France said Friday it regretted a decision by Bangladesh to stop three non-governmental organisations from helping Rohingya refugees fleeing persecution in neighbouring Myanmar. "Until a lasting peace is established in (Myanmar's) Rakhine state, we urge the authorities in Dhaka not to send back from the border people whose lives are under threat," a French foreign ministry spokesman said. Two of the three charities affected by the Bangladesh government's decision are French: Doctors Without Borders (Medecins sans Frontieres, MSF) and Action Against Hunger.
Britain's Muslim Aid UK has also been told to suspend its services in the Cox's Bazaar district bordering Myanmar. The Bangladesh authorities maintain that the aid provided by the charities has encouraged the Rohingya - a Muslim minority in predominately Buddhist Myanmar - to cross the border.
Aid workers say the Rohingya have little option but to flee in the face of sectarian attacks in Myanmar and fear the latest move could result in a humanitarian disaster. Bangladesh estimates that there are now some 300,000 Rohingya living on its territory after having fled Myanmar.
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