in Ramu, 5,955 in Ukhia and 4,851 in Teknaf.