Government blames international aid workers for
Rohingyas’ unwillingness to move to the island, while UN system wants
independent feasibility study
Bangladesh government appears to be clearly in a limbo
regarding the relocation of a portion of the Rohingya refugees from Cox’s Bazar
to Bhashan Char — which is located 21 nautical miles from Noakhali in an
estuary of the Meghna River.
After speaking to several government officials, Dhaka
Tribune has learnt that policymakers, including Foreign Minister AK Abdul
Momen, are uncertain about the future of the expensive project being
implemented by Bangladesh Navy.
As of the first week of April, around Tk2,300 crore has
been allocated for the project and another Tk700 crore has been sought, a
senior government official told Dhaka Tribune.
“I understand that another Tk300 crore will be sought and
the money will be allocated,” said the official.
The government and the international community, including
the United Nations system, are at loggerheads on the issue of relocating
100,000 Rohingyas from the refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar to Bhashan char.
On the other hand, the international community is in
favour of de-congesting the settlements, but is of the opinion that any
relocation should take place only after a feasibility study conducted by an
independent panel of experts. They also say that any relocation must be
voluntary and informed.
Aid agencies blamed
The plan to start relocating 100,000 Rohingyas could not
go ahead in April due to the unwillingness of the refugees, for which the
government officials have blamed the international aid agencies working in the
camps.
The agencies are mainly responsible for this debacle, as
they discourage the Rohingyas not to move to Bhashan Char, alleged the
officials.
“We have heard that Rohingyas believe they will not
survive if they are moved to Bhashan Char. How do they know it even though they
have never travelled there? We have learnt that international aid workers told
them that.
“Now, how do the aid workers know that without visiting
the place?” said a senior Foreign Ministry official, who has thorough knowledge
of the issue.
This correspondent, who recently visited the Rohingya
settlements in Cox’s Bazar, found out truth in the official’s claims.
Quite a few Rohingyas said that they would prefer dying
in Cox’s Bazar as Bhashan Char is inhabitable. When asked how they knew since
none had visited the island, the refugees said they were informed by the
international aid workers.
Some of the international aid workers this correspondent
spoke to, however, denied the allegation outright.
When contacted, Abul Kalam, the refugee relief and
rehabilitation commissioner based in Cox’s Bazar, said: “It is still a
government decision to relocate some of the Rohingyas from the congested camps
to Bhashan Char; and we will work as per the government directive.”
To a question, he admitted: “I have also heard from my
people on the ground that the Rohingyas are unwilling to move to Bhashan Char.”
Premature project?
There is also self-criticism within the government about
the development of the project at the cost of thousands of crores of taka from
the exchequer.
Some officials believe that the decision to go ahead with
the project was prematurely taken without considering all the aspects.
“Enough consultations were not done before going ahead
with the plan," said a senior government official.
When asked about the future of the expensive project, the
officials could not say anything except that continued effort would be made to
make the Rohingyas understand that Bhashan Char would be a better place to live
than the camps at Teknaf and Ukhiya.
While briefing foreign diplomats in Dhaka on Wednesday,
Foreign Minister Momen had projected the positive aspects of the island.
“The Rohingyas, if relocated to Bhashan Char, will have
rights to free movement and livelihood,” an envoy, who attended the briefing,
quoted Momen as saying.
When contacted, an official of a UN organ, which
co-chairs the Inter-Sector Coordination Group, said: “We’re not opposed to the
relocation to Bhashan Char in order de-congest the settlements in Cox’s Bazar.
“What we say is that any relocation should be after
conducting a feasibility study by independent experts."
Source: DhakaTribune.
Source: DhakaTribune.