The Guardian
Veena Thoopkrajae
Bangkok
Mon 28 Dec 2020
Activists say the island of Bhasan Char is not safe and that the refugees are being moved against their will
Rohingya refugees aboard bound for Bhasan Char island in early December. Photograph: Mohammad Ponir Hossain/Reuters
Bangladesh has begun moving the second group of Rohingya refugees from crammed camps in Cox’s Bazar to a remote island in the Bay of Bengal, in defiance of safety and security concerns from international rights advocates.
Groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch (HRW) have urged the Bangladeshi government to halt the relocation of Rohingya to Bhasan Char, which is hours by boat from the mainland, flood-prone, vulnerable to frequent cyclones and could be completely submerged during a high tide.