Thatcher Hullerman Cook
12/23/2004

This Bihari weaver lives and works in Millat camp. Having worked like this since he was ten, he assured Refugees International it was not physically difficult for him. Without interrupting his labor, he explained that he generally produces about three saris by working a nine or ten hour day, with a break every three hours. The bulk of his earnings is used to rent the equipment from its local Bangladeshi owner, and the rest is used to help support his parents and younger siblings.

There are currently 250,000 to 300,000 stateless Biharis in Bangladesh. Because they were part of the opposition to Bangladesh's independence movement, they were stripped of their citizenship and now reside in sixty-six camps throughout the country. Unlike many of the other Bihari camps RI visited in Bangladesh, residents in Millat are employed, working as barbers, sari-makers, or doing other odd jobs. The Millat camp accommodates 650 families, the majority of whom say they want to live in Pakistan.