Bangladesh sends hundreds more Rohingya refugees to island
“They are going there voluntarily. All the 379 refugees have
chosen to live there for a better and secure life,” he told the media.
“Authorities will take care of everything – from food to
medicine,” he added.
The government began sending Rohingya refugees to the island
eleven months ago, and says it can now accommodate up to 100,000.
Douza said a total of 1,500 refugees would be transported to
the island in phases over the next few weeks. Previously, about 19,000 refugees
were relocated to the island from Cox’s Bazar where more than 1 million
Rohingya refugees from Myanmar live in crowded camps.
It was not clear when the next batch will travel to the
island.
The government says the relocation is a temporary
arrangement and eventually they will have to return to their home country in
Myanmar, although Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has also said she will not force
the refugees to return.
In October, the UN signed an agreement with Bangladesh’s
government to facilitate sending refugees to the island. The UN and other
groups had earlier criticised the relocation, saying the island, which is
regularly submerged by monsoon rains, was not fit for habitation.
The government has spent more than US$112 million on
development, adding sea walls, hospitals, schools and mosques.
The UN agreement allows for close cooperation between the
international body and the government to supply services and aid for the
island’s residents.
Rights groups, however, have continued to express concerns
over the plans. This week, the International Federation of Red Cross urged in a
statement that urgent action was needed to protect the refugees from cyclones
and the COVID-19 pandemic on Bhashan Char Island. It said Bangladesh’s Red
Crescent has been working directly with the refugees so that lifesaving
measures are in place ahead of the next big cyclone, as big storms regularly
threaten the Bay of Bengal from September until December.
It said vaccinations have been underway for people aged over
55 on the island, and more doses are due for the remaining adults.
The Rohingya are not recognised as citizens in
Buddhist-majority Myanmar, rendering them stateless, and face other forms of
state-sanctioned discrimination and violence.
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