According to Bangladesh’s Minister of State Shehryar Alam, a ship carrying about 1,400 refugees will reach Bhasana Char in the next few days, an island about 0 km (24 miles) off the coast near the city of Chittagong. Foreign affairs.
The Bangladeshi government has spent years building a network of shelters on the island to accommodate the 100,000 people currently living in the now-spread refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar, near the border with Myanmar.
But human rights groups and refugees themselves are long gone Concerned about the safety of the desolate, low-lying island, as it often sinks partially during monsoons and suffers from cyclones.
Human Rights Watch called the situation on the island “weak”, with the Rohingya possibly facing a lack of adequate medical care. The group also expressed concern that refugees could be denied freedom of movement, sustainable livelihood or education. It is also unclear whether the role – if any – will allow humanitarian agencies to remain there.
“Without proper assessments and adequate information to the refugees about the situation on the island, the move is nothing less than a dangerous mass detention in violation of the international human rights obligations of the Rohingya,” said Daniel Sullivan, the group’s senior human rights lawyer.
“Limited” UN involvement
The government has been building facilities at Bhasan Char for many years to ease the pressure on the camps in Cox’s Bazar, home to about 1 million Rohingya refugees.
Many refugees fled Myanmar to Bangladesh to escape the violent military crackdown in 2017, which the International Court of Justice in The Hague ordered Myanmar to protect the Rohingya population from acts of genocide. Myanmar denies allegations of genocide, and maintains “clearance operations” by the military were legitimate anti-terrorism measures.
The statement said, “Rohingya refugees should be able to make an open and informed decision about relocating to BH on the basis of relevant, accurate and updated information.”
“Any migration to Bhasan Char should be preceded by comprehensive technical security assessments. These independent UN assessments will include the safety, feasibility and sustainability of Bharan Char as a place for refugees to live, as well as the framework and services for protection and assistance they can access on the island.”
Hospitals, schools
On Thursday, 933 Rohingya refugees left the Chittagong Tug for camp in Cox’s Bazar and more than 400 are expected to travel on Friday, Alam said. Foreign Minister of Bangladesh.
Both groups then travel 2.5 hours in a naval vessel to Bhavin Char.
The island could accommodate 100,000 people in 120 shelters, according to Abdullah Al Mamun Chaudhry, commander of the Bangladesh Navy, director of the Bhasan Char Island project.
Each shelter can seat 800 to 1,000 people and each family will have a 12-foot-by-14-foot (6 .—meter-by-3-meter) unit, he said.
Chaudhary added that shelters have been built 14 feet above the ground in “any cyclonic condition” and they can withstand winds of 260 kilometers (161 miles per hour). There are two 20-bed hospitals, as well as community clinics and on-site medical staff and three schools.
“We are ready in all aspects,” Chaudhary said. “We’re taking care of food, medical, safety.”
Fear of being forcibly removed
Bangladesh has said the migration process will be voluntary, but many rights groups have expressed concern that refugees could be forced.
Human Rights Watch said about a dozen families said their names were on the list of people willing to go, but they did not volunteer to be relocated. There are reports that some of the refugees on the list have fled for fear of forced migration.
Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said: “The Bangladeshi government is actively reforming its commitment to the United Nations that no refugees will be resettled on the four islands unless humanitarian experts give green light. “If the government had true faith in the island’s inhabitants, they would be transparent and not rush the UN’s technical assessment.”
Bangladesh’s foreign minister did not immediately respond to CNN’s questions about forcing refugees to relocate.
Fortify Rights reports that some Rohingya in the Cox’s Bazar camp were told by unelected Rohingya camp leaders that they could be the first in line to return to Myanmar if they went to Bhasan Char.
Chaudhary said the government has decided to return some of those people to Cox’s Bazar because “families have broken up.” He said many of the refugees on the island are women who wanted to be reunited with their relatives.
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