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Friday, June 25, 2021

Rohingya Refugees Protest Over Inadequate Conditions

OWP
The Organisation for World Peace
Madison Smith
June 24, 2021
An estimated 4,000 Rohingya refugees on the remote island of Bhasan Char, off the coast of Bangladesh, have protested their inadequate living conditions and desires to leave the camp during a recent United Nations visit. Protestors were upset at the lack of access to the visiting UN members, and reportedly could not speak to them without the presence of Bangladesh authorities. Local police have reported cases of unruly protestors throwing rocks and breaking glass, damaging warehouses and other properties. In turn, they resorted to using batons to disperse protestors, causing harm to even women and children. The United Nations High Commissioner for refugees (UNHCR) has expressed concern over injuries inflicted on these refugees, as well as dismay over inadequate conditions on the low-lying island, which is susceptible to rising sea levels.

The official visit of UNHCR representatives was prompted over concerns of the relocation plan of Rohingya refugees from mainland Bangladesh to the island of Bhasan Char, which a Human Rights Watch report referred to as “an island jail in the middle of the sea.” Bangladesh’s government is attempting to ease overcrowding in the Cox’s Bazar refugee camp with Rohingya Muslims seeking refuge from its neighbouring country Myanmar. Since December, the government has shifted 18,000 refugees from Cox’s Bazaar to this low-lying island in which 850,000 people inhabit squashed and cramped conditions. Refugee and migrant rights director of Human Rights Watch, Bill Frelick, has stated that Bangladesh’s government is finding difficulty in coping with the high influx of over a million Rohingya refugees, but “forcing people to a remote island creates new problems.”

The vulnerable nature of the island, where refugees are being relocated, is being raised regarding concerns over susceptibility to cyclones that frequently occur across the Bay of Bengal. Refugees within these camps have reported that Bangladesh authorities have removed and relocated them without full informed consent. Additionally, there are reports of brutal security force within refugee camps, barbed wire fencing restricting movement and access to emergency services, and denial of internet access and education for children. The island’s inadequate health facilities has led to cases of malaria, ulcers, and pain fever, for which only paracetamol is being prescribed as treatment. The government disputes these claims in a letter to Human Rights Watch, stating that it “ensured adequate supply of food along with proper sanitation and medical facilities for Rohingyas on Bhasan Char.” The letter also stated that all relocations were based on consent.

Many refugees feel unsafe, with one man reporting that he went into hiding to avoid being transferred to Bhasan Char. He stated “even if I die, they will take my body there. I don’t want to go to that island.” False promises, inadequate health, sanitary, and education services are just the start of the issues surrounding the island’s refugee camp. With monsoon season commencing this month, the Bangladesh island is at risk of facing high winds and flooding, which could end up marooning the refugees, security personnel, and humanitarian workers on the shores. Frelick of Human Rights Watch has stated that Rohingya refugees have already lost and suffered so much, and that they need to be treated with dignity and respect. They must have the right to “make informed, voluntary choices about their living conditions until long term solutions can be found.”



Madison is involved in the OWP as a junior correspondent for the New Zealand division. Madison believes that there is the opportunity to highlight and address issues through the spread of awareness. She is passionate about the many injustices people are facing around the world, and believes the best way to resolve these issues is through peaceful forces. Madison's particular interests focus on issues regarding the environment and human rights.


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