Election Commission tightens security to prevent Rohingya involvement in voting

The Election Commission (EC) has issued a series of strict security directives aimed at preventing Rohingya refugees from participating in the upcoming national election and referendum scheduled for February 12.

In official letters sent on Wednesday, the EC instructed concerned government departments, returning officers, and law enforcement agencies to take preventive action based on intelligence and special reports warning of potential risks linked to Rohingya involvement in election-related activities.

The parliamentary election and referendum will be conducted in 299 constituencies across the country. According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, law enforcement personnel will remain deployed from February 8 to February 14, covering the four days before polling, election day, and two days afterward.

Nearly 130 million voters are registered nationwide, with voting set to take place at around 43,000 polling centres and approximately 250,000 voting booths.

More than 1.1 million Rohingya refugees from Myanmar’s Rakhine State are currently residing in camps in Ukhiya and Teknaf of Cox’s Bazar. Over the years, authorities have reported cases of some Rohingya moving to other parts of the country and allegedly obtaining forged national identity cards and passports.

While the EC has previously taken measures to prevent Rohingyas from being included in voter lists, it is now moving to block any form of engagement in election-related activities.

As part of the new directives, Rohingya refugees will not be allowed to leave their camps during the election period. Law enforcement agencies have been instructed to maintain heightened vigilance, strengthen identity verification, and intensify searches at checkpoints.

A Home Ministry report presented at a meeting in early January warned of the presence of armed groups and illegal weapons inside the camps. The report noted that Rohingyas who may have been unlawfully included in voter lists could attempt to vote or engage in political activities.

The report recommended preventing Rohingya involvement in politics, launching operations to recover illegal arms, establishing checkpoints at least seven days before polling, restricting unauthorised movement, and closely monitoring foreign nationals to maintain law and order.

Another intelligence assessment flagged the risk of illegal interference in the electoral process, including the possible use of Rohingya individuals by parliamentary candidates for local campaigning, staffing polling centres, casting fake votes in exchange for money, or intimidating rival candidates.

Unregulated movement of Rohingya outside the camps was identified as a major security concern. Authorities also warned that misuse of Camp-in-Charge (CiC) outpasses or illegal crossings through barbed-wire fences into Ukhiya–Teknaf localities could further destabilise the situation.

The reports additionally cautioned that active social groups inside the camps could spread rumours or provocative messages, while armed groups such as the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), Rohingya Solidarity Organisation (RSO), and the Arakan Army (AA) could engage in clashes near border areas during the election period, potentially creating public fear.