The Bangladeshi government has committed to building thousands of new shelters for Rohingya Muslims who have been displaced from neighbouring Burma.

Around 400,000 Rohingya have crossed the border into neighbouring Bangladesh since a renewed assault by the country’s military in Rakhine state.

The huge number of refugees arriving in such a short period of time means official camps are “bursting at the seams”, according to a spokesperson for the United Nations Refugee Agency.

Many of the new arrivals have been forced to set up makeshift shelters in temporary camps, in cramped and unsanitary positions.

Responding to the influx of refugees, the Bangladeshi government said it will set up 14,000 additional shelters, in Kutupalong, near the border with Burma, according to a report in the country’s Daily Star newspaper.

Each shelter will house up to six families. The site will also include 8,500 temporary toilets and 14 warehouses to store aid and provisions.

Rohingya refugees – in pictures Show all 15 1 /15 Rohingya refugees – in pictures Rohingya refugees – in pictures A young girl and a baby wade through mud after arriving in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh from Burma on 10 September Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees – in pictures Rohingya refugees walk through a camp in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh after arriving from Burma Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees – in pictures A young Rohingya refugee gathers firewood after arriving in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh from Burma Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees – in pictures Rohingya refugees wait for sacks of rice to be distributed in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees – in pictures Rohingya Muslim refugees arrive on a boat in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh after crossing from Burma on 8 September Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees – in pictures Rohingya Muslim refugees react after being re-united with each other after arriving in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh on a boat from Burma Getty Rohingya refugees – in pictures Rohingya Muslim refugees walk along the remains of a road after arriving in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh on a boat from Burma Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees – in pictures Rohingya Muslim refugees wade through water after arriving in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh by boat from Burma Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees – in pictures Rohingya Muslim refugees wade through water after arriving in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh by boat from Myanmar Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees – in pictures Rohingya Muslim refugees stand in the rain after arriving in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh by boat from Burma Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees – in pictures Indian children hold placards and shout slogans during a protest against the alleged persecution of the Rohingya Muslims in Burma EPA/Raminder Pal Singh Rohingya refugees – in pictures Supporters of the Difa-e-Pakistan Council (DPC), an Islamic organisation, listen to their leaders' speeches against Burma's persecution of Rohingya Muslims, during a demonstration in Karachi Reuters/Akhtar Soomro Rohingya refugees – in pictures Hundreds of Iranians take part in a protest against violence in Myanmar after weekly Friday prayers, in Tehran EPA/Abedin Taherkenareh Rohingya refugees – in pictures Indonesian Muslim activists hold placards and shout slogans during a protest against the alleged persecution of the Rohingya minority in Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia EPA/Ali Lutfi Rohingya refugees – in pictures Members of an Islamic organisation shout slogans against the Burma government during a protest in Dhaka, Bangladesh EPA

However, the government also plans to impose a number of harsh restrictions on the inhabitants of the shelter.

Last week, Bangladeshi Home Affairs Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said inhabitants would be forbidden to leave the camp and also prohibited from travelling across the country by vehicle.

The current crisis in Rakhine State began in late August, when an insurgent Rohingya group attacked a police outpost.

This prompted Burma’s military to launch “clearance operations” against the rebels, setting off a wave of violence that has left hundreds dead, and tens of thousands fleeing to Bangladesh.

Rohingya crisis: Muslim village burnt to the ground

The army has been accused of using scored-earth tactics to expel Rohingya from the area. Fire-detection data and satellite imagery shows at least 80 large-scale fires in inhabited areas across northern Rakhine State since 25 August, according to Amnesty International.

Tirana Hassan, Amnesty International’s Crisis Response Director, said: “There is a clear and systematic pattern of abuse here. Security forces surround a village, shoot people fleeing in panic and then torch houses to the ground.

“In legal terms, these are crimes against humanity – systematic attacks and forcible deportation of civilians”