IOM to help rehabilitate Rohingyas in Bhasan Char

Bangladesh is set to rehabilitate Rohingya refugees at Bhasan Char (also known as Thengar Char) in Hatia until they are sent back to Myanmar as per the Prime Minister's directive.
To implement the idea, Bangladesh has sought an effective role from the international community and the United Nations in finding a permanent solution to the Rohingya crisis as the Myanmar government pushed the Rohingyas in1978, 1990 and 2016 and 2017, and raised the issue at the UN, OIC and international community but failed to reach a solution.
However, the government placed the issue on the table on Thursday while it sat with IOM Direct General Lacy Swing at a meeting to discuss Rohingya issue at a local hotel in Dhaka.
"The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has assured the government of providing all sorts of assistance in shifting Rohingyas to Bhasan Char in Noakhali," Disaster Management and Relief Minister Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya made this announcement following the meeting with the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
"UN agencies and NGOs are now supporting the idea as, what they say, the Rohingyas are still coming.We've to prepare for all over there. We've to take into consideration how we manage this," IOM DG said.
To resolve Rohingya crisis, Bangladesh is now working in two ways (a) to find out a political solution of Rohingya issue in line with the Kofi Annan Commission report and (b) continue to support the Rohingyas through providing them humanitarian support in collaboration with the UN and International community.
He said UN is set to conduct a major conference on October 23 next, which will be hosted by Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock and UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi, however, it targets to raise US$ 434 million for the next five to six months to implement the plan
Government has allocated about 2,000 acre of land in Ukhia for sheltering Rohingyas. There are 24,000 Rohingyas in Ukhia at present. Apart from these, there are many other Rohingya people who are staying scattered in different areas, he said.
We will keep all the Rohingya people together on the 2,000 acres of land for the time being to provide them shelter, food and health service," Maya said in reply to a supplementary question in parliament recently.
Bangladesh established two refugee camps in Cox's Bazar Ukhia and Teknaf, a home to nearly 34,000 Rohingya refugees before this influx. But the ongoing census of Rohingya people has been stopped following the recent incident, according to the Foreign Ministry sources.
When the government disclosed the idea for shifting of the Rohingyas to Thengar Char as it needs to keep them isolated from the people of Bangladesh then the international community especially the NGOs raised their voice against the idea.
This is a question of trying to reach understanding. We've a very good roadmap forwarded by the Commission on Rakhine state, which was chaired by Kofi Annan," he added.
The Bangladesh government on February 5 announced its plan to relocate thousands of Rohingya as stranded on its territory to Thengar Char in Hatiya in the Bay of Bengal and sought financial support from the UN and the international community for the relocation project.
Bangladesh Navy is working at Bhasan Char to accommodate Rohingyas since November 2016, however, IOM has assured of providing all sorts of assistance for shifting the camp to Bhasan Char in Noakhali although the right groups disagree with the proposal.
"Kutupalong camp, located on 3,000 acres of land, is a temporary one. We've started works in Bhasan Char...," said Disaster Management and Relief Minister Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya on Tuesday.
"This is a question of trying to reach understanding. We've a very good roadmap forwarded by the Commission on Rakhine state, which was chaired by Kofi Annan," IOM Direct General Lacy Swing said.
In reply to a question what should be done to stop the influx of Rohingya, he said "this is a political question. "