On 5 January, journalist Shiafur Rahman reported the first death at the controversial Rohingya refugee centre on Bangladesh’s Bhasan Char island in the Indian Ocean. Rahman also reported the introduction of new restrictions of movement for those at the centre, which were supposedly introduced after an escape attempt. Refugees reportedly now require permission to go to the market on the island and there appear to be police patrols throughout the night.
In recent weeks, Bangladesh has made several large movements of Rohingya refugees to Bhasan Char despite safety and security concerns raised by international human rights monitors (see 7 December Bangladesh update on this platform). Most recently in late December, the government moved a group of 700-1,000 refugees to the island; earlier, during the first week of December, 1,642 refugees were moved to the island.
Bhasan Char, which is hours by boat from the mainland, is prone to severe flooding and cyclones. According to the Diplomat, among the facilities set up on the island to prepare it to receive refugees are 1,400 cluster houses, 120 cyclone shelters, various administrative buildings, schools, two hospitals with 20 beds each, and mosques.
Although Bangladeshi authorities are not hiding the fact that they are transferring refugees to this island, on 28 December they arrested a Rohingya man who was apprehended while photographing buses transferring refugees from Kutupalong Camp. The award-winning photojournalist Abul Kalam, 35, who was detained until 5 January, was charged with assaulting and interfering with public officials and faces three years in jail. “We call on the authorities in Cox’s Bazar to drop these absurd charges,” said a spokesman for Reporters Without Borders (RSF). “His work is of public interest for all of humankind, which needs to know about the fate of the Rohingyas, who are being mistreated again, three years after being subjected to acts of genocide by Myanmar’s military.”
According to Human Rights Watch, there is limited information about the conditions on the island in addition to “allegations that the authorities may have offered misleading information and incentives to move there.” The Bangladeshi government has denied these concerns and said that refugees are relocated voluntarily and that protective measures are being taken to safeguard refugees. The deputy government official in charge of refugees said that a 12km embankment was built to prevent any flooding and that housing had been built for 100,000 people.
The director of the Bhasan Char project told The Daily Star on 5 December 2020: “I firmly believe that when UN, UNHCR, WFP, and IOM will visit here, they will be convinced. We are waiting for them.” This statement was made three days after the UN said they were ready to proceed with the technical and protection assessments, “if permitted by the government.” The UN also said that the assessments would be the first step in determining whether they will be able to engage operationally with the Bhasan Char project and that subsequently, further work would be needed to develop plans and budgets in coordination with the Government and national and international NGO partners.
- V. Thoopkrajae, “Bangladesh Moves More Rohingyas to Remote Island Despite Rights Concerns,” The Guardian, 28 December 2020, https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/dec/28/bangladesh-moves-more-rohingyas-to-remote-island-despite-rights-concerns
- R. Bhattacharyya, “Bhasan Char: A New Home for Rohingya Refugees,” The Diplomat, 22 December 2020, https://thediplomat.com/2020/12/bhasan-char-a-new-home-for-rohingya-refugees/
- M. Al-Masum Molla, “New Homes, New Hope for Rohingyas,” The Daily Star, 5 December 2020, https://www.thedailystar.net/frontpage/news/new-homes-new-hope-rohingyas-2005913
- United Nations, “United Nations Statement on the Relocation of Rohingya Refugees to Bhasan Char,” 2 December 2020, https://bangladesh.un.org/en/103285-press-statement
- Reporters Without Borders, “Bangladesh: Rohingya Photographer Charged After Covering Rohingya Refugee Transfer.” 5 January 2021, https://rsf.org/en/news/bangladesh-rohingya-photographer-charged-after-covering-rohingya-refugee-transfer
- Shiafur Rahman, “Twitter 5 January 2021,” https://twitter.com/shafiur/status/1346484887705034753
- Rohingya Refugees Aboard Bound for Bhasan Char in December 2020, (Mohammad Ponir, “Bangladesh Move More Rohingyas To Remote Island Despite Rights Concerns,” The Guardian, 28 December 2020, https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/dec/28/bangladesh-moves-more-rohingyas-to-remote-island-despite-rights-concerns)
