Bangladesh army steps up as Rohingya suffer heavy rain

Bangladesh's army was ordered Sept. 20 to take a bigger role helping hundreds of thousands of Rohingya who have fled violence in Myanmar, amid warnings it could take six months to register the new refugees.

Troops would be deployed immediately in Cox's Bazar near the border where more than 420,000 Rohingya Muslims have arrived since Aug. 25, said Obaidul Quader, a senior minister and deputy head of the ruling Awami League party.

Soldiers would help build  shelters and toilets for the thousands of refugees still sleeping in the open under pounding monsoon rain, Quader told AFP.  
  
"The army presence is especially needed on the spot to construct their shelters, which is a very tough task, and ensure sanitation," he said.

The latest order came from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Quader said.

The soldiers would also ensure order and assist with distributing relief, a chaotic process that seen stampedes as donors have hurled food and other staples from moving trucks.

Previously troops had been tasked with transporting foreign relief supplies from the country's port city of Chittagong airport to Cox's Bazar where the overcrowded camps are located. 

As the handful of ill-equipped camps rapidly reached capacity, Bangladesh announced it would create a new site capable of housing some 400,000 refugees within 10 days.

Extra water pumps have been installed at some locations, and concrete rings for latrines stockpiled along the roadside.

But there were few signs of major construction work underway, with many refugees complaining they were being ordered to move on without any idea where to go.

"We don't know where would we go. We are poor. We managed to buy the bamboo and tarpaulin with...