After weeks of being stranded at sea under life-threatening conditions, more than 300 Rohingya refugees were relocated in May by the Bangladeshi government to a remote, flood-prone island in the Bay of Bengal, despite protests from humanitarian organizations. The group earlier had been turned away from docking by authorities in Malaysia, which is the hoped-for destination for countless Rohingya living in difficult conditions in refugee camps in Bangladesh or facing persecution in Myanmar.

With a total surface area of 15 square miles, the previously uninhabited island of Bhasan Char was formed just 20 years ago as a result of shifting tides and silt deposits in the Bay of Bengal. While formally a part of Bangladesh, the island is 30 kilometers from the mainland and takes three hours to travel there by boat. Prone to cyclones and heavy monsoons, about 60 percent of the island is often submerged during the rainy season. After visiting the island in January 2019, the United Nations special rapporteur on Myanmar expressed doubts over whether Bhasan Char was “truly habitable” and has since not confirmed whether the island has the shelter and aid resources necessary to sustain a refugee population. Just days after the Rohingyas’ arrival, they were moved to storm shelters on the island as Cyclone Amphan was poised to batter Indian and Bangladeshi coastal areas.

While the Bangladesh government cited coronavirus concerns as the reason for sending the Rohingya to the island, plans have been in the works since 2017 to relocate up to 100,000 refugees from mainland refugee camps to Bhasan Char. The Cox’s Bazar refugee camp in southern Bangladesh is the largest such camp in the world, hosting more than 1 million Rohingya. The majority fled Myanmar in 2017 after enduring brutal military-led violence, categorized by the UN as genocide. Extreme overcrowding (at about 40,000 people per square kilometer), drug trafficking, and increasing levels of violence in the camps are among the reasons that Bangladeshi government officials began preparing Bhasan Char for habitation several years ago.

After $280 million dollars in infrastructure, built by a Chinese construction company, Bhasan Char now features housing structures for more than 90,000 people, 120 cyclone shelters, warehouses to store food and other supplies, and a 13-kilometer flood-defense embankment. Amid concerns over the lack of health care, the risk of natural disasters, and further distance from Myanmar, most  refugees in Cox’s Bazaar are “staunchly opposed” to relocation.

However, Bhashan Char at present appears to be the only lifeline for Rohingya stranded at sea in appalling conditions, with reports of overcrowding and bodies thrown overboard. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees is urging Australia and Indonesia, which are co-chairs of the Bali Process anti-human-trafficking forum, to activate discussions between member states over a possible solution. Australia is cool to the idea, arguing the Bali Process is not the vehicle for triggering operational responses to a refugee crisis. With other boats crowded with Rohingya setting off before this most recent small flotilla, it’s sure others will take to the waters again, with or without a policy solution.

Best regards,

Editor, Migration Information Source