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They arrived in Bangladesh three years ago, leaving behind the bodies of their loved ones and the burning land. The following months were spent in a makeshift bamboo and canvas shelter at a Cox’s Bazar shelter, in an unsafe and unsanitary environment.
At the new address in Bhasanchar, each Rohingya family will have a separate house for themselves, with cooking, electricity, water and sewerage facilities. Along with that, there are playgrounds, cyclone shelters, and even opportunities to earn a living.
The Bangladeshi government has spent Tk 2,312 crore to evacuate one lakh out of the 11 lakh Rohingya in Cox’s Bazar camp to safer shelters.
In the first phase of the relocation, a group of 1,642 Rohingya arrived on the island in the middle of the sea on Friday afternoon after a long two-day journey by bus and boat from the Kutupalong camp in Ukhia.
After disembarking from the ship, they were taken by car to the Bhasanchar Asrayan project food warehouse. There, sitting on the wide floor, after the munajat, they were asked to go up to their respective rooms.
For the past three years, they have been living in shelters at Cox’s Bazar, made of bamboo and canvas, in unsafe and unsanitary conditions.
As the Rohingya began to leave the warehouse in droves, the fatigue of the two-day journey was overshadowed by the shouting of names and the uproar.
The Rohingya Majhis (small group leaders) were responsible for bringing the new residents of the shelter project, which was built in cluster houses and shelter stations in the style of a cluster village. All of them were seen busy searching for their team members and taking them home.
Family members, handbags and bags over their shoulders, rushed to the newly built houses as if their long wait had come to an end.
Mohammad Yunus, a boatman on that team, told bdnews24.com: “We have brought a lot of hope. We are very happy.”
Commodore Abdullah Al Mamun Chowdhury, director of the Bhasan Char Shelter Project, told reporters: “The wait is over. We are very happy that the first group of Rohingya came. Today is a holiday here. “
New beginning
The group of Rohingya were taken to the Ghumdhum transit camp near the Kutupalong camp in Ukhia on Wednesday night for transfer to Bhasanchar. Dozens of buses gathered on the campus of Ukhia Degree College.
On Thursday, those buses carried a total of five convoys to Chittagong from Ukhia. There was strict security by law enforcement in front of and behind the buses.
After arriving in Chittagong, they were kept overnight in the BAF Shaheen school and college transit camp at BAF Zahur base.
From there, around 9 a.m. Friday, six Navy ships and one Army ship were brought from their boat club, RRB jetty and the Coast Guard jetty to Bhasanchar. Rows and rows of benches are arranged for everyone to sit on the deck of the ship.
A group of 1,642 Rohingya arrived at their new address in Bhasanchar on Friday afternoon after a two-day journey from the Kutupalong camp in Ukhia.
1,019 Rohingya luggage was shipped to Bhasanchar on two ships. At 10:20 a.m., dozens of ships, including Navy and Coast Guard speedboats, defense boats and field boats, set sail.
After leaving the ship, the curious Rohingya looked around with interest. Many of them came to Cox’s Bazar after August 2016 by crossing the Naf and Sagar rivers by sampan or raft.
Each Rohingya family was accompanied by a few children. Parents have to work hard to handle these children playing on the deck of the ship.
Most of the families were seen with small dolls. Some have brought pots and pans, mirrors and clothes in sacks.
During the three and a half hour trip on the boat, there was a Polish rooster for lunch.
Ramzan Ali came to Bhasanchar with two wives and three children from the Kutupalong camp. Talk to him on the boat.
Ramzan said: “I fled Myanmar and took refuge in Bangladesh to save my dignity and my life. The government of this country has given us shelter. I don’t mind staying where they feel good. “
Before the sheep at the Bhasanchar jetty, all eyes are on the new direction of the ship.
New life
Two years ago, the government planned to temporarily relocate a portion of the 1.1 million Rohingya in and out of Cox’s Bazar refugee camp amid various social problems.
That is why the island of Bhasanchar in the Meghna estuary near Hatiyar in Noakhali was fully prepared for human habitation.
More than 300 Rohingya who had not returned to Malaysia were rescued from the sea and brought to Bhasanchar earlier.
Then, on September 5, a delegation of Rohingya from the Cox’s Bazar refugee camp was sent to Bhasan Char to visit.
After their return, some Rohingya expressed interest in moving to Bhasan Char, according to government officials. His first team arrived there on Friday.
Project manager Mamun said: “Beautiful arrangements have been made here for the livelihood of those who will come here. They will be better here than before. “
In this shelter project, 120 groups or groups of villages have been created to house millions of Rohingya. There are 12 houses in each group. Each house with a tin shed on the paved walls has 16 rooms. Each room accommodates a family of four.
Rohingya participate in munajat at the Bhasanchar Asrayan project food warehouse before moving to their respective homes.
By the UN standard, 36 square feet of space per capita has been allocated for housing, but more space has been allocated in these rooms, the project manager said.
For the 1,642 Rohingya who arrived in Bhasanchar on Friday, 48 houses have been allocated in groups 6, 7, 9 and 10.
Additional Commissioner for Refugees, Relief and Repatriation, Mohammad Shassu-Ddouja, said the government will provide food, medical care and other necessities to the Rohingya through 22 NGOs.
“They will be fed cooked food for the first seven days. Each of these families will receive LPG cylinders. Then they can cook and eat on their own. These NGOs will continue to provide them with food ”.
On this 13,000-acre island, tall dams have been built about 1602 acres of land to protect against the risk of tides and swells.
Within this, 432 acres have been set aside for Rohingya housing and other facilities and 917 acres have been set aside for future expansion and afforestation of the project.
There is a four-story composite shelter station for each Rohingya shelter group. This refuge station is capable of withstanding cyclones with a speed of 260 km per hour.
There are separate bathrooms and toilets for men and women who live in each house. Each house has solar panels in the canopy. The house has a water supply system.
“We have high hopes. We are very happy,” said Mohammad Yunus, a Rohingya boatman.
Two playgrounds have been created for children. Two 20-bed hospitals and four community clinics have been established to provide medical care to the island’s residents. They are supposed to be entered step by step.
Poultry, poultry, fishing, fruit and agricultural farms have been experimentally established in the project area under the supervision of the Navy.
Dairy farms, rice and vegetable crops, handicrafts, women’s sewing and tourism projects have also been started to boost local economic activities.
Anxiety about ‘self-effort’
Despite government assurances that the Rohingya would be better off than Cox’s Bazar camp in the Bhasanchar shelter project, several international organizations, including the United Nations, have always distanced themselves from the government’s initiative.
The United Nations said in a statement Wednesday that it had no involvement in the government’s plan to evacuate the Rohingya.
After disembarking at the Bhasanchar jetty, the Rohingya were taken by car to the main shelter project.
The statement also called on the government to ensure that the Rohingya are able to make independent decisions on all issues.
“The United Nations has not been involved in the preparatory process for this relocation, nor in the process of identifying refugees,” he said. The United Nations does not have enough information about the transfer process in general. “
Human Rights Watch (HRW) also issued a statement on Thursday calling for an end to the relocation of Rohingya to Bhasanchar.
One of the reasons for your concern is the geographical location of Bhasan Char. They say they are not sure how safe the Rohingya will be in the cyclone and tsunami on the isolated island in the middle of the sea.
They also want to know if there is any urgent humanitarian need for the Rohingya.
The changed Bhasan Char is waiting for the Rohingya
“The UN delegation can visit the project,” Commodore Abdullah Al Mamun Chowdhury, project director, told reporters after the first group of Rohingya arrived on the island.
He stated that all arrangements have been made for the temporary shelter of one lakh of Rohingya. Tall houses have also been built to protect them from natural disasters like cyclones and storm surges. Other security measures have also been taken, including shelters.
The Rohingya go home with boxes and relatives.
In response to concerns from various organizations, including the United Nations, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Friday that only those among the Rohingya who had expressed an interest in voluntarily going to Bhasanchar had been taken there.
“The Rohingya are citizens of Myanmar and must be repatriated. Bangladesh is doing everything possible for the safety of these Myanmar citizens who have taken temporary refuge.
At this stage, the only real solution should be for the international community, including the United Nations, to take responsibility with Myanmar for initiating the repatriation of the Rohingya and to engage effectively.
“At the same time, we urge everyone to be extremely vigilant to minimize the sincere efforts of the Bangladeshi government and not misinterpret them.”
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