Bangladesh has now begun to move some of the Rohingya refugees who have fled into its territory to the island of Fujgachal. The United Nations has not participated in this operation so far.
Nearly 1,500 Rohingya Muslim refugees (Rohingya) in Bangladesh have been relocated to Bhasan Char in the Bay of Bengal on Thursday, December 3, 2020. This is only the first step in a larger plan to relocate Rohingya refugees despite opposition from the United Nations and human rights organizations. Does being relocated to the Bay of Bengal mean real opportunity for Rohingya refugees? The United Nations and human rights organizations say the island is more like a prison than a refugee camp.
According to our RFI correspondent Sébastien.F, reporting from South Asia on Friday (December 4, 2020), there are certainly fortified buildings on Fujgachal Island to host the Rohingya refugees, better than the tents in the Cox Bazar refugee camp. The problem is that it is hours away from the beach, there is almost no commerce, it is far from hospitals, and the island is at risk of flooding.
Rohingya Refugees Have Already Filed a Complaint
The Rohingya who have been rescued at sea in recent months had already moved to the island. According to testimonies collected by Human Rights Watch, these Rohingya refugees want to leave the island because they feel trapped there. They cannot move freely and are beaten by guards.
Bangladeshi officials had said in advance that another group of 1,500 Rohingya refugees would be transferred to Fujgachal Island on Friday. During the transfer, however, some refugees told reporters on the ground that they had not been consulted before their names were added to the list. When they signed, they thought they were receiving food rations.
The United Nations was unable to participate in the transfer and has not yet been able to visit Fujgachal Island. Dhaka officials plan to transfer hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees to the island in the future.
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