Bhasanchar
Home Minister visits coast guards & Rohingyas on Bhasanchar island
Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal on Thursday visited Bhasanchar to see the Rohingya camp and Bangladesh Coast Guard (BCG) station on the island in Noakhali district.
Media officer of the Coast Guard Headquarters here Lt. Commander Khandaker Munif Taqi said the home minister planted trees on the island and observed various activities of BCG.
Senior Secretary of Public Security division under the home Ministry Md. Akhtar Hossain, Secretary of Security Services Division Md. Abdullah Al Masood Chowdhury, BGB Director General Major General Sakil Ahmed and Bangladesh Coast Guard Director General Rear Admiral Ashraful Haque Chowdhury accompanied the minister.
Also read: Seven Rohingyas detained while trying to escape Bhasan Char
Senior officials of Bangladesh Coast Guard were also present, the officer said.
Bhasan Char, also known as Char Piya, is an island in Hatiya Upazila in Noakhali district. Until 2019 it was known as Thengar Char. It is located in the Bay of Bengal, about 6 kilometres from Sandwip island and 37 miles from the mainland.
In late 2020, the government began relocating Rohingya refugees from the Cox’s Bazar camps Bhasan Char. The Government had decided to relocate a total of 100,000 refugees in phases. As of April this year, 30,000, refugees have been taken to the island.
Also read: 18 Rohingyas fleeing from Bhasanchar arrested in Mirsarai
Bangladesh is currently hosting over 1.1 million Rohingyas in camps in Cox's Bazar and Bhasan Char. Most of them fled to this country since August 25, 2017, when the Myanmar military launched a brutal offensive targeting the Muslim ethnic minorities.
18 Rohingyas fleeing from Bhasanchar arrested in Mirsarai
Police arrested 18 Rohingyas from Mirsarai Economic Zone on Friday after they fled from Noakhali’s Bhasanchar refugee camp.
The arrestees include 8 women and 6 children.
Md Habib, an in-charge of Mirsarai industrial area police camp, said they arrested the Rohingyas from the economic zone’s Super Dike area on Friday afternoon when they were heading towards Ukhiya’s Kutupalong refugee camp from the Bhasanchar.
He said the Rohingyas fled from Bhasanchar in collaboration with brokers and came to Mirsarai by boat.
The arrestees were handed over to Jorarganj police station, he added.
19 Rohingyas fleeing from Bhasanchar arrested in Sitakunda
Police have arrested 19 Rohingyas at coast of Fauzdarhat in Sitakunda upazila after they fled from Noakhali’s Bhasanchar refugee camp.
At around 11 am on Wednesday the locals detained 21 Rohingyas after they arrived at the Fauzdarhat coast of Ward No. 1 of Salimpur Union in a boat.
Later, they handed over 19 of them to the police as two youths managed to escape.
Among the arrestees were eight children, four women and seven men.
Mostakim Arju, a local UP member, said, "When I heard that 21 children, women and men had come to the shores of Faujdarhat, I rushed to the spot, held them and informed the chairman."
Although there were 21 people in the boat, two youths escaped, he said.
One of the arrestees, Abdul Habib, said that the group of 21 people on Sunday started from Bhasanchar on a rented boat for Tk 13,000 per person. They arrived ashore in Fauzdarhat after a four-day long journey in the sea
The boatman quickly left with the boat as soon as the passengers got off, he added.
Habib further said, “We are having a hard time in Bhasanchar so we wanted to go to our previous place in Cox’s Bazar.”
ASI Zahirul Islam of Fauzdarhat police outpost said that on receiving information from local UP chairman Salauddin Aziz, we arrested 19 Rohingyas from the coast of Fauzdarhat and brought them to the outpost.
They would soon be handed over to the local police station, he said.
UNHCR ready to support rescue work after Rohingya boat capsize
The UN refugee agency has said it remains in contact with the Rohingya communities both on Bhasan Char and in Cox's Bazar in an attempt to support the authorities in further rescue efforts following Saturday’s boat capsize in the Bay of Bengal.
On the morning of 14 August, UNHCR was alerted that a boat carrying dozens of Rohingyas had capsized close to Bhasan Char island overnight.
"We are devastated that reportedly many passengers, including women and children, have tragically drowned. The confirmed number is not yet known," said the UN agency.
Also read: Vaccination: UNHCR lauds Bangladesh for inclusion of Rohingyas
UNHCR said they are grateful to local Bangladeshi fishermen who were first on the scene and alerted Bangladeshi authorities.
The search and rescue operation is being led by the authorities, notably the Bangladesh Navy and the Coast Guard.
"We are seeking further information from the Government of Bangladesh at this time," said the UNHCR.
Also read: Refugee Policy Review done by UNHCR following its framework
20 Rohingyas who fled Bhasanchar arrested in Chattogram
Twenty Rohingyas who had fled Bhasanchar in Noakhali were arrested in Jorarganj area of Mirsarai upazila in Chattogram on Saturday .
Among the arrestees, 11 were children, five women and four men.
The arrestees are Md Abdur Rahman, 27, Setara Begum, 20, Md Sabbir 26, Sanchita begum, Rajiya Begum, 23, Nurul Karim, 20, Salma Khatun, 50, Jamal Hossain, 24, Nur Kayda, 25, Rumana, 6, Nur Fatema, 3, Md Ayaz,8, Jannat Ara, 4, Kismat Ara Begum, 2, Mariam, 8, Abul Kashem,7, Md Ayat, 4, Setara, 5, Jannat Ara,1, and Osman Gani aged eight months.
Also read: 31 Rohingyas held in Chattogram
Officer-in-Charge of Jorarganj police station Helal Uddin said tipped off, police arrested the Rohingyas and produced them before a court after filing a case.
Investigation is going on to find out who had helped them to flee, said the OC.
Meanwhile, locals said they informed police when a boat carrying a group of Rohingyas reached the coast adjacent to Mirsarai Economic Zone area.
Also read: Seven Rohingyas held along Benapole border
The Rohingyas were travelling towards Kutupalong Rohingya camp in Teknaf, they said.
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