Rohingya refugees in Sri Lanka protest planned closure of U.N. office, fearing abandonment

By KRISHAN FRANCIS
Associated Press

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — A group of Rohingya refugees living in Sri Lanka has staged a protest outside the office of the U.N. refugee agency. They say they fear losing their living allowance once the agency’s office in the island nation closes at the end of this year. The protesters also want to be resettled in another country because Sri Lanka does not allow them to live there permanently. About 100 Rohingya refugees live in Sri Lanka, most of them rescued at sea by the navy while they were trying to reach Indonesia after fleeing Myanmar for Bangladesh.