Netherlands, Sweden seek UN assessment
The Netherlands and Sweden have called for urgent need for a UN assessment on the safety, feasibility and sustainability of Bhasan Char as a place for refugees to live.
The call came after a visit by the two European ambassadors to Cox's Bazar, where about a million Rohingyas are living in congested refugee camps.
At least 1,642 Rohingyas were transferred to Bhashan Char on December 5 amid criticism from the UN and rights bodies who say the island in Hatiya of Noakhali is low-lying and isolated. UN said it was waiting for assessment by a technical team of the UN.
The ambassadors said they will continue to focus on accountability for the atrocities committed in Myanmar and put pressure on it to allow the Rohingyas to return.
"Despite the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, it is important to maintain the focus on the Rohingya crisis," they said in a joint statement yesterday, calling for the international community to continue to do its part to support both the Rohingya refugees and the host communities for their protection and well-being.
During their visit to Cox's Bazar, Swedish Ambassador Alex Berg von Linde and Dutch Ambassador Harry Verweij met with local government officials and humanitarian actors to exchange views on the current situation of the Rohingya refugees in the camps. The ambassadors engaged with both host communities and refugees.
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