‘Action if mobile operators sell SIMs to Rohingya refugees’

Mobile phone operators of the country will face legal actions if they are found involved in selling SIM cards to Rohingya refugees, State Minister for Post and Telecommunications Tarana Halim said today.

A mobile court in this regard is set to conduct drives at Rohingya refugee camps in Cox's Bazar anytime, Tarana Halim told journalists at a press conference at the headquarters of Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) in Dhaka.

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The refugees cannot get SIM cards here, she said alleging that so many SIMs were sold to them. 

The state minister instructed the mobile phone operators not to extend their service beyond the border of the country.

We cannot say about other countries, if any of our mobile phone operators found involved in this they will face legal action, she said while replying to a query.    

The government, on humanitarian grounds, will set up several service points of state-owned mobile operator Teletalk at the refugee camps within three days so that they can get access to communication, she said.

It is also working to find a scope for the refugees so that they can use mobile SIM cards legally atleast for six months, she added.

Earlier, Tarana addressed a meeting with intelligence and law enforcing agencies, BTRC and telecom operators there.