Rohingya Crisis : Shifting them to Bhashan Char islet
Q. Why is this in news?
United Nations (UN) human rights organization had requested Bangladesh to allow a safety assessment of the remote islet of Bhashan Char, where the government had shipped 1,600-odd Rohingya refugees.
UN said it was not involved in the transfer of the refugees there.
Other human rights agencies have also criticised the move.
Q. Is the islet safe?
Bhashan Char is a char-land of around 13,000 acres, formed by the accumulation of silt where the river Meghna meets the Bay of Bengal carrying rich alluvial deposits. Char-lands are a common feature in Meghna and Padma rivers and literally mean “shifting landmass”.
The islet was not part of the permanent land feature of Bangladesh, but appeared recently.
It is surrounded by a mangrove forest that has given it geographical stability.
Sensing a tourism opportunity, the Bangladesh government had declared Bhashan Char as a protected forest land in 2013. It is a two-and-a-half-hours boat ride away from Cox’s Bazar in Chittagong. The main argument for the char-land being unsafe is that these lands are known to be unstable and flood-prone. The other fear factor includes the tropical cyclones that visit the area every year.
Q. What is the arrangement for the Rohingya?
Bangladesh over past few years had constructed roads and brought modern telecommunication networks to Bhashan Char.
The Bangladesh government has earmarked around 1,380 acres for the Rohingya refugees, of which 482 acres is dedicated to their rehabilitation and the rest remains for future projects. The government has constructed a large number of housing units in the section designated for the Rohingya.
The country sent around 1600 odd Rohingya refugees to the islet from their temporary camps in near Cox’s Bazar .
They are being housed in residential units and most houses are built four feet above the ground to help them withstand unexpected high tidal waves.
Q. Why is Bangladesh moving the refugees?
Rohingya refugees of Cox Bazar have been living in a large refugee camp near the forested borders with Myanmar since 2017, when they were forced to traverse the forest and the rivers that constitute the border between Bangladesh and Myanmar’s Rakhine province.
Ever since their arrival, the refugees, numbering 1.1 million, have been living in Cox Bazar under bamboo and tarpaulin structures. The camp is located on a hillock, which was a sanctuary for elephants and other wild animals.
It has also been in the news for its rising crime rate. Bangladesh argues that the islet will provide a safer place.
Q. Why are human rights agencies upset?
As per human rights organization , Amnesty International Bangladesh must “drop” its plans to shift Rohingya refugees to Bhashan Char as the char-land had not yet been declared safe for habitation by the United Nations.
Q. What happens next?
Diplomatic sources have confirmed that Bangladesh does not plan to relocate the entire refugee settlement and only aims at reducing the congestion in Cox Bazar.
The country’s long-term plan for Rohingya refugees is to seek their repatriation to the Rakhine province of Myanmar
Q. What is Rohingya Crisis?
Rohingya are the world’s most persecuted people, 1.1 million Rohingya people live in Myanmar. They live predominantly in Rakhine state, where they have co-existed uneasily alongside Buddhists for decades.
The Rohingya were considered by many in Myanmar as illegal immigrants and they suffer from systematic discrimination.
The Myanmar government treats them as stateless people, denying them citizenship. Stringent restrictions have been placed on Rohingya people’s freedom of movement, access to medical assistance, education and other basic services.
Violence broke out in northern Rakhine state when militants attacked government forces. In response, security forces supported by Buddhist militia launched a “clearance operation” that has killed at least 1,000 people and forced more than 300,000 to flee their homes.
