Rohingya relocation to Bhasan Char resumes Wednesday

After a suspension since April due to adverse weather, the government is going to start relocating Rohingyas to Bhasan Char again from Wednesday.

Preparations are underway to take more than a thousand Rohingyas from different camps in Cox's Bazar to Chattogram by bus on Wednesday.

The relocation process will continue until next monsoon when the sea goes rough owing to inclement weather, according to the sources at Cox's Bazar-based Refugee, Relief and Repatriation Commissioner (RRRC) office.

In line with the process, Rohingyas from different camps have started gathering at the transit point of Ukhia College ground since Tuesday noon.

A total of 19,000 Rohingyas have so far been relocated to the Southern island at various phases from last December till April this year.

The government is working to evacuate one lakh Rohingyas residing in different camps in Cox's Bazar to the island.

Under the supervision of the Bangladesh Navy, the government implemented the Bhasan Char Refugee Project at a cost of Tk3,095 crore.

The infrastructure of 120 cluster villages with an accommodation capacity for one lakh Rohingyas has been built on that 13,000-acre Char land.

Bangladesh is currently hosting over 1.1 million Rohingyas in camps in Cox's Bazar and Bhasan Char. Most of them came here since August 25, 2017 when the Myanmar military launched a brutal offensive targeting the mainly-Muslim ethnic minority.

The presence of the huge number of Rohingya refugees in the coastal district has put them on a collision course with the locals. Many Rohingyas have allegedly got involved in various criminal activities.