The Rohingyas, who are currently residing on Bhashan Char Island, will be sent back to Cox’s Bazar after the arrival of the new ones from the camps in the coastal district, according to officials involved with the relocation project.
The government has taken the decision in principle in this regard, but no timeframe has yet been fixed, they told Dhaka Tribune during a visit to Bhashan Char on Sunday and Monday.
The government organized the visit for a group of journalists from print and electronic media.
At present, 306 Rohingyas are sheltered in some of the cluster houses built on the island for relocation of little over 100,000 persecuted Myanmar nationals from Cox’s Bazar.
They were rescued from the Bay of Bengal in early May after their ships destined for Malaysia were turned away. On May 3, 29 Rohingyas were rescued while 277 were saved on May 7.
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The sources said that after the arrival of the Rohingyas from Cox’s Bazar, these people would be sent back to Cox’s Bazar if they were willing to go.
The government decision is intended to allow the Rohingyas living in Bhashan Char now to reunite with their families in Cox’s Bazar, as all but four are from broken families, they said, adding that there is only one complete family of four.
Of the 306 Rohingyas, 97 are males, 176 females and 33 children. Some 250 Rohingyas have held biometric cards issued by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) while the remaining 56 people — 33 males and 33 children — were found without cards.
The authorities have already completed the procedures to document them.
The officials claimed that the Rohingyas had been looked after well in the last seven months and it was the primary success of the relocation project.
The experience of taking care of the 306 Rohingyas have given the authorities a better understanding as to how to deal with the Rohingyas when they will be relocated to Bhashan Char, they said, adding that this had also enabled them to have a practical experience about the needs of the new arrivals.
