Leaked U.N deal copy offers no guarantee of free movement for Rohingya on Bhasan Char island
The Hindu
A leaked copy of the deal seen by Reuters says any travel between the island and mainland would be on an “as needs” basis, the precise details of which would be determined between the United Nations and Bangladesh.
A deal for the United Nations to start work on a remote Bangladeshi island where the Bangladesh government has sent thousands of Rohingya refugees offers no guarantee they will be allowed to move freely to the mainland, according to a copy of the agreement.
The Bangladesh government has moved nearly 19,000 Rohingya refugees, members of a persecuted mostly Muslim minority from Myanmar, to Bhasan Char island from border camps, despite protests by refugees and opposition from rights groups, who have likened it to an island jail and said some relocations were involuntary.
The refugees have called for freedom of movement between the remote and flood prone island, several hours off the coast, and the sprawling mainland camps near the port town of Cox’s Bazar, while dozens have died in recent months attempting to flee on rickety boats.
