The Japan government has decided to extend Emergency Grant Aid of total two million USD for supporting displaced "Rohingyas" on Bhasan Char.    This contribution includes one million USD to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and one million USD to World Food Programme (WFP), a press release issued by the Japanese embassy said in Dhaka today (Friday).    The fund would be used for implementing humanitarian assistance activities for the displaced "Rohingyas", who are in need of urgent assistance in Bhasan Char in areas such as food and health.    Japanese Ambassador in Dhaka ITO Naoki said his government supports steady and smooth operations of the international organizations under the MoU signed between the Bangladesh Government and the United Nations in October 2021, which is a basic framework of assistance for Bhasan Char.    "Resolving Rohingya issues is of utmost importance for the peace and stability of the region," he said.    The envoy appreciated Bangladesh government's efforts to protect "Rohingya" people and the dedicated work of the international organizations.    Japan expects the UN will respond to prevailing and increasing humanitarian and protection needs on the island, and strongly hopes that this assistance will contribute to better service delivery and improve living conditions of people living on Bhasan Char" Naoki said.    Japan will continue to stand by Bangladesh and work towards the early repatriation of displaced "Rohingya" to Myanmar, said the Japanese mission in Dhaka.   Finding durable solutions to this crisis is significant not only to Bangladesh but also to the stability of the entire region, and thereby conducive to the realization of a "Free and Open Indo-Pacific", which is a vision to secure peace, stability and prosperity in the region, said the release. Source: BSS AH

Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen today (Saturday) expressed his hope that Bangladesh would be able to fulfill its target of relocating one lakh Rohingyas to Bhasan Char from congested Cox’s Bazar camps by one year as UNHCR agreed to work on it.    “We have already relocated nearly 18,500 Rohingyas to Bhasan Char … we will resume relocating them (to the island) this month,” he told reporters at Tungipara in Gopalganj.    The foreign minister retreated that the relocation of Rohingyas to the island of Bhasan Char would be fully voluntary.          Dr Momen hoped that Myanmar will take back Rohingyas gradually as pressure on them would mount following the recent adoption of a resolution in the United Nations.   "I believe pressure will be mounted on Myanmar as the resolution has been passed by consensus," he added.    The foreign minister, accompanied by the Sylhet Awami League (AL) leaders, paid homage to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman by placing wreath at his grave in Tungipara.   President and general secretary of Sylhet city unit AL and valiant freedom fighter Masuk Uddin Ahmed and Professor M Zakir Hossain, among others, also paid tribute to Bangabandhu. Source: BSS AH

Bangladesh government and the United Nations (UN) today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a common protection and policy framework for humanitarian response to Rohingya in Bhasan Char.   The MoU was inked between the country's disaster management and relief ministry and the UNHCR, on behalf of UN agencies working on the Rohingya response in Bangladesh, at the secretariat in Dhaka. The MoU is a further expression of the government and people of Bangladesh's generosity and support toward the Rohingya population until they can return safely and sustainably to Myanmar, said an UNHCR media release after the signing ceremony.    The MoU is also a reconfirmation of the UN's commitment to continue supporting Bangladesh in leading the humanitarian programme for almost 900,000 forcefully displaced Rohingyas in the country, it added.   The agreement relating to Bhasan Char allows close cooperation between the government and the UN on services and activities to benefit the increasing numbers of Rohingyas living on the island.   The MoU covers key areas of protection, education, skills-training, livelihoods and health, which will help support Rohingyas to lead decent lives on the island and better prepare them for sustainable return to Myanmar in the future.   The UN response will build up and complement the humanitarian assistance so far provided by Bangladeshi NGOs on the island, said the release.   Prior to signing the MoU, the UN has held discussions with the Rohingya community in Cox's Bazar, as well as those already on the island, including during the UN visit to Bhasan Char in March 2021, to better understand their needs and views.    These discussions, as well as those with Government counterparts and Bangladeshi NGOs working on the island are expected to continue on a regular basis and further inform any humanitarian and protection responses on Bhasan Char, said the UNHCR.   The statement said the UN encourages the international community to increase its generous support to the humanitarian response in Bangladesh, recognising that the Joint Response Plan for the Rohingya Humanitarian Response in Cox's Bazar is currently less than half funded for this year.   This support should continue until they (Rohingyas) are able to return to Myanmar in a safe, voluntary, dignified and sustainable manner, which remains a shared priority of the UN and Government of Bangladesh, as well as the desire of the Rohingyas in the country, it added.   Bangladesh Navy has implemented the Ashryan-3 at Bhashan Char, an island of Bay of Bengal, at the cost of Tk 3100 crore for accommodating 100,000 Rohingyas while so far nearly 20,000 Rohingyas have been relocated in the island from Cox's Bazar.    A total of 120 brick-built cluster villages and 120 cyclone shelters, facilities for education, hospital, farming and fishing, playground and presence of law enforcers make the island a much better living place for the Rohingyas than that of Cox's Bazar camps.    Since August 25 in 2017, Bangladesh is hosting over 1.1 million forcefully displaced Rohingyas in Cox's Bazar district and most of them arrived there after a military crackdown by Myanmar, which the UN called a "textbook example of ethnic cleansing" and other rights groups dubbed as "genocide".    Bangladesh so far provided the neighbour biometric data of 8,30,000 Rohingyas while the Myanmar authority by now verified only 42,000 of them.    Myanmar, however, is yet to return a single Rohingya in the last four years while repatriation attempts failed twice due to trust deficit among the Rohingyas about their safety and security in Rakhine state. Source: BSS AH

Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen has expressed optimism that the United States (US) would continue necessary assistance to Rohingyas including those now settled in Bhashan Char. He also stated that the US may consider accepting a good number of forcibly displaced Rohingyas in Bangladesh as US President Joe Biden recently announced to enhance the admission of refugees in his country to 62,500 in 2021 and 125,000 in 2022. The foreign minister made the remarks while US Ambassador to Bangladesh Earl R. Miller called on him at foreign ministry on Thursday, a foreign office press release said here today (Friday). The Ambassador informed that, during the upcoming launch of the annual Joint Response Plan (JRP) on 18 May 2021 in Geneva, the US is expected to pledge again for large contribution to the humanitarian operation for Rohingyas. Dr Momen also assured the US side of Bangladesh’s cooperation on the ongoing investigation about the genocide against Rohingyas in Myanmar, as reinitiated by the Biden Administration. The foreign minister also urged the US envoy to address the difficulties being faced by a large number of Bangladeshi student visa applicants to obtain visa interview date in the US Embassy in Dhaka, as many may lose admission and scholarship due to the delay. Miller assured of doing the best to ensure that all student visa applicants get interview slots on a priority basis once the lockdown is over, so that they can join their academic sessions in US universities on time. At the meeting, the main point of discussion was on the process of acquiring AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine from the US to meet the growing needs in Bangladesh to address the present shortfall. Dr Momen underscored that, while the immediate need of Bangladesh is around 4 million doses of vaccine, the US government may consider providing 20 million AstraZeneca vaccine to Bangladesh from its stock. The US Ambassador assured that his government is sincerely working on the proposal, though this is difficult to predict any time frame at this moment. He also informed that the US is yet to provide any AstraZeneca vaccine to India, and hopefully Bangladesh will get the vaccine at the same time India gets. Momen also welcomed US President Joe Biden’s declaration to support Intellectual Property Waiver for vaccines in the WTO, and expressed optimism that this would enable developing countries, including Bangladesh, to produce US vaccines in near future. Momen and Miller also discussed the ways and means of bolstering bilateral cooperation, specially in the area of climate change adaptation and mitigation including possible mutual engagement before and during the COP26 of the UNFCCC scheduled in November 2021 in Glasgow. They also reviewed mutual support between Bangladesh and the US in different elections in the UN system including in the UN Human Rights Council. Source: BSS AH

A total of 1,778 Rohingyas reached Bhasanchar from Chattogram city’s Patenga Boat Club in the third phase as part of their relocation under the supervision of Bangladesh Navy today (Friday) after 29 days later of second batch. Earlier, they came to Patenga from Ukhiya Balukhali camp in Cox’s Bazar and started their journey with the help of five naval ships for Bhasan Char around 10.20 am today after an overnight stay at a temporary transit camp of BAF Shaheen College in Chattogram. The first group of 1,642 Rohingyas reached Bhasan Char on December 4 and the second batch of 1,804 Rohingya people on December 29, in 2020 under the supervision of the Bangladesh Navy, the Navy sources said. Mohammad Samsuddauja, additional commissioner of the government’s Refugee Relief and Repatriation Office, told BSS that the third batch of 1,778 Rohingyas reached at Bhasan Char around 3 pm today from city’s Patenga Boat Club under the supervision of the Navy with the help of four naval ships. He also said that more than 1,300 Rohingya Refugees will also go to the Bashan Char tomorrow (January 30). Concerned people informed that near one lakh Rohingyas will be taken to Bhasan Char in phases. In the first phase, about 3,500 Rohingyas has already been taken there. Besides, food items have been stored in Bhasan Char for three months. Initially, cooked food will be provided to Rohingyas by different NGO’s. Representatives of 22 NGOs have started their respective works at Bhasan Char for this. Jasmine Prema, chairperson of the Social Welfare and Development Organisation, said the government and 22 development agencies have been working to send only interested Rohingyas to Bhasan Char. Before boarding the ship, the Rohingyas were given tokens and keys of the allotted shelter homes after various data entries. In addition to modern accommodation for the Rohingyas in Bhasan Char, educational institutions, hospitals, clinics and playgrounds have already been set up, she added. Mohammad Samsuddauja also said that buffaloes, sheep, ducks and pigeons are being reared there for gearing up economic activities. “Different types of vegetables are being planted. Paddy is also being cultivated experimentally there,” he added. “Cluster villages have been constructed in the project with the aim of accommodating one lakh one thousand 360 refugees, he said, adding that the number of houses is 14,400 in 120 cluster villages. He further said that the government has provided infrastructure of 120 cluster villages on the 13,000-acres of char land at a cost of Taka 3,095 crore with its own fund to accommodate more than one lakh Rohingya people. Source: BSS AH

Bangladesh has urged all to exercise utmost caution not to undermine or misinterpret the genuine efforts of the government of Bangladesh noting that the voluntary relocation of Rohingyas to Bhasan Char has become imperative to decongest the overcrowded camps in Cox's Bazar.  "The Rohingyas are Myanmar nationals and they must return to Myanmar. The government of Bangladesh is doing its best for the safety and security of these temporarily sheltered Myanmar Nationals," said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) in a statement on Friday.  Bangladesh has encouraged human rights groups to put their efforts in creating a conducive environment inside Myanmar for their quick, safe and dignified repatriation to their land of origin, Myanmar. At this stage, it is only practical that the international community, including the United Nations, fulfills its responsibility and meaningfully engage with Myanmar to start repatriation, which is the only durable solution to this crisis, the statement reads. In the face of growing concerns over the extreme congestion in Cox’s Bazar camps and to avert any risk of death due to landslides and other unwarranted incidents, the government of Bangladesh has decided to relocate, in phases, 1,00,000 Rohingyas to Bhashan Char.  Accordingly, in the first phase, more than 1,600 Rohingyas who expressed their willingness voluntarily for relocation were shifted to Bhashan Char on Friday.  The relocation has become imperative to decongest the overcrowded camps in Cox’s Bazar that have temporarily been accommodating nearly a million of Rohingyas with many more thousands born each year, said the MoFA statement.  It said the deteriorating security situation due to prolonged stay of these frustrated people in Cox’s Bazar also compelled the government of Bangladesh to come up with a contingency plan and develop Bhashan Char from its own budgetary allocation.  Accordingly, the government invested more than USD 350.00 million to develop the island.  The 13,000 acres of island has all modern amenities, year-round fresh water, beautiful lake and proper infrastructure and enhanced facilities, MoFA said. These include uninterrupted supply of electricity and water, agricultural plots, cyclone shelters, two hospitals, four community clinics, mosques, warehouses, telecommunication services, police station, recreation and learning centers, playgrounds, etc.  Unlike the makeshift structures of the camps in Cox’s Bazar, the accommodation in Bhashan Char is strongly-built with concrete foundation which can withstand natural disasters such as cyclones and tidal waves, said the government.  Super Cyclone Amphan proved the strength of the structures of Bhashan Char, it said.  Contrary to the apprehension of some quarters about the feasibility of the island, Bhashan Char stood firm against the massive storm, said the government.  Despite the heightened tidal wave, all the 1,440 houses and 120 shelter stations in the island remained unharmed, the statement said.  The island is connected with the mainland through waterways.  The MoFA said the government of Bangladesh has ensured adequate supply of food along with proper sanitation and medical facilities for Rohingyas in Bhashan Char.  Appropriate hospitals with highly-qualified health professionals, adequate Covid testing and treatment facilities are there in place, it said.  In addition to government agencies, around 22 NGOs are already there to extend all possible support to the relocated Rohingyas.  Adequate security has been ensured in the island with the deployment of police personnel, including female police and the area is fully covered with CCTV cameras.  On the relocation, the government said its position was very clear and transparent from the very beginning that any relocation would be entirely on a voluntary basis.  Accordingly, a good number of Rohingya representatives undertook a “go-and-see” visit to Bhashan Char to see the facilities and make an independent and informed choice, MoFA said.  A number of NGOs and journalists also visited the island.  All of them expressed their high satisfaction at the available facilities in Bhashan Char, MoFA said.   A media team and a group of senior journalists are already in Bhashan Char.   More importantly, the relocation was preceded by adequate preparations and consultations held with different stakeholders, the ministry said.  "Several rounds of discussions, based on the queries of the United Nations, were also arranged and we hope that the international community and the United Nations, as per its mandate, will be involved in the process very soon," the statement reads.  The relocation is part of the broader plan of repatriation which is the only priority for the Government of Bangladesh.  MoFA said the skill development and livelihood opportunity that the Rohingyas would be able to avail in Bhashan Char would prepare them for their reintegration in the Myanmar society on return.  The types of economic activities such as fishing, agriculture, goat rearing, etc that they used to pursue in Rakhine state are available in Bhashan Char.  When the persecuted Rohingyas from Myanmar were fleeing en masse from the violence, persecution and atrocities in the hands of their own people in their own land, it was Bangladesh who, purely out of humanitarian gesture, responded immediately and opened her borders and thus saved nearly a million of precious lives, MoFA reminded the international community.  The generous people of Bangladesh offered all kinds of assistance to these persecuted Myanmar nationals before any international humanitarian agency stepped in, said the government.  "We set another unique example of humanity in the world by developing a modern island to temporarily accommodate some of these persecuted Rohingyas," the statement reads.  Source: UNB AH

After much debate and speculation a team of Rohingyas who took shelter at Ukhiya and Teknaf in Cox’s Bazar, have reached in Bhasan Char on Friday. On this occasion Bhasan Char was decorated with banners and festoons welcoming Rohingyas. Starting from Chattogram in the morning the Rohingya team reached in Bhasan Char in the afternoon boarded on three ships of Bangladesh Navy. The shifting process has begun through sending the Rohingyas who voluntarily wanted to go. In the first phase 1642 Rohingyas including men, women and children reached in Bhasan Char. According to the local source, there were 810 children, 368 men and 464 women. A Navy official, not willing to be named, said that medical checkup of all Rohingya people were done in Bhasan Char. Then the Navy officials briefed them. After briefing the Rohingya people were kept in the cluster number 7,8,9 and 10 which were ready for them. To receive the Rohingya people Additional Deputy Commissioner (Education) of Noakhali Md. Noman Hossain, Additional Police Super Dipak Jyoti Khisa and Hatia Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md. Imran Hossain reached earlier in the island. Members of law enforcement agencies and high ranked officers of Bangladesh Navy were present at that time. Concerned source said, a temporary transit point was set up at Ukhiya College ground to take the Rohingya people from 34 camps in Ukhiya-Teknaf in Cox’s Bazar. Then they were taken to Chattogram boarded on 20 buses. Rohingyas willing to go in Bhasan Char, were kept in a makeshift camp on BAF Shaheen College ground in Chattogram. They were moved to the ships from Patenga moorage of Navy. Earlier, representatives of 22 NGOs visited the island in the Bay of Bengal centering the Rohingya shifting activities. 66 tons of food items were stocked there for the Rohingya people. Hatia Upazila Health Officer Dr. Nazim Uddin said, by this time two 20-bed hospitals have been made ready to ensure health service for the Rohingya people living in Bhasan Char. Meanwhile, 14 ships of Bangladesh Navy have been made ready to take the Rohingya people in Bhasan Char. For the first two months cooked foods will be supplied to them. After that they will be able to cook food in their own homes. In the island of Bhasan Char homes were erected keeping all types of facilities. There are special measures to protect people from storm and tidal surge. In September the government took 40 Rohingya leaders including two women to Bhasan Char to inspect the shifting process. They expressed their satisfaction after watching the arrangements. They also inspired others to go to Bhasan Char. Two years ago the government took the decision to shift one lakh Rohingyas in Bhasan Char. But it was not possible due to their unwillingness. Then the government took active initiatives to send Rohingyas in Bhasan Char after seeing their positive attitude without any force. The government is hopeful that if the first team can be sent to Bhasan Char safely then others will be inspired to go there. Bhasan Char has been prepared to shelter more than one lakh people by making 120 cluster villages in the 13 thousand acres area of island with expense of two thousand 312 crore taka from the government’s own fund. Currently more than three hundred Rohingyas are residing in Bhasan Char who failed to go to Malaysia. AH          

Bangladesh welcomes resettlement idea of displaced Rohingyas to a group of countries as an alternative to transfer the Myanmar origin people to Bhashan Char where Bangladesh already invested hugely to accommodate one lakh of Rakhine exiles. “If a group of countries can jointly offer to take over half a million Rohingyas in a time span of 1-2 years, we may consider examining it,” foreign secretary Masud Bin Momen said today. He said Dhaka is planning to start initial transfer of Rohingyas from crowded Cox’s Bazar camps to Bhashan Char, an island 37 miles off the mainland under the administrative jurisdiction of Hatiya upazila, after the Monsoon season. Bin Masud said Bangladesh has invested hundreds of millions of dollars on infrastructural development of the island that showed its durability and quality of the structures built during the recent severe cyclone Amphan. “Detractors should now stop their propaganda on Bhasanchar and examine how to relieve pressure off from the highly congested Cox’s Bazar area where locals are outnumbered at a ratio of 2:1,” he added. He was addressing a webinar titled ‘The Rohingya Crisis: Western, Asian and Bilateral Perspectives’, organised by the North South University in the capital marking third year completion of the latest influx of Rohingyas of Myanmar to Bangladesh. Mentioning that 306 Rohingyas those were rescued in the Bay of Bengal recently and took shelter in Bashan char are doing well, Bin Masud said Dhaka will soon facilitate a ‘go-and-see’ visit for relatives of sheltered Rohingyas and other representatives to the island. “If they (Rohingyas) find the place better than the cramped camps in Cox’s bazar, we expect to commence initial transfer of Rohingyas there after the Monsoon season,” he said. He said the number of local populations in Cox’s Bazar, Ukhia and Tekhnaf is about 570,000 whereas the temporary sheltered Rohingya is the double of host communities while Bangladesh has sacrificed over 6,800 acre of forest land to host the displaced Rohingyas from Myanmar. Bin Masud said Bangladesh is ready to arrange visit for the UN team, human rights workers and media people to the island to see the compliance and facilities those were made available for the displaced Rohingyas there. Since 25 August 2017, Bangladesh is hosting over 1.1 million forcefully displaced Rohingyas in Cox’s Bazar district and most of them arrived there after a military crackdown by Myanmar, which the UN called a “textbook example of ethnic cleansing” and other rights groups dubbed as “genocide”. In the last three years, not a single Rohingya went back home yet although Myanmar agreed to take them back. Bin Masud said Rohingyas have taken refuge in Bangladesh to flee atrocities while Dhaka has opened her door so that their lives are safe temporarily, “But, they (Rohingyas) must go back to their country of origin,” he added. Bin Masud said Bangladesh tried repatriation twice but failed as Rohingyas do not feel comfortable in the prevailing condition, which do not make returnees convinced of the sincerity of the Myanmar authorities and also of the majority community- Buddhists of Rakhine. He said currently Bangladesh is being involved in bilateral, regional and multilateral diplomacies along with accountability and justice front for resolving the crisis through safe, dignified and volunteer repatriation of the displaced Rohingyas to Myanmar. He said Bangladesh would certainly not prefer investments which will directly or indirectly prolong the refugee situation and create greater and newer pull factors for remaining Rohingyas inside Rakhine. “Bangladesh government rejects any notion of local integration,” he said. The foreign secretary said Dhaka expects international partners to come forward to convince Myanmar to change course and to play their roles as agreed with Myanmar as per the signed Framework Arrangement. “We would expect interested partners to talk to Myanmar government and make such long-term investments on health, education, livelihood, connectivity for Rohingyas in northern Rakhine. So far, we discern no such efforts for remaining Rohingyas inside Rakhine,” he said. Rohingyas are the victims of a culture of persecution from Myanmar, the country that maintained a culture of atrocities against them, to destroy them as a community. “Solution to the crisis must be found in Rakhine and in Myanmar …. this is Myanmar’s internal problem. The solution must therefore be sought inside Myanmar,” he said. The foreign secretary said the international community should make sincere and greater efforts to secure conditions for Rohingyas to return to Myanmar and reintegrate into Myanmar society, with a clear pathway to citizenship. “As we mark three years of forcible displacement of majority of Rohingya from their places of origin, these should be our pledge to the community that was subjected to well-planned machinations to destroy their identity,” he said. Former foreign minister of Malaysia Dr. Syed Hamid Albar, US Ambassador to Bangladesh Earl R. Miller, High Commissioner of Canada to Bangladesh Benoit Pre´fontaine and Senior Fellow of South Asian Institute of Policy and Governance (SIPG), NSU Md Shahidul Haque also spoke at the event. Albar said ASEAN, in which Myanmar is also a member, has not taken any meaningful step as there is a high level of tolerance and unwillingness to discuss the Rohingya crisis. Miller said his country would continue to press Burma, now Myanmar, to stop institutional persecution against minority communities. Préfontaine stressed the need for ensuring accountability in Myanmar for crimes committed against Rohingya people as well strengthening accountability efforts by the international community with, among others, sending UN Security Council referral to the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice. Source: BSS AH

State Minister for Disaster Management and Relief Dr. Enamur Rahman, MP has informed that Rohingyas are not going to be shifted to Bhashan Char at the moment though that is a livable place for them. He said these while replying to a question of newsmen at the ministry meeting room at the secretariat on Wednesday. The State Minister also said, all the chemical godowns will be shifted to Sirajdikhan by June 2022. AH  

One lakh Rohingyas who came from Myanmar will be rehabilitated at Bhashan Char under Char Ishwar union of Hatia upazila in Noakhali. In this connection Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) approved a project for necessary infrastructure construction for security of the island. The cost of the project is 2 thousand 312 crore 15 lakh taka. The total cost will be spent from government fund. The project was approved in the ECNEC meeting on Tuesday with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair. It is known that the Ashroyon-3 project will implemented by 2019 under supervision of Bangladesh Navy under Prime Minister’s Office coverage.    Besides, 13 projects were approved in the meeting. To implement all the projects taka 10 thousand 99 crore 16 lakh will be spent. Of the amount 10 thousand 48 crore 28 lakh taka will be spent from government fund and 50 crore 88 lakh taka will be supported by the project implementing agencies. After holding ECNEC meeting Planning Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal talked to the newsmen over the projects. He said, total 14 projects were approved in today’s meeting. AH / MK