Bhasan Char
Deal over UN's operational engagement in Bhasan Char likely on Saturday
Bangladesh and the United Nations are likely to sign a formal document on Saturday to find ways for UN engagement in Bhasan Char demonstrating support to the government’s massive investment there to ensure better living for Rohingyas, officials said.
“We’re expecting that the MoU will be signed on Saturday morning if there’s no last-minute change,” a senior official told UNB, mentioning that things are finalised.
However, he did not elaborate further what will be the nature of UN engagement in Bhasan Char and the specific areas of cooperation.
The numerous challenges associated with the temporary hosting of persecuted Rohingyas from Myanmar have compelled the government of Bangladesh to plan the relocation of 100,000 Rohingyas to Bhashan Char, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
So far, nearly 20,000 Rohingyas have moved to Bhasan Char since December last year in a number of groups.
Some 1642 Rohingyas were relocated to Bhashan Char on December 4, 2020, while the second batch, comprising 1,804 Rohingyas, had been transferred from Cox’s Bazar to Bhashan Char on December 29 last year.
On Wednesday, Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen said the operational engagement of the UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, in Bhasan Char will begin soon. “Everything is final. It has been done as agreed.”
Read: Bhasan Char: an excellent example for a safe, sustainable, and resilient place for Rohingya relocation
Recognizing Bangladesh’s massive investment in Bhasan Char, UN Resident Coordinator in Bangladesh Mia Seppo said there has been, rather, a lot of negative coverage about Bhasan Char and it is important that they have somehow managed to move away from that.
She said they want to be partners in trying to create something so that everybody can live and the conversation that they are having now is important.
Regarding the proposed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to engage in Bhasan Char, Mia said there are protections and humanitarian imperatives and they are obviously looking to support the massive efforts of the government in Bhasan Char.
Bodies of 11 Rohingya boat escapees from Bhasan Char recovered
The bodies of 11 Rohingyas out of more than 40 who tried to escape by boat from Bhasan Char have been recovered, according to naval police officials.
The engine-boat on which Rohingya men, women with children were trying to flee from Noakhali’s Bhasanchar drowned in the deep-sea Friday night.
It was learned that 15 people were rescued after the incident, 11 bodies were recovered till Tuesday afternoon and 15 were still missing.
Coast Guard, navy and police have been conducting operations to recover the bodies since Saturday.
READ: Rohingya children must be educated in their own language: FM
Bhasanchar police officer in charge (OC) Rafiqul Islam told UNB that 41 Rohingya refugees including women and children, fled from different clusters of the Bhasanchar refugee camp in Hatia upazila of Noakhali around 11 pm on Friday in an engine-driven fishing trawler for Chattogram. The trawler sank into Bay of Bengal 20 km from Bhasanchar, at the area between Chittagong and Hatia upazila, at around 1:30 am due to a storm.
“A fishing trawler rescued 14 Rohingyas from the spot and took them back to the Bhasanchar Rohingya refugee camp on Saturday morning. Another missing Rohingya named Abdur Rahman (35) was rescued from Keranirhat area of Satkania upazila in Chattogram on Saturday night.”
A total of 15 Rohingyas have been rescued alive. So far, 15 people are missing in this incident. Rescue teams from the Coast Guard, Navy and Air Force are continuing their rescue operation, he added
Coast Guard east zonal commander Captain Kazi Shah Alam, said a total of 11 Rohingya bodies have been recovered from deep sea and Sandwip coast till Tuesday afternoon.
READ: Covid-19: Vaccination campaign begins at Rohingya camps
Among the recovered bodies two were women and six children, he added.
Sandwip Police Station OC Bashir Ahmed Khan said two bodies were found floating on the Sandwip coast. After recovering those the bodies were handed over to the Coast Guard.
FM's NY Visit: Dhaka to press for early repatriation of Rohingyas
Bangladesh will reiterate its position seeking quick and sustainable repatriation of Rohingyas as Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen left here for New York on Sunday morning to attend two important events at the UN General Assembly (UNGA).
One of the events will be on Myanmar's current situation where Bangladesh will reiterate its call to the international community for quick and sustainable repatriation of Rohingyas, said Dr Momen.
"Our priority is repatriation. They (Rohingyas) must be repatriated. We want to make Rohingya repatriation a condition," he said, mentioning that much has been talked about democracy and the overall situation in Myanmar.
Bangladesh is hosting over 1.1 million Rohingyas in Cox's Bazar district and Bhasan Char.
Also read: Rohingya repatriation looks uncertain: Hasina tells UNGA President
No Rohingya was repatriated over the last four years amid the "absence of conducive environment" in Rakhine State and lack of confidence among the Rohingyas, officials said.
Dr Momen said President of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Volkan Bozkir invited him during his recent visit to Bangladesh.
"There’ll be very good discussion. Many will join it," said the Foreign Minister.
12 Rohingyas flee Bhasan Char, but make it only as far as Companiganj
Police detained 12 Rohingyas, including four children, from Noakhali's Companiganj Friday while they were fleeing Bhasan Char of the district's Hatiya.
Locals spotted them at Dakkhiner Ghat of Ward 3 of Char Elahi Union in the morning.
During interrogation, the Rohingyas admitted that they had escaped Bhasan Char on a rented boat at the dead of night Thursday to go to one of the camps in Cox's Bazar, according to locals.
Also read: Govt. urges international community to do more for Rohingyas
On information, Companiganj police went to the spot and brought the 12 Rohingyas to the police station.
Companiganj Police Station Officer-in-Charge (Investigation) Md Abul Kalam Azad said, "The detained Rohingyas have been kept in police custody and arrangements are being made to file a case against them."
Since December last year, the government has moved around 20,000 Rohingyas to Bhasan Char and plans to relocate 100,000 refugees to the island.
Also read: 2 Rohingyas killed in landslide at Rohingya camps
Bhasan Char is seen by Dhaka as a solution to the severe overcrowding found in the camps dotting the two southern-most upazilas of Cox's Bazar, itself the country's southern-most district, on the border with Myanmar's Rakhine state.
Dhaka has also consistently denied accusations that some of the refugees may have been moved there under duress, or involuntarily at least.
Bhasan Char: an excellent example for a safe, sustainable, and resilient place for Rohingya relocation
The Bhasan Char is a near shore island in the Bay of Bengal located in the western side of Sandwip and it is separated from Sandwip Island by a 6-kmwide shallow channel. It is 60 km away from the mainland of Noakhali District (Fig. 1).The name of this newly emerged island (since 2003) was Thengar Char. Our Honorable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina introduced the name of the island as Bhasan Char for the relocation of the forcefully displaced people of Rohingya Community of Myanmar sheltered at Kutupalong area of Teknaf in Cox’s Bazar.
Read: Bhasan Char much better than Cox’s Bazar camps: UNHCR
Geologically, Bangladesh is formed of the recent alluvial sediments (age: from 10,000 years to date) with few isolated Pleistocene terraces (age:from 10,000 years to 2.5 million years) that include Madhupur Tract in the central part, Barind Tract in the northwestern part and Lamai Hills in the eastern part of the country and the Tertiary (age: 2.5 million to 23 million years) eastern folded belts.The folded belts are composed of sandstone, siltstone, and shale/claystone. When these sedimentary rocks encountered at shallow depth below the alluvial sediments, we termed these rock layers as bedrock due to their high rock strength. The western most fold of the easter hill ranges is the Sitakund Anticlinal Structure. The convex part of the fold is called Anticline and the concave part of the fold is called syncline. The Sandwip Channel is a syncline in the western part of the Sitakund Anticline. The Sandwip Island including Bhasan Char is a part of a buried Anticline. Therefore, basement of Sandwip and Bhasan Char Island is strong due to the presence of bedrocks at shallow depth.The land area of the island is increasing day and day since its emergence in 2003 due to the accretion of sediments around the island from the Bay of Bengal.
BhasanChar was a virgin island before the Rohingya relocation. Bangladesh Navy have implemented a project to develop the infrastructures in the Bhasan Char for the relocation of Rohingya people.Now, all types of urban facilities area available in this island.Various preventive measure has been taken to protect the island as well its inhabitants.
To protect the bank erosion and inundation of the island from tidal waves and surges, three layers engineering protective measures have taken in the island (Fig. 2). The outer layer of the protective measures is the wave breakers. The second protective measure is low height embankment of gravels and geo-bags. Then, the natural mangrove forest and the inner last protective measure is the nine feet height embankment consisting of compacted and consolidated silt and clayey silt taken fromnearby sites. The height of the embankment to be raised up to nineteen feet in future keeping the slope ratio at 1:5 with 25 feet top width, which will use as road. Pavement of cement-concrete (CC) blocks will be placed on the outer slope, and planting and grassing will be done along the embankment to protect the erosion of the embankment from tidal surges and torrential rainfall of monsoon time. The embankment is constructed following standard procedure based the model prepared for 100 years return period of tidal storm surges.
Read:Section of global media, CSOs campaigning against Bhasan Char with distorted info: MoFA
Bhasan Char much better than Cox’s Bazar camps: UNHCR
UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, on Wednesday cleared its position regarding protection and assistance towards Rohingyas both in Cox’s Bazar and Bhasan Char, saying that they will continue to be present in various places around the country indicating the inclusion of Bhasan Char.
“The government has made a very important investment in Bhasan Char. Bhasan Char is a much better (place than Cox’s Bazar camps),” Raouf Mazou, UNHCR Assistant High Commissioner for Operations, told reporters after their meeting with Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen here.
Read:UNHCR seeks vaccinations for refugees in Asia, including Rohingyas
He said they are with the government of Bangladesh and they always work with the government. “We’re present in Cox’s Bazar. We’ll continue to be present in various places around the country and will work with the government to ensure assistance to refugees.”
Raouf said anybody may feel isolated in Bhasan Char but they must have economic activities apart from education and healthcare facilities.
Gillian Triggs, the Assistant High Commissioner for Protection, said they are here to work and support the government in ensuring the protection of these Rohingyas.
Read:Fully cooperating with ICJ to “ensure justice” for Rohingyas: NUG
Section of global media, CSOs campaigning against Bhasan Char with distorted info: MoFA
The government of Bangladesh has said a section of international media and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) have been continuously campaigning against Bhasan Char and Rohingya relocation with distorted information.
Noting this with "great disappointment" the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday said such campaign will undermine the magnanimous humanitarian gestures and the sincere efforts of Bangladesh.
"Excessive focus on temporary arrangement and undue criticism will only shift the focus from the permanent solution, which lies in repatriation to and reintegration of Rohingyas in Myanmar," said the MoFA in a media release.
Also read: Fully cooperating with ICJ to “ensure justice” for Rohingyas: NUG
During UNHCR senior officials tour to Bhasan Char, a large number of Rohingya gathered and launched a demonstration.
At one point, the crowd got agitated and in the process, some of the Rohingyas reportedly got minor injury, said the Ministry adding that once the delegation left the island, the situation normalized.
The two-member team from the UNHCR Headquarters in Geneva, comprising the Assistant High Commissioner for Protection and the Assistant High Commissioner for Operations, is currently visiting Bangladesh.
As a part of their protection-mandate, the team, accompanied by senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, visited Bhasan Char on Monday.
The crowd had "free and frank interactions" with the AHCs and vented out their frustration and concerns over uncertainty vis-a-vis repatriation.
In absence of any progress in repatriation, they expressed desperation to get out of the present situation and requested to consider relocation to a third country, said the Ministry.
The Rohingyas demanded UN’s presence in Bhasan Char to ensure facilities such as education, livelihood activities, skill development etc, MoFA said.
Also read: UNHCR seeks adequate medical assistance for Rohingyas affected in Bhasan Char
They also confirmed to the AHCs that their relocation to Bhasan char was completely on a voluntary basis.
In recent times there have been a number of important visits to Bhashan Char including the visits of the OIC Assistant Secretary General, the 18-member UN team and most recently a group of Ambassadors.
During all these visits, the Rohingyas spontaneously and happily interacted with the visiting guests both in informal and formal settings.
The MoFA said Rohingyas are Myanmar nationals and any arrangement for them in Bangladesh; be it in Cox’s Bazar or in Bhasan Char; is purely on a temporary basis until they return to their country.
The Rohingyas also want to return to their homeland and all including the UNHCR need to work constructively to that end, said the Ministry.
The UN is expected to assume their responsibility and operate within their mandate taking into account the ground reality and concerns of the host community, Bangladesh says.
The Government of Bangladesh, on its part, is ready to address any realistic needs and concerns of the Rohingyas, said the Foreign Ministry.
UNHCR seeks adequate medical assistance for Rohingyas affected in Bhasan Char
UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, on Monday said the safety and wellbeing of Rohingyas are their main priority.
The UN agency noted they will continue to urgently seek additional information on the condition of those affected, and urged that they receive adequate medical assistance.
UNHCR said they are “deeply concerned” to learn of reports on Rohingyas who were injured during today’s events at Bhasan Char.
“We regret that those affected reportedly include children and women,” Louise Donovan, a spokesperson at the UNHCR, Cox’s Bazar, said in a statement.
Rohingays in Bhasan Char went unruly when two senior UN officials - Gillian Triggs, the Assistant High Commissioner for Protection, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and Raouf Mazou, Assistant High Commissioner for Operations, were visiting it.
READ: UNHCR's joint response plan to be launched Tuesday
During today’s visit, the UNHCR delegation was able to meet with a large group of refugees and listen to the various issues that they raised, which the delegation will further discuss with the Bangladesh authorities, said the UNHCR spokesperson.
The delegation now arrived in Cox’s Bazar and is scheduled to visit Rohingya camps there on Tuesday before returning to Dhaka to meet senior government officials.
The two UNHCR officials arrived here on Sunday on a four-day visit to see the Rohingya situation both in Cox's Bazar Rohingya camps and Bhasan Char.
Bangladesh is hosting over 1.1 million Rohingyas in Cox's Bazar district and Bhasan Char and Bangladesh is expecting UN agencies engagement in Bhasan Char within the next couple of months to provide humanitarian services there.
The government has a plan to shift 100,000 Rohingyas in Bhasan Char gradually while around 20,000 are already shifted there.
During his recent visit, United Nations General Assembly President Volkan Bozkir highly appreciated Bangladesh's efforts for Rohingyas in Bhashan Char, saying it will be another example to the world on how to deal with the refugee issues.
“I really applaud the work done there – the quality of buildings and also taking all the precautions. I think this will be another example to the world on how to deal with refugee issues,” he said.
Bozkir hoped that this would work well for the Rohingya people, giving them a better condition in Bhashan Char.
The UNGA President said he could not visit Bhasan Char but he saw a video on it and acknowledged the high-level of works there, including precautions and safety measures.
Bozkir appreciated Bangladesh’s role in the peacekeeping operations and sacrifices of the Bangladeshi peacekeepers for the peace and security of the world.
READ: UNHCR calls for strong global support for Rohingyas
The UNGA President said he has admiration for Prime Minister Hasina for her political and humanitarian thinking and saluted the hospitality and courage that Bangladesh has shown to the Rohingya people.
2 senior UN officials in city; visit to Bhasan Char planned
Two senior officials of UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, arrived here on Sunday on a four-day visit to see Rohingya situation both in Cox's Bazar Rohingya camps and Bhasan Char.
The UN officials are Gillian Triggs, the Assistant High Commissioner for Protection, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and Raouf Mazou, Assistant High Commissioner for Operations, a crucial role for overseeing UNHCR’s responses to refugee situations worldwide.
They will hold meetings with the officials in Dhaka and are planning to visit Cox's Bazar and Bhasan Char, a senior official told UNB, adding that the programmes are yet to be finalised.
Read:Global initiative launched to build sport Club Centres in Rohingya camps; beyond
They are likely to go to Bhasan Char first, most probably on Monday, said the official.
Bangladesh is hosting over 1.1 million Rohingyas in Cox's Bazar district and Bhasan Char and Bangladesh is expecting UN agencies engagement in Bhasan Char within next couple of months to provide humanitarian services there.
The government has a plan to shift 100000 Rohingyas in Bhasan Char gradually while around 20,000 are already shifted there.
Bhasan Char, a temporary shelter for Rohingyas until repatriation, remained unhurt with no casualty to personnel and livestock though cyclone Yaas caused damage to some extent in coastal areas.
Preparation to face challenges of Cyclone Yaas has become a proven guideline for facing future cyclones, says a senior official of the government adding that it brought confidence amongst all at Bhasan Char.
The Bhasan Char island also remained unaffected during cyclone Amphan though it caused damages in coastal districts of the country, he said.
During his recent visit, United Nations General Assembly President Volkan Bozkir highly appreciated Bangladesh's efforts for Rohingyas in Bhashan Char, saying it will be another example to the world on how to deal with the refugee issues.
“I really applaud the work done there – the quality of buildings and also taking all the precautions. I think this will be another example to the world on how to deal with refugee issues,” he said.
Bozkir hoped that this would work well for the Rohingya people, giving them a better condition in Bhashan Char.
Read: General Assembly has not forgotten Rohingya people: Bozkir
The UNGA President said he could not visit Bhasan Char but he saw a video on it and acknowledged the high-level of works there, including precautions and safety measures.
Bozkir appreciated Bangladesh’s role in the peacekeeping operations and sacrifices of the Bangladeshi peacekeepers for the peace and security of the world.
The UNGA President said he has admiration for Prime Minister Hasina for her political and humanitarian thinking and saluted the hospitality and courage that Bangladesh has shown to the Rohingya people.
Yaas: How Bhasan Char prepared for the cyclone
Bhasan Char, the temporary shelter for the Rohingya people until repatriation, heaved a sigh of relief as cyclone Yaas left the island untouched.
The island was spared during Amphan too, though the cyclone had caused damages in the coastal districts of the country, a senior government official said.
"So, disaster preparedness is essential before a cyclone. This also helps in instilling confidence in people," he said.
In Bhasan Char, apart from the residents, their livestock were also shifted to shelter stations set up ahead of the cyclone. All vehicles were kept inside warehouse-1.
Necessary preparations were also taken to prevent internal waterlogging -- by setting up high-capacity pumps and operating sluice gates during low tides.
Briefings were conducted for the Rohingya Majhi (Focals) regarding preparedness for the cyclone, officials said.
A rehearsal was also conducted to demonstrate the shifting of the Rohingya refugees from their cluster houses to the respective shelter stations.
All preparations regarding allocations of shelters for FDMNs, local people, NGOs, project workers and foreigners were done by May 24, officials said.
Availability of dry food, management and other administrative issues were also considered in coordination with RRRC.
During the showers, officials said, there were no reports of any waterlogging inside the embankment and the cluster area. Maximum water was drained out through the sluice gates and remaining water reserved in the canals, lakes and ponds.
During his recent visit, United Nations General Assembly President Volkan Bozkir highly appreciated Bangladesh's efforts for the Rohingya refugees in Bhashan Char, saying it will set another example to the world on how to deal with refugee issues.
READ: Cyclone Yaas: 25 villages flooded in Hatia, Bhasan Char Rohingya camps not affected
“I really applaud the work done there -- the quality of buildings and also taking all the precautions. I think this will be another example to the world on how to deal with refugee issues,” he said.
Bozkir hoped that this would work well for the Rohingya people, giving them a better condition in Bhashan Char.
The UNGA President said he could not visit Bhasan Char but he saw a video on it and acknowledged the high-level of work there, including precautions and safety measures.
Bozkir appreciated Bangladesh’s role in the peacekeeping operations and sacrifices of the Bangladeshi peacekeepers for the peace and security of the world.
READ: Bhasan Char to become another example to world: UNGA President
The UNGA President said he has admiration for Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for her political and humanitarian thinking and saluted the hospitality and courage that Bangladesh has shown to the Rohingya people.