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In the first phase, thousands of Rohingya took 20 buses
A group of Rohingya from the Ukhia-Teknaf refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar are finally moving to Bhasanchar voluntarily. The concerned people left for Bhasanchar in 20 buses at noon on Thursday.
Rohingya leaders speculate that the buses leaving the Ukhia Degree College grounds may contain thousands of Rohingya. According to the locals, they went to the transit point by car in the morning with daily necessities.
Although no one from the administration spoke about it, RAB-15 commander Azim Ahmed said they have been carrying out security duties since morning. He provided some photos and videos about it.
Meanwhile, the BBC reported that two international human rights organizations, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, had issued a statement calling for an end to the transfer of Rohingya refugees from Cox’s Bazar to Bhasanchar.
Human Rights Watch said in a statement that the government of Bangladesh must follow a transparent relocation process, based on a well-informed decision of the refugees and subject to permission to travel to and from the island. At the same time, an independent technical and security assessment must be carried out, as requested by the United Nations.
The United Nations has also called on the government to ensure that the Rohingya can make informed decisions on their way to Bhasanchar. The agency said in a statement Wednesday that the UN was not involved in the government’s finalized plan to relocate the Rohingya to Bhasanchar.
A camp official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told the media that more than 1,000 Rohingya had been transferred by bus from various refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar to Chittagong. There they will be handed over to the Navy. From there they will be taken to Bhasanchar on Friday by naval ship.
According to the campers, many Rohingya families volunteer to go to Bhasanchar. Temporary transit points have been established on the Ukhia College grounds to transport Rohingya from 34 camps in Ukhia-Teknaf to Bhasanchar. Various stalls and cloth stalls have been set up in the field. Although no one in the administration in charge wanted to open their mouths about this, a massive arrangement was seen a few days ago to bring the Rohingya to Bhasanchar.
Sources said several Rohingya arrived at the transit point after Wednesday night. Others started arriving from Thursday morning. Necessary transportation arrangements and food are stored in advance. The transfer of the Rohingya from the Ukhia College grounds to Bhasanchar began at 11:15 pm.
Fourteen warships have been kept ready to carry the Rohingya from Cox’s Bazar to Chittagong and from there to Bhasanchar. Some 60 tons of food has been stored for Rohingya who want to go to Bhasanchar. Cooked food will be provided for the first two months. Then they can cook in their respective residences.
According to sources, a delegation of 22 NGOs has already visited Bhasanchar Island in connection with the relocation of the Rohingya. They expressed their satisfaction with the arrangements envisaged by the government. However, on condition of anonymity, an international NGO official said there have been repeated allegations that the Rohingya will not go to Bhasanchar at the instigation of the NGOs. So this time, no NGO cares about the Rohingya. However, several NGOs are known to have started working there.
The sources further said that more than 3,000 Rohingya have agreed to leave their homes in the Ukhia and Teknaf hills and move to Bhasanchar. However, between 4,000 and 5,000 Rohingya have expressed interest, Refugee, Relief and Repatriation Commissioner Shah Rezwan Hayat told the media.
Many Rohingya interested in going to Bhasanchar said they agreed to go there after hearing descriptions from Rohingya leaders who had returned after visiting Bhasanchar. According to them, Bhasanchar will be much safer than living in densely populated slums. Furthermore, the infrastructure built for the Rohingya to live in Bhasanchar appears to have much more modern facilities.
By the way, it has long been rumored that 1 lakh from Rohingyas will go to Bhasanchar. The common people of Ukhia-Teknaf are expressing their relief that this journey has finally begun. Houses with all kinds of facilities have been built for the Rohingya in Bhasanchar, floating in the sea in Hatia in Noakhali. Last September, the government brought 40 Rohingya leaders, including two women, to see the accommodation. They were impressed by the accommodation arrangements at Bhasanchar. Back at the camp, they encouraged others to go to Bhasanchar as well.
Ittefaq / ZH
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