Around 950 Rohingyas are set to go to Bhasan Char in Noakhali from Ukhiya and Teknaf camps in Cox's Bazar.
After over a month and a half, 500 Rohingyas left the Ukhiya Degree College grounds on Sunday for Bhasan Char in Chittagong in five buses.
On the same night, another 450 Rohingyas are expected to travel to Bhasan Char. According to the Additional Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner, Mohammad Shamsuuddouja Nayan, these Rohingyas would board a navy ship early on Monday morning and travel to Bhasanchar.
He said: "Around 950 Rohingyas are moving from the camps in Cox's Bazar to Bhasan Char after approximately a month and a half. From Ukhiya to Bhasan Char, 500 Rohingyas have already departed towards Chittagong. The remainder will go at night.”
Assistant Superintendent of Police of 8-Armed Police Battalion (APBN) Faruq Ahmed said that from the Ukhiya Degree College grounds, the Rohingyas headed toward Chittagong. In the evening, another 450 Rohingya will depart.
After learning about the improved way of life in Bhasanchar, the Rohingyas' interest has grown, he added.
Bangladesh plans to relocate 100,000 Rohingyas to Bhasan Char in phases, in the face of growing concerns over the extreme congestion in Cox’s Bazar camps and to avert any untoward incident. It has also been campaigning to ensure quick repatriation of the refugees.
The country is currently hosting more than 1.1 million Rohingyas. The majority of them came to Bangladesh in August 2017, fleeing persecution in their homeland of Rakhine state in Myanmar.