1,772 more Rohingyas set off for Bhasan Char
Thirteen vehicles and 20 trucks carrying the first group left the transit point around 11:45am
A total of 1,772 Rohingyas from 427 families are on their way to Bhasan Char from Cox's Bazar camps in the second phase as part of their relocation, according to sources.
Till the filing of the report, the first group reached Chattogram by 12 buses at 7:50 pm while the second and the third groups were on the way in 21 buses.
Only those who have expressed their interest in going to the island are being taken to Bhasan Char, sources said.
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The Rohingyas will stay in Chattogram on Monday night and will depart for Bhasan Char on Tuesday at 9 am.
In the meantime, all preparations have been done in Bhasan Char to receive the Rohingyas.
Earlier, the Rohingyas came to the temporary transit point set up at Ukhiya Degree College ground from various camps in Teknaf and Ukhiya on Sunday night and Monday morning.
Bhasan Char ready to welcome second batch
Bhasan Char is ready to welcome the Rohingyas who are coming in the second phase.
They will be taken to the island on 29 and 30 December by Bangladesh Navy ships. Navy members have already completed all necessary preparations to receive them at Bhasan Char.
"We are ready to accommodate 1 lakh Rohingyas in Bhasan Char," Commodore Abdullah Al Mamun Chowdhury, project director of Bhasan Char, told The Business Standard on Monday afternoon.
"We have come to know that in the second phase, about 1000 Rohingyas are coming to the island voluntarily from Cox's Bazar camps. We have made all kinds of preparations for their stay," he added.
The buildings designated for their accommodation have already been prepared so that they can move in their new home as soon as they reach Bhasan Char.
Meanwhile, health workers have been instructed to conduct health check-ups of the Rohingyas after they arrive at the island.
At the same time, Bangladesh Navy personnel will provide them with food for two months, said the project director of Bhasan Char.
The news of their arrival has been met with enthusiasm among those who have come here in the first phase. The Rohingyas who came in the first phase are constantly communicating with those coming in the second phase.
In the first phase, on 4 December, Bangladesh relocated more than 1,642 to Bhasan Char. They were brought in vehicles from different camps a day before and kept in the transit camps of BAF Shaheen College and Boat Club in Chattogram.
Besides, over 300 Rohingyas, who were stranded on the coast on their way to Malaysia, were sent to Bhasan Char earlier.
