Exclusive footage obtained by the Guardian has revealed the stark concrete camps being built for the Rohingya on a sediment island in Bangladesh, as part of a controversial plan to relocate hundreds of thousands of refugees. The development of Bhasan Char island has remained highly secretive but footage filmed undercover for the Guardian reveals the living conditions that will greet 100,000 Rohingya refugees, who could be brought to the island by the beginning of next year. Bhasan Char is a previously uninhabited and remote silt island in Bangladesh’s Meghna River, accessible only by boat. Bhasan Char, which is 30km from the mainland, only emerged from the river over the past two decades. A UN spokesperson said that while questions remained over the suitability of Bhasan Char, they welcomed any attempt to “decongest the heavily overcrowded settlements in Cox’s Bazar.”

Source: The Guardian November 28, 2018 23:21 UTC