Bangladesh detain 20 Rohingya fleeing remote islet

By SM Najmus Sakib

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) – Bangladesh police on Saturday apprehended 20 more Rohingya refugees escaping the remote island of Bhasan Char, where the country had relocated 20,000 refugees,.

Local police officer Inspector Helal Uddin Farooqui confirmed to Anadolu Agency that refugees were detained from an under-construction industrial area in Chattogram, which is located along the Bay of Bengal.

The refugees, who included 11 children and four women, escaped Bhasan Char in a small boat in an attempt to return to Teknaf, the largest refugee campsite in the country’s southeastern district of Cox’s Bazar, where over 1.2 million Rohingya are being housed, the official said.

“We have already produced them before a local court and filed a case under a foreign nationals act. At least 60 Rohingya refugees have been arrested since June of this year, including the latest incident,” he added.

Bangladesh has begun the process of relocating 100,000 Rohingya refugees from overcrowded camps in Cox's Bazar to the remote island of Bhasan Char in the Bay of Bengal.

A UN team recently visited the island and is conducting an assessment over the government’s claim of a well arrangement and demands for funds for the refugees there.