Hundreds of Tibetans staged protests outside the Derge (Chinese: Dege) county government’s office in the Kardze (Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan, on Feb. 14, 2024, calling for halt to a proposed hydropower station construction in their area, and to withdraw the order for relocation of Tibetans from the surrounding area because of this. Videos of the Tibetans’ protest were being circulated in the social media. A large group of Tibetans are seen peacefully protesting in front of a government office building and officials (mostly in civilian clothes) can be seen stopping the crowd from moving forward. Voice of America Tibetan reported that the Derge county officials informed the protesting Tibetans that nothing could be done on this at their level. According to a source in exile, who is from Derge, the Tibetans who were protesting were from Wento town (Wentuo Zhen) in Derge county who were being asked to relocate to another place near Moshoe bridge in the same county. The exact location of Moshoe bridge could not be ascertained, but the source said some houses have already been built there to house the people. Voice of America Tibetan service reported that the hydropower station was the Kamtok (Gangtuo) Hydropower Station. A posting about the protest on Chinese social media outlet Weibo also identified it as being Kamtok. ICT could not get independent confirmation, but this particular station is located over the Drichu River in the nearby Kamtok Township, Jomda (Jiangda) County, Chamdo (Changdu) City, TAR. Following the protest, one social media posting said the authorities have taken down the video circulating on Weibo. Radio Free Asia Tibetan reports that following the protests, Chinese authorities increased security measures and have been trying to identify protest organizers and participants, two sources inside Tibet said. Several monasteries and dozens of villages in two townships in the county face the threat of relocation, according to Tibetan language media reports. The International Campaign for Tibet is deeply concerned about the apparent disregard of local Tibetan’s rights and the threat of relocation, connected to the construction of the hydropower station. ICT is calling on the Chinese authorities to respect the rights of peaceful protesters and to refrain from using violence or resort to arbitrary detention of those involved. Moreover, ICT is urging the international community to press on the Chinese government to respect international human rights standards. The Chinese government continues to pursue blind and commercial infrastructure projects in Tibet that are designed and implemented without regard for environmental impacts or local community concerns. These projects, which include rail roads, highways, and power grids, combined with resource extraction projects such as hydropower dams and mining create economic and environmental costs that disproportionally impact Tibetans, ICT said. Tibetan water security Tibet is home to one-fifth of the world’s freshwater supply. Glacial runoff from it forms rivers in almost every country across South and Southeast Asia, with an estimated 1.8 billion people dependent on this water’s healthy, unimpeded flow. The integrity of Tibet’s ecology is critical to the Tibetan’ people’s way of life and directly contributes to the stability and economic wellbeing of downstream countries in South and Southeast Asia. However, large-scale water diversion projects and hydropower development are having dramatic downstream consequences, including lack of access to freshwater, economic disruption, and negative impacts on downstream ecosystems.   Source: savetibet.org

Bangladesh has conveyed to the UN refugee agency that the international community has no reason to worry about relocation of Rohingyas to Bhasan Char. Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the United Nations (UN) offices and other international organizations in Geneva Ambassador Md Mustafizur Rahman shared the logical points behind such voluntary relocation during a virtual meeting with UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Filippo Grandi on Wednesday. Ambassador Mustafizur said no Rohingya could be repatriated over the last three years due to lact of political will from Myanmar despite Bangladesh’s sincere efforts to send back the Rohingyas to their place of origin in Rakhine State. He said Rohingyas were relocated to Bhasan Char volunatarily and drew attention to Grandi about the reports both from the international and local media outlets about the relocation of the first batch of Rohingyas. The Ambassador said the government as directed by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina gave shelter to Rohingyas on humanitarian ground. 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, 100,000 Rohingyas to Bhashan Char. Accordingly, in the first phase, more than 1,600 Rohingyas who expressed their willingness for relocation were shifted to Bhashan Char on December 4. 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. 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. 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. Source: UNB 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

Bangladesh’s plans to tackle the Rohingya refugee crisis have been stalled until the new year with repatriation and relocation programs only likely to be revisited following year-end general elections, a top Bangladeshi official said on Sunday. Abul Kalam, Bangladesh’s refugee relief and repatriation commissioner said, “a new course of action” needed to be adopted on repatriation that took into account refugees’ key demands. More than 7 lakh 20 thousnad Rohingya fled a sweeping army crackdown in Myanmar’s Rakhine state in 2017, according to U.N. agencies. The crackdown was launched in response to insurgent Rohingya attacks on security forces. Rohingya refugees say soldiers and Buddhist civilians killed families, burned many villages and carried out gang rapes. U.N-mandated investigators have accused Myanmar’s army of “genocidal intent” and ethnic cleansing. Myanmar has denied almost all the accusations, saying its forces engaged in a counter-insurgency operation against “terrorists”. In late October, Bangladesh and Myanmar agreed to begin to repatriate hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslim refugees who fled, but the plan has been opposed by the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh and the U.N. refugee agency and aid groups, who fear for the safety of Rohingya in Myanmar. The repatriation of the first batch of 2,200 refugees was to begin officially on November 15, but it stalled amid protests at the refugee camps. None of those on the list agreed to return if their demands for justice, citizenship and the ability to go back to their original villages and lands were not met. “I don’t think anyone’s agreeing to go back without these,” said Kalam, who last week called on the international community to pressure Myanmar to accept certain “logical and acceptable” demands in order for any repatriation to take place. Myanmar does not consider the Rohingya a native ethnic group and calls them “Bengalis”, suggesting they belong in Bangladesh. It has agreed to take the Rohingya back and said they would need to accept the National Verification Card, which it says would allow Rohingya to apply for citizenship. The Rohingya reject the card, saying it brands them foreigners. Kalam said he believed Myanmar needed to propose a “clearer path” to citizenship for the Rohingya if any returns were to take place, adding he would raise the matter at the next bilateral meeting on repatriation, likely to take place next month. Myanmar government spokesman Zaw Htay was not reachable on Sunday for comment. With Bangladesh now set to go to the polls on December 30, any decision either to repatriate people, or relocate refugees from the crowded camps to Bangladesh’s Bhasan Char island will not proceed until 2019, Kalam said. “Elections are coming up now, so the government will only finalize a future course of action after the elections,” said Kalam, adding that Bangladesh remained ready to repatriate refugees if any volunteered to return. Bangladesh has vowed not to force anyone to return. Kalam said construction work on alternative housing on Bhasan Char was “nearly complete.” He said he was hopeful some refugees would agree to move, given the island’s “livelihood opportunities” such as fishing and farming. Aid agencies express caution as the island is prone to flooding. Source: Reuters AH