Rohingya leaders taken over the weekend to evaluate conditions on a Bay of Bengal island developed to house refugees reported the site is safe and well managed, but about 300 refugees living there since May said they are eager to move to camps on the mainland.
The 40 Rohingya leaders, representing 34 refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, were brought to Bhashan Char via members of the Bangladesh armed forces. Seven Rohingya were excluded from the delegation because they fell ill, the leaders said.
“I saw some of the terrifying things that I heard on stage on the island,” Mohammad Kalam, a Rohingya leader, told BenarNews after the delegation returned. “On the contrary, the general control of the place, adding protection and security, is very pleasant. I love everything I have seen.
Bangladesh officials want to relocate 100,000 refugees to the Bhashan Char site while international humanitarian organizations have questioned the suitability of the flood-prone islet for housing refugees. They have raised dozens of issues that need addressing to make it safe for habitation, including protection from disasters including cyclones and tidal surges.
Bangladesh has spent around $ 280 million to build houses, a giant embankment, and other infrastructure on the island. Another $ 92 million allocated in December 2019 to raise the height of the embankment and build an administrative building, a jetty and residential services for UN officials, said Enamur Rahman, minister of state for rate control and crisis relief at that moment.
The delegation visited those services during the visit.
“They showed us the embankment and the facilities, adding fish ponds, residences, mosques, gyms, schools, playgrounds and cemeteries,” Mostafa Kamal, a Rohingya leader, told BenarNews.
Another leader said he believes some refugees may be willing to move to the island due to its topography.
“We think some Rohingya might be willing to pass. Especially those who live in the coastal or river spaces of Myanmar will love this place, ”Hefzur Rahman told BenarNews. “We will check out to convince some families from the camp to agree to go there. “
Authorities have said that amenities on the island are greater than in refugee camps that house more than 740,000 Rohingya who fled the brutal army crackdown in Myanmar 3 years ago. In total, about 1 million Rohingya in and around Cox’s Bazar camps.
More Rohingya visits planned
Refugees from other camps will also have the opportunity to assess in Bhashan Char, Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner (RRRC) Mahabub Alam Talukder told BenarNews.
“The unfounded fears of the Rohingya disappeared after Bhashan Char’s visit,” Talukder said. “The government sent them to see the rehabilitation center with their own eyes so that they can make a resolution [that they need to move]. “
However, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has said that while these visits are a smart practice, extensive coverage and technical testing should be carried out before any resettlement is contemplated.
“Such an inspection will cause the Rohingya to make an informed resolution related to voluntary resettlement in Bhashan Char,” Mohammad Sajjad Hossain, UNHCR workplace spokesman for Dhaka, told Mostafa Mostafa.
“They cried a lot”
At the same time, members of the delegation said that many of the island’s 306 Rohingya refugees sought to return to Cox’s Bazar, not because of the life situations in Bhashan Char but because they sought to be united with their families. families.
“I met the Rohingya on a Sunday afternoon visit. They cried a lot, ”said Rohingya leader Kamal. “Many of them have relatives in Cox’s Bazar. They suggested that the government transfer them to the refugee camps there.
“They told us that there was no challenge to living on the island. But they feel estranged from their community.
In May, 186 women, 96 men and 24 young people reached the coast of Bangladesh via boat, prompting the government to take them to Bhashan Char, sparking COVID-19 fears. Southeast Asia-based rights organization Fortify Rights recently claimed that some Rohingya oppose their will.
“No resolution has yet been made on them,” said Mahabub, commissioner for refugee aid and repatriation.
Meanwhile, nearly 300 Rohingya Muslims were discovered Monday on a beach in Indonesia’s Aceh province after spending more than six months at sea, authorities said. They were tested for COVID-19 and obtained assistance after being transferred to a government building, officials said Tuesday.