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Discussions are taking place at home and abroad about the large-scale infrastructure the government has put in place to house many of the Rohingya refugees on an island in the sea south of Bangladesh. Growing up in the Bay of Bengal, the island, called Bhasanchar, is one of the newly formed chars in the region. However, this char is only 20 years old. The site of Bhasanchar was debated a few months after the onset of the Rohingya crisis.
What is the place of Bhasanchar like? – During the last two years these questions have been spinning in the minds of many, because until now the general public has very little idea about this island.
A total of Rs 3 billion has already been spent on the relocation of one lakh of Rohingya refugees from Cox’s Bazar to Bhasanchar after fleeing their homeland Myanmar. A few days ago, a government agency organized a visit by a group of journalists from Dhaka to Bhasanchar to show the facilities that have been created in Bhasanchar for the Rohingya.
The journey to Bhasanchar is not easy
The trip to Bhasanchar started at 10 am from the Navy Boat Club on the banks of the Karnafuli River in Paienen in Chittagong.
The voyage began with a large warship. The further the boat crosses the estuary of the Karnafuli River into the Bay of Bengal, the more the town disappears. Every now and then one or two large freighters enter the Bay of Bengal.
Although the navy traveled in large ships, the large waves could be felt at sea. After a long three-hour journey, our ship reached Bhasanchar. From the experience of this trip, it seemed that the trip to Bhasanchar could have been quite risky without a large ship. And it seems that regularly traveling this route is quite difficult and risky.
What does Bhasanchar look like?
In the past three years, the Bangladesh Navy has radically changed the face of Bhasanchar. Upon reaching the char, it was seen that in addition to the members of the navy, there were also some construction workers and buffalo herders.
Tajul Haque has worked as a buffalo herder in this char for the past five years. He said: ‘There is a lot of space here. We used to be Golden Island. When the army arrived, they told us to go to another char. Then we came here. ‘
The project was adopted by the government of Bangladesh in November 2016 with the aim of moving one lakh of Rohingya from Cox’s Bazar to Bhasanchar. This project has been called the Rayan-3 project and responsibility for its implementation has been entrusted to the Bangladesh Navy. Commodore Abdullah Al Mamun Chowdhury, project manager, said that all kinds of facilities have been built in Bhasanchar.
Rohingyas can be brought here at any time. We’ve finished all the work, ‘Commodore Chowdhury said.
120 clusters per lakh of Rohingya have been built in this char. In total, 1,440 homes have been built. Each room has 18 rooms, 6 at the front and 6 more at the back. There is a stove for each family to cook. There are three bathrooms and two bathrooms for each of the six bedrooms. Each room has two double bunkers or double beds. That means four people can stay in one room. If there are more than four members in a family, they will be assigned two rooms.
The kitchens, bathrooms and toilets have water supply. Also, there is a pond in each group. The depth of these ponds is 10 feet. The water from these ponds can be used for domestic purposes. Each group is built with the same pattern. All the houses look the same. There is a wide path in front of each house. These roads are 20 to 25 feet wide. This type of road is not commonly seen in any village in Bangladesh.
Storm – What will happen to the tsunami?
There is no doubt that the houses built for the Rohingya in Bhasanchar are far better than the refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar. Although there is no electricity supply for the Rohingya huts in Cox’s Bazar camp, solar power has been provided in Bhasanchar. But the biggest concern with Bhasanchar is what will happen to this char during the big storms and swells?
Project manager Commodore Abdullah Al Mamun Chowdhury said the last 161 years of cyclones have been reviewed. “So far, no cyclone I (center) has passed through this area.”
120 five-story shelter houses have been built in Bhasanchar with the aim of being used during natural disasters.
Commodore Chowdhury said these shelters will survive in the air up to 260 kilometers per hour.
A nine-foot-high embankment has been built around Bhasanchar to protect it from tides and swells. In the future, the dam will rise to 15 feet, authorities said.
Commodore Chowdhury, the project manager, said that if many strong storms pass over this char, the infrastructure may be damaged, but human lives will not be in danger.
To avoid the erosion of this coal, a protection of the coast of about three kilometers has been established. Shore protection has been provided on the sea side where the waves hit the coal. The embankment has been built 500 meters from the protection of the coast.
Luxury home in Bhasanchar
Once you enter Bhasanchar and go a little further you will see a beautiful house. The question arises, why such a scenic facility in the char where the Rohingya refugees will live? Members of the Navy said the house was built for the president, prime minister, ministers and high-ranking military and civilian officials. When you visit Bhasanchar, you can rest in that house.
A member of the navy said that 8 million rupees had been spent to build and decorate the house. There are separate rooms for the prime minister and the president, he said.
The navy member said: “No one can stay here under the command of the navy chief.”
The Rohingya were not seen
About four months ago, 307 Rohingya floating in the sea were rescued and brought to Bhasanchar. There they are under the supervision of the Navy. Journalists were not allowed to meet with the Rohingya during the visit. The journalists were not even informed about the location of the Rohingya in Char.
These Rohingya have recently protested from Bhasanchar to return to their families in Cox’s Bazar. Citing some Rohingya living in Bhasanchar recently, the London-based international human rights organization Amnesty International complained that there had been incidents of sexual harassment of Rohingya women.
Journalists asked Commodore Abdullah Al Mamun Chowdhury, project manager, about this. Commodore Chowdhury denied such accusations and said he had taken over the Rohingya in Bhasanchar. However, he noted that the Rohingya sometimes behave in a disorderly manner.
Can NGOs work?
More than 100 local and foreign NGOs are currently working to help Rohingya living in the Ukhia and Teknaf camps in Cox’s Bazar. Whether these NGOs will be able to work in Bhasanchar is a big question. Because so far no NGO facility has been built in Bhasanchar.
If the NGOs want to work there, it is not yet clear who will build them offices. It is impossible for NGOs to build facilities in Bhasanchar without government land allocation and support from the navy. In addition to the construction of housing for the Rohingya in Bhasanchar, a building has been allocated for the office of the UN Representative, the Red Cross and the Commissioner for Refugees, Relief and Repatriation.
An international organization official who works in Cox’s Bazar said that, considering the reality, it is impossible to work in Bhasanchar. The official, who did not want to be named, said: “It takes at least three hours to reach Bhasanchar by sea. It is risky to travel this way without large ships. Also, there are no daily commutes here. So how will our staff travel?
It is anticipated that it will be very difficult not only for NGO workers but also for government officials to travel to Bhasanchar.
A police station has been established in Bhasanchar. A police officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said traveling to the char for nine months out of the year is risky, as the sea is often rough.
What will happen if the Rohingya don’t?
The government of Bangladesh is trying various ways to bring the Rohingya to Bhasanchar and in this case the government’s position is that there will be no coercion. But so far there is no possibility of the Rohingya going there. In the eyes of the Rohingya, Bhasanchar is a “prison.” The Rohingya do not want to live on this island surrounded by the sea.
So, the question has already been raised that if it is not possible to get the Rohingyas there in the end, what is the point of spending billions of rupees on Bhasanchar? There is no clear answer to this.
However, Commodore Chowdhury said that when the Rohingya return to their homeland, Myanmar, it will be used as other refugee projects in Bangladesh.
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