Law enforcers have ratcheted up surveillance and security at Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar’s to prevent any attempts of using the Myanmar nationals for vote rigging in the 11th general election slated for Dec 30.

“Directives from the Election Commission (EC) regarding the polls are being strictly followed,” said Abu Hannan, spokesperson of the Refugee, Relief and Repatriation Commissioner’s (RRRC) offices and added that members of police, BGB, RAB and Ansar have stepped up patrolling in the camps.

“Surveillance has been increased at the camps on concerns that Rohingya refugees can be used to cast false votes,” he told Bangla Tribune.

The move comes a day after the EC said that the camps will be sealed off during the voting.

“There may be tendencies to hire the Rohingyas to use them for casting false votes,” its Secretary Helaluddin Ahmed said during a meeting with senior law enforcers in Chattogram on Tuesday (Dec 18).

Hannan, an official at the Nayapara camp, said the Rohingya leaders at all the camps have also been briefed on the directives. “Rohingya movement outside of the camps will be restricted from few days ahead of the polls.”

Law enforcement agencies are discouraging foreigners from visiting the camps ahead of the polls citing security concerns, according to people familiar on the matter.

“No one will be given the scope to use the Rohingyas as false voters. We have already beefed up our surveillance activities and we are on the alert,” Cox’s Bazar’s Ukhiya police chief Abul Khayer said.

The Rapid Action Battalion Teknaf-based camp’s chief Lt Mirza Shahed Mahtab said they have stepped up patrolling in the area.

Ukhiya upazila administration chief (UNO) Mohammad Rabiur Alam Hasan, the assistant returning officer for the polls, said the camps will be sealed off on Election Day if necessary.

Cox’s Bazar-4 constituency, comprising of Ukhiya and Teknaf, has 266,146 registered voters. Among them 134,146 are male and 132,001 are female.