‘Muslim-Hindu refugees helped each other in 1971’

Muslims and Hindus helped each other in overcoming the crisis in refugee camps during 1971, recalls Julian Francis, a friend of Bangladesh's Liberation War.

"I got into difficulty with both Hindus and Muslims at refugee camps as we were not able to provide sufficient food," he said while speaking at a programme in Dhaka.

"The Muslims then decided to fast but I told them that they shouldn't fast as they were already weak. Then both communities helped each other to overcome the problem," he said.

His comments came during a programme organised by the Liberation War Museum in Dhaka marking the occasion of World Refugee Day today.

On June 20 each year, the world commemorates the strength, courage, and resilience of millions of refugees.

Julian Francis who had spent time in Bangladesh since the Liberation War sadly observed that the tremendous refugee and migration issues have become political issues for some countries in the European Union and the United States of America.

"But in fact countries like UK and US have benefited and are strengthened by immigration," he added. Referring to the sufferings of the Syrian refugees, the friend of Liberation War advised Bangladeshis not to forget their past.

World Refugee Day is marked by a variety of events in over 100 countries, involving government officials, aid workers, celebrities, civilians and the forcibly displaced themselves.