Bangladesh is evacuating hundreds of Rohingya refugees to a remote island

“Without proper assessments of the conditions on the island and adequate information for refugees, the move has nothing to do with detaining the Rohingya people in a manner that violates international human rights obligations,” said Daniel Sullivan, the group’s senior human rights lawyer.

The Bangladeshi foreign minister explained that he did not understand why the aid agencies were against the move and that the statements of persuasion were “completely baseless”.

“I didn’t get it,” Alam said. “Why do they oppose a better life when they have failed miserably in doing their job?”

“Limited” UN.

The government has been building facilities on Basan Char for years to put pressure on crowded camps in Cox’s Bazar, home to about 1 million Rohingya refugees.

Many refugees fled Myanmar to Bangladesh to escape a violent military offensive in 2017 that led to the International Court of Justice in The Hague ordering Myanmar to protect the Rohingya population from genocide. Myanmar denies genocide allegations, and the military’s “permitting actions” were formal counter-terrorism operations.

“Based on the relevant, accurate and up-to-date information on Rohingya refugees, a free and informed decision on the transfer to Basan Sar can be made,” the statement said.

“The relocation to Passanzar should precede comprehensive technical security assessments. These independent United Nations assessments will review the security, viability and sustainability of Passanzar as a place to live as refugees, as well as access to services on the island that review the security and assistance and infrastructure.”

Hospitals, Schools

On Thursday, 933 Rohingya refugees left camps in Cox’s Bazar for Chittagong, and more than 400 will travel on Friday, Alam said. Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh.

The two groups are then expected to sail for 2.5 hours on a naval vessel to Basan Char.

Bangladesh Navy Commander Abdullah Al Mamun Chaudhry said the island could accommodate 100,000 people in 120 shelters.

Each shelter can accommodate 800 to 1,000 people, with 12 feet by 14 feet (3.6 meters and 4.3 meters) per unit of punk beds per family, he said.

The shelters are built 14 feet above ground level in case of “any hurricanes” and can withstand winds of up to 260 kilometers per hour (161 miles per hour), Chaudhry added. There are two 20-bed hospitals, community clinics and on-site medical staff, and three schools.

“We are ready in every aspect,” Chaudhry said. “We are taking care of food, medicine, safety.”

Fear of being forcibly removed

Bangladesh has maintained that the relocation process will be voluntary, but many rights groups have raised concerns that refugees may be forced.

Human Rights Watch said a dozen families were on the list of identified individuals whose names wanted to go, but they did not offer to relocate. Some of the refugees on the list have reportedly left for fear of being forcibly relocated.

“The Bangladeshi government is vehemently denying its promise to the UN that it will not transfer any refugees to the island of Basan until humanitarian experts give the green light,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “If the government has real confidence in the island’s habitat, they will be transparent and will not hastily avoid UN technical assessments.”

According to Fortified Rights, some Rohingya in the Cox’s Bazar camps could be the first to be deported to Myanmar if they go to Basan by unselected Rohingya camp leaders.

Chaudhry said “families are broken” because the government has decided to return some of those individuals to Cox’s Bazar. He said many of the refugees on the island are women who want to be reunited with their relatives.