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After the agreement is signed, 81,000 refugees will move to Bhasan Char Island in the next three months
The United Nations and the government of Bangladesh signed a memorandum of understanding on Saturday to jointly help protect and manage Rohingya refugees on an island in the Bay of Bengal, where thousands of people have moved from crowded camps near the border with Myanmar, the United Nations said in a statement Say.
Of the 1.1 million Rohingya refugees in southern Bangladesh, more than 19,000 have been transferred to Basanchar Island by the government. The United Nations stated that one of the key reasons for signing the memorandum is to start serving this population.
The government had earlier stated that it planned to relocate 100,000 refugees from the refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar district to the island in stages.
The new agreement is a paradigm shift, as the United Nations and other humanitarian organizations criticized the relocation, saying that the 30-year-old island in the Nokali region of the country is not suitable for living. But the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has always insisted that the island was developed at a cost of more than US$112 million and is no longer a fragile area. It used to be often flooded by monsoon rains. The government said that the island now has breakwaters, hospitals, schools and mosques.
After reaching an agreement on Saturday, the authorities said they would resettle another 81,000 refugees to the island in the next three months.
Despite strong protests from the United Nations, a team from the international agency visited the island in March when the United Nations began to change its mind.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees said in a statement that the new agreement further expresses Bangladesh’s “generosity and support for the Rohingya until they can return to Myanmar safely and sustainably”.
The agreement also allows the government to work closely with the United Nations on services and activities to benefit the growing number of Rohingya refugees on the island.
The statement said that before signing the agreement, the United Nations had discussed with Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar and Rohingya refugees on the island.
The statement said: “These cover key areas such as protection, education, skills training, livelihoods and health, which will help support refugees to lead a decent life on the island and better prepare them for their sustainable return to Myanmar in the future. .”
The UNHCR representative, Johannes Van der Klaus, said the organization has seen the island and believes that the Bangladeshi government has established “critical infrastructure” to offset environmental damage.
Klaauw also stated that the memorandum stated that refugees will be allowed to move back and forth from the island to the main camp in southern Bangladesh under conditions.
Once the aid organization is established on the island, refugees will also have the opportunity to earn a living through odd jobs.
“If future refugees move to Bhasan Char, they can move freely on Char (island) on an informed and voluntary basis. Third, we also stated in this memo that the management of settlements is Civilian hands and humanitarian in nature, because these islands were originally naval bases and still have naval personnel, but once we start working with the UN or UNHCR, it is important to maintain the humanitarian and civilian nature of such settlements,” he Say.
But most Rohingya refugees said they did not want to relocate.
A woman who moved to the island with her family earlier this year took a naval ship carrying a large number of refugees to the island, said that many people like her had already fled back to the camp by boat because life on the island was not correct. It is difficult for refugees.
“If people stay there for a few years, all of them may start to have mental problems,” she added, adding that medical and other aid facilities on the island are not well established. She spoke on condition of anonymity, fearing retaliation.
Another 63-year-old refugee, Amir Hamza, said he would not move to the island.
“I will go to the country where I was born, the birthplace of my father and grandfather. I love that country, and I agree to go to that country. I don’t agree to go to another country, island or anywhere, even if I get milk in a golden plate And rice. I’m ready and happy to go to my country, my land, and my home.”
Since August 2017, more than 700,000 Rohingya have fled to refugee camps in Bangladesh, when the Buddhist-majority Burmese army began to severely suppress the Muslim community after the insurgents attacked. They joined the hundreds of thousands who had fled to Bangladesh for decades.
In recent years, Bangladesh has tried to send refugees back to Myanmar under a bilateral framework, but no one wants to go. Hasina has repeatedly told the United Nations and other international partners that her government will not force any refugees to return to Myanmar, but urges them to pressure Myanmar to create a safe environment to facilitate their voluntary return.
Rohingya are not recognized as citizens in Myanmar, making them stateless and facing other forms of discrimination recognized by the state.
An investigation initiated by the United Nations in 2018 recommended prosecuting the top military commander of Myanmar for violence against the Rohingya on charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.
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