Rohingya refugees continue to be relocated to Cox’s Bazar, the island
Dhaka, Kuala Lumpur … News Time
The Bangladeshi government is continuing to relocate Rohingya refugees to Bhasan Char, a dangerous island in the Bay of Bengal. The Bangladeshi government is offering them a new life under a program to resettle them on the island, but they are not happy with the move. The Bangladeshi government is also denying access to the island to international aid agencies, human rights organizations and journalists, raising suspicions. The British Broadcasting Corporation spoke on the phone with some of the refugees in the camp. In this conversation, the growing anger among these refugees is clearly felt due to the lack of basic necessities and job opportunities on the island. Rohingya Muslims were forcibly evicted from Myanmar when the army invaded the Rakhine state and burned their villages. About 1 million Rohingya Muslims took refuge in Bangladesh to save their lives. Most of them took refuge in the crowded Kata Palang camp in Cox’s Bazar district. Bangladesh also made unsuccessful attempts to deport the Rohingya. It now plans to relocate about 100,000 people to the Bhasan Char camp to reduce congestion in other camps. Inayat, a refugee from Bhasan Char, says she was reluctant to move her family here in the hope of a better life. The authorities promised us many things that each family would be given a piece of land, cows, buffaloes and loans to start a business. The island of Bhasan Char emerged 15 years ago in the sea 60 km off the coast of Bangladesh. The 40-square-kilometer island is less than 2 meters above sea level and is made up entirely of mud. Local fishermen use it for relaxation, but humans have never settled on it.
Malaysia, on the other hand, deported more than 1,000 Myanmar migrants in defiance of court orders. According to news agencies, Malaysia repatriated the refugees by three ships sent by the Myanmar army, while a court in Kuala Lumpur had ordered to stop the deportation of the refugees till Wednesday morning. The government claims it has not deported migrants registered under the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
