Rohingya team makes first visit to Bhashan Char Island

Rohingya refugees have made their first visit to Bhashan Char Island, about 37 miles off the coast of Bay of Bengal, to inspect the living condition of the land to avail the much-talked-about relocation there.

A team of 40 refugees from the refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar made a visit to the island where Bangladesh government built modern shelter to shift some 100,000 forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals who are currently taking shelter in the country.

Additional Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner Mohammad Shamsu Douza confirmed the visit to media on Saturday.

The Rohingyas are visiting the remote island while members of Bangladesh Navy and Bangladesh Army are accompanying them to assist and answer their queries, he said.  

Bangladesh has long been planning to relocate the Rohingyas to the island but uncertainty still lingers after authorities failed to gain support from UN agencies and other INGOs.