Around 1,600 Rohingya refugees have been moved from camps in Cox’s Bazar to a remote island in the Bay of Bengal, part of a plan by the government of Bangladesh to relocate 100,000 refugees to Bhasan Char island. The relocation has raised international concerns over potential human rights violations, including concern for the health and safety of those relocated to this previously uninhabited island. The UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, stressed that “any transfer must follow a voluntary, informed decision,” and have requested access to those relocated “in order to hear their voices, understand their wishes and see conditions on the island”.
THE ROHINGYA REFUGEE CRISIS
The Rohingya are a mostly-Muslim minority ethnic group in predominantly Buddhist Myanmar. They have been described by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres as "one of, if not the, most discriminated people in the world". Since the early 1990s, over one million Rohingya refugees have fled violence in Myanmar.
In August 2017, a surge in violence by Myanmar's military on the Rohingya began, in retaliation for alleged attacks on remote police outposts by armed groups. As a result, hundreds of thousands of Rohingya fled from Myanmar to Bangladesh in order to escape mass murder, rape, and other violence carried out by security forces. The violence carried out by Myanmar’s military has been described by the UN as “genocidal,” and has been considered a “textbook example of ethnic cleansing”.
Over 860,000 Rohingya refugees currently live in the Cox’s Bazar district in Bangladesh, around 740,000 of whom fled Myanmar following the 2017 crisis. The majority of refugees in Bangladesh are women and children, and more than 40% are under 12 years old. With around 600,000 people living in a 13 square kilometre area, the Kutupalong refugee camp is the largest in the world. Due to the overwhelming number of people residing in the area, the camp is in crisis, with infrastructure and services stretched to their limits.
The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the existing crisis for Rohingya refugees. In addition to the threat of the virus itself, living conditions have worsened, access to services has become even more restricted, and the risk of sexual and gender-based violence has increased.
FROM COX’S BAZAR TO BHASAN CHAR ISLAND
Bangladeshi authorities have reportedly prepared a list of 4,000 Rohingya refugees to be relocated to Bhasan Char island, with the first 1,600 transferred to the island on 4 December.
The UNCHR was not involved in the relocation preparations and has stressed that any relocations “should be preceded by comprehensive technical protection assessments”. The UN stated that these independent assessments are necessary in order to “review the safety, feasibility and sustainability of Bhasan Char'' and to review the “framework for protection and the assistance and services they would be able to access on the island”. The UN is ready to proceed with such assessments if permitted by the Government.
Echoing concerns raised by the UN, a number of prominent NGOs have spoken out against the relocation plan, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch (HRW). HRW has accused the Bangladeshi government of “actively reneging on its promise to the UN not to relocate any refugees to the Bhasan Char island until humanitarian experts give a green light”. HRW calls on the Bangladesh government to commit to a transparent relocation process, and allow the UN to conduct the necessary technical and protection assessments.
Despite government assurances that relocation will be on a voluntary basis, there have been claims to the contrary. HRW spoke with refugees whose names have appeared on the list, even though they did not consent to relocation. A number have fled in order to escape forced relocation. Some refugees claimed that authorities have offered misleading information and incentives to encourage them to relocate, including promising better access to health facilities and education for their children on the island.
CONDITIONS ON THE ISLAND
Concerns have been raised as to the living conditions on Bhasan Char island. The island, which has never been inhabited, is low-lying and reportedly vulnerable to cyclones and flooding. Experts have warned that the entire island could be flooded by heavy rains, despite authorities in Bangladesh assuring that flood defences have been established.
300 Rohingya refugees resided on the island prior to the relocation of an additional 1,600 people. These individuals have lived on the island since April, sent there after being rescued at sea. Living conditions for those on the island are very poor, and there have been allegations of sexual assault against the guards. HRW reports that people living on the island are “denied freedom of movement and have no access to sustainable livelihoods or education”. There are also claims of beatings by the authorities when several refugees went on hunger strike in order to express their desire to return to Cox’s Bazar.
HRW has also noted the “lack of adequate medical care on the island”, and the absence of a “sustainable plan” for responding to medical emergencies, which is alarming given the intent to relocate thousands of people to the island.
HUMAN RIGHTS PROTECTION VITAL
The human rights of the Rohingya refugees must be protected. The Bangladeshi government should heed calls from human rights experts and halt the relocation of Rohingya refugees to Bhasan Char. The relocation should only proceed on a voluntary basis, when all parties are fully informed and independent technical assessments have been completed. To this end, the Bangladeshi government should grant the UNCHR access to the island and to those who have relocated. HRW calls for “donor governments engaged in the Rohingya crisis response” (including the UK and USA, among others) to “take a clear stand” in response to the relocation and to ensure the protection of the Rohingya refugees.
Shannon is an LLB Law with Politics graduate from Queen's University Belfast. Since graduating she has worked for Allen & Overy LLP, where she sits on the Pro Bono Committee. As the Project Coordinator for A&O's Pro Bono partnership with the AIRE Centre, she facilitates a letter writing initiative in order to promote awareness of legal rights and assist people in vulnerable circumstances to assert those rights.