Bangladesh ships 2,010 more Rohingya refugees to Bhasan Char island

The government has relocated 2,010 more Rohingya refugees to the Bhasan Char island in Noakhali.

Five ships of Bangladesh Navy carrying the Rohingya from the refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar set off for the island from Chattogram, their transit point, on Monday morning, Rear Admiral Mozamme Haque said.

Dozens of buses carrying the Rohingya families from the Cox’s Bazar refugee camps left the Ukhiya Degree College ground on Sunday afternoon for Chattogram.

So far, the government has relocated 7,008 refugees to the island in four phases from Dec 4 last year.

Mozammel said a fifth batch of around 1,500 Rohingya are coming to Chattogram on Monday and they will be shipped to the island on Tuesday.  

The United Nations and international groups expressed concern over the voluntary relocation of the refugees and their safety in the remote island.

The government, which has built homes for around 100,000 refugees, said the numerous challenges associated with the temporary hosting of the persecuted Rohingya from Myanmar have “compelled” it to plan the relocation.

The government said it “strictly” followed the principle of voluntariness and maintained “utmost transparency” in the relocation process, noting that any arrangement in Bangladesh for the Rohingya is solely temporary in nature and they must be repatriated to their homeland Myanmar ultimately.

Many of the refugees who have moved to the island expressed satisfaction over the arrangements, which they say are better than those of the refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar.