US envoy welcomes govt assurance of voluntary resettlement
US Ambassador to Bangladesh Earl R Miller has welcomed assurances that relocation of Rohingya refugees to Bhasan Char island will be completely voluntary.
He received assurance from government officials during his three-day visit to Cox's Bazar (March 8-10). He visited both local communities and Rohingya camps, and met with officials of the government, UN and NGOs operating in the area.
Ambassador Miller also met with local government officials -- including the Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner and Cox's Bazar Deputy Commissioner -- to learn more about the government plan of relocating up to 1,00,000 Rohingyas to Bhasan Char, starting as early as mid-April.
He was assured that any movement to the island will be fully voluntary, based on informed consent, and those who choose to go will have free movement to and from the island to maintain connections with the rest of the Rohingya community in Cox's Bazar, according to a press release from the US Embassy yesterday.
Bhasan Char is part of a chain of islands in the Bay of Bengal.
The UN, international organisations, NGOS and rights bodies including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, voiced their concerns about the relocation and the situation on the island, and have warned that the move could be risky. They have insisted that any relocation should be voluntary.
During his visit, the US Ambassador met with the American Red Cross, IFRC, IOM, UNDP, UNHCR, WFP, and others to discuss their outstanding efforts, working with the local community to prepare for the annual cyclone and monsoon season, and how the United States can further assist these efforts.
After his March 3 announcement of an additional $45.5 million to the 2019 Joint Response Plan, bringing total US contributions to $105.5 million, Ambassador Miller traveled to Cox's Bazar to ensure good stewardship of US tax dollars and to review the outstanding work being done by the Bangladesh government, UN agencies, and NGOs to provide humanitarian assistance and shelter to more than 9,00,000 Rohingya in Cox's Bazar.
The United States works hand-in-hand with the Bangladesh government and local communities to build Multi-Purpose Cyclone Shelters (MPCS) and train emergency first responders. The United States, through USAID, has built nine MPCS's and upgraded 60 in the Cox's Bazar district since 2008.
USAID, in coordination with the Government of Bangladesh, plans to repair approximately 100 more existing MPCS's in Cox's Bazar and Bandarban districts. MPCS's serve both refugee and local communities during cyclones, and are further used by local communities year-round to serve general community needs.
Ambassador Miller took the opportunity to visit a number of refugee camps and speak with the Rohingyas and NGOs providing services to the camps.
The United States is the leading contributor to humanitarian assistance in response to the Rohingya refugee crisis and has provided nearly $500 million in assistance since the outbreak of violence in August 2017, with approximately $450 million of that dedicated to programmes in Bangladesh for the refugees and host communities.
Comments