Rohingya relocation
Rohingya relocation: 2,495 going to Bhasan Char in 6th phase
About 2,500 Rohingyas are being relocated from the camps in Cox’s Bazar to Bhasan Char island in the 6th phase.
Cox's Bazar Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner (RRRC) Shah Rezwan Hayat said 47 buses carrying the Rohingyas have reached Chattogram.
Rohingyas willing to go to Bhasan Char were brought to the temporary transit point at Ukhiya Degree College ground and given necessary items including food, water and medicine.
Rohingya Majhis (leaders) said many forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals are now willing to move to Bhasan Char after learning about the facilities and quality of life there.
Also read: Rohingya relocation: 1,778 more heading towards Bhasan Char
Cox's Bazar Additional RRRC Shamsuddoza Nayan said the Rohingyas would be taken to Bhasan Char from Patenga under the Navy’s management on Wednesday.
In five phases, over 14,000 Rohingyas were shifted to Bhasan Char.
Bangladesh is currently hosting over 1.1 million Rohingyas in camps in Cox’s Bazar and Bhasan Char. Most of them came here since August 25, 2017 when the Myanmar military launched a brutal offensive targeting the mainly-Muslim ethnic minority.
Where is Bhasan Char?
It surfaced 20 years ago 34 kilometres off the mainland and was never inhabited.
Bangladesh spent millions of dollars to develop Bhasan Char and plans to relocate 100,000 Rohingyas there in phases in the face of growing concerns over the extreme congestion in Cox’s Bazar camps and to avert any untoward incident.
Also read: Don’t worry about Rohingya relocation to Bhasan Char: Dhaka to UNHCR
Contractors say the island’s infrastructure is like a modern township. A police station was also set up there recently.
Who are the Rohingyas?
The Rohingyas are one of the most persecuted minorities in the world.
Members of this ethnic minority are denied citizenship by Myanmar and many are forced to live in squalid camps in apartheid-like condition. State-sponsored discrimination against the Rohingyas stretches decades back.
Also read: Don't undermine, misinterpret genuine efforts: Dhaka on Rohingya relocation
Rohingya crisis and Bangladesh
Bangladesh has long been urging the global community to take effective steps to put pressure on Myanmar to create a congenial atmosphere for Rohingya repatriation but there has been little progress so far.
The presence of the huge number of Rohingya refugees in the coastal district has put them on a collision course with the locals. Many Rohingyas have allegedly got involved in various criminal activities.
1,800 more Rohingyas moved to Bhasan Char
A group of nearly 1,800 refugee Rohingyas set sail for Bhasan Char Thursday, as part of the government's plan to relocate them to the remote Bay of Bengal island from crammed camps in Cox’s Bazar.
Sea cruise with Maldives can be introduced in winter: Sheikh Hasina
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday said sea cruise services can be introduced between Bangladesh and the Maldives during the winter season.
Another batch of Rohingyas reaches Bhasan Char
The latest batch of Rohingyas has reached Noakhali’s Bhasan Char.
Bhasan Char: Rohingyas gradually getting involved in economic activities
The Rohingyas, now living in Bhasan Char, are gradually getting involved in economic activities and informal education which, the authorities say, will help Rohingyas stay away from committing any major crimes.
Another batch of 1,400 Rohingyas relocated to Bhasan Char
A total of 1,464 Rohingyas on Saturday left for Bhasan Char in the third phase from camps of Cox's Bazar, as part of the government’s initiative to relocate the ethnic group to the island.
Rohingya relocation: 1,778 more heading towards Bhasan Char
As part of the government’s initiative to relocate Rohingyas to Bhasan Char, 1,778 more Rohingyas started their journey to the island in the third batch in one ship on Friday.
3rd phase Rohingya relocation to Bhasan Char starts Friday
The authorities concerned are all set to start the third phase of Rohingya relocation to Bhasan Char island from Friday.
Rohingya repatriation: Dhaka seeks proactive, meaningful role from int'l community
State Minister for Foreign Affairs M Shahriar Alam on Thursday sought "proactive and meaningful" role of the international community for a sustainable solution to the prolonged Rohingya crisis through their repatriation to Myanmar.
Bhasan Char: 3,000 Rohingyas to be relocated in 3rd phase
Around 3,000 Rohingyas have agreed to relocate to Bhasan Char from the camps in Ukhiya and Teknaf in Cox’s Bazar.