US voices concern on Bangladesh transfer of Rakhine Muslims

MYANMAR TIMES 

AFP
14 DEC 2020

Northern Rakhine refugees disembark from a Bangladesh Navy ship to the island of Bashar Char in Noakhali on December 4. Photo: AFP

The United States on Thursday voiced concern over Bangladesh's transfer of Northern Rakhine Muslim refugees to a low-lying island and said that any movement should be voluntary.

Bangladesh, which has taken in nearly one million refugees who fled a brutal offensive in neighboring Myanmar, has started the relocation of 100,000 of them from squalid camps on the mainland to Bhashan Char, a silt island frequently in the path of cyclones.

US asks Myanmar to create conditions for Rohingya repatriation, voices concern over relocation

Prothum Alo------ 

Reuters
Washington
Published: 11 December 2020,

 

 

The first batch of Rohingyas has started out for Bhasan Char from the Chattogram in the morning of 4 December 2020Prothom Alo

The United States on Thursday said it was concerned about Bangladesh's relocation of 1,642 Rohingya refugees to Bhasan Char island and plans to carry out further moves, calling on Bangladesh to accept independent assessments of the move.

The United States also backed the United Nations in calling for any such relocations to be "fully voluntary and based on informed consent without pressure or coercion", State Department spokesman Cale Brown said in a statement.

Brown also reiterated Washington's call on Myanmar to create the conditions conducive for Rohingya refugees’ voluntary, safe, and dignified return to their home country.

U.S. voices concern about Bangladesh's relocation of Rohingya

REUTERS

By Reuters Staff

DECEMBER 10, 2020

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The United States on Thursday said it was concerned about Bangladesh’s relocation of 1,642 Rohingya refugees to Bhasan Char island and plans to carry out further moves, calling on Bangladesh to accept independent assessments of the move.

The United States also backed the United Nations in calling for any such relocations to be “fully voluntary and based on informed consent without pressure or coercion”, State Department spokesman Cale Brown said in a statement.

Bangladesh naval vessels moved the Rohingya refugees to the flood-prone, remote island in the Bay of Bengal on Dec. 4, despite complaints by refugees and rights groups that some were being coerced.

U.S. Position on Relocation of Rohingya Refugees to Bhasan Char

Press Statement
Cale Brown, Principal Deputy Spokesperson
December 10, 2020

The United States has long noted its appreciation for the Government of Bangladesh’s commitment to hosting the Rohingya refugees but is concerned about the relocation of 1,642 Rohingya refugees to Bhasan Char and plans to carry out further relocations. The United States concurs with the UN that any such relocations must be fully voluntary and based on informed consent without pressure or coercion.

Bangladesh has stated that Rohingya refugees may return to camps on the mainland if they choose. The United States calls on the Government of Bangladesh to adhere to this commitment and demonstrate respect for the human rights of refugees relocated to Bhasan Char, including freedom of movement, by facilitating refugees’ ability to move to and from Cox’s Bazar. Refugees on Bhasan Char should have access to livelihoods and basic services, such as education and health care.