700 more Rohingyas leave Ukhia camps for Bhasan Char

In the ninth phase of relocation, some 705 more Rohingya refugees from Ukhia and Teknaf camps in Cox's Bazar have left for Bhasan Char.

On Tuesday, 15 buses carrying Rohingyas departed the transit point at Ukhia Degree College in two shifts for the Naval Jetty in Chattogram.

Covered vans carrying goods and products and the required convoys of security personnel were also on route to Chattogram till the evening.

Referring to the government's decision to relocate one lakh Rohingyas to Bhasan Char, Cox's Bazar Relief and Refugee Repatriation Commissioner, Shah Rezwan Hayat, said that nobody is being forced to relocate to the island.

"Only those who are willingly agreeing to relocate after learning about the facilities there, are being taken to the island."

"The relocation process will continue until the one lakh target is met," added Rezwan.

According to Rohingya camp leaders, Rohingyas willing to relocate to Bhasan char submit their names to the respective camp in-charge offices. Then the relocation process is accomplished through registration.

This is the second time Rohingyas are being relocated to the southern island since the government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for refugee management in Bhasan Char.

Earlier, on 17 December, 550 Rohingyas left Ukhia camps in the eighth phase and reached Bhasan Char the next day. The relocation process was suspended since last April owing to inclement sea weather in the monsoon season.

Since December last year, around 20,000 Rohingyas have been taken to Bhasanchar in eight phases.

In May last year, 306 more Rohingyas were taken to the island after being rescued while trying to enter Malaysia illegally. In August 2017, several lakhs of Rohingyas fled to Bangladesh in the face of carnage and persecution by the Myanmar military.

A total of 11 lakh Rohingyas, including those who arrived earlier, are currently residing in various camps in Cox's Bazar.

The government undertook a project in November 2017 to relocate one lakh Rohingyas to Bhasan Char, and the Bangladesh Navy was given the responsibility of implementing the project, called Ashrayan-3.

According to official data, the Bhasanchar Asylum Project was implemented at a cost of Tk3,095 crore from the government's own funds for the relocation of Rohingyas under the supervision of the Navy.

An infrastructure of 120 cluster villages suitable for one lakh Rohingyas has been built on 13,000 acres in Bhasan Char.