Bangladesh relocates third group of Rohingya refugees

Despite a halt on the relocation of Rohingya refugees called by human rights groups, Authorities in Bangladesh sent a third group of Rohingya refugees to a newly developed island in the Bay of Bengal on Friday.

Chattogram:Authorities in Bangladesh sent a third group of Rohingya refugees to a newly developed island in the Bay of Bengal on Friday despite calls by human rights groups for a halt to the process.

The government insists the relocation plan is meant to offer better living conditions while attempts to repatriate more than one million refugees to Myanmar continue.

On Friday morning, 1,778 refugees started their journey to the island of Bhasan Char in four navy vessels from the southeastern port city of Chattogram, said Mohammad Mozammel Haque, a Bangladesh navy commander.

He said the refugees would be checked by doctors and given food and accommodation when they arrived.

Read:Bangladesh moves ahead with Rohingya refugee relocation

"We hope that they will start a new life in safety," Haque added.

But several human rights and activist groups say some refugees have been forced to go to the island some 34 kilometers (21 miles) from the mainland, which was previously uninhabited and regularly submerged by monsoon rains.

It now has flood protection embankments, houses, hospitals and mosques for 100,000 people, built at a cost of more than $112 million by the Bangladesh navy.

Authorities say the refugees were selected for relocation based on their willingness, and that no pressure was applied.

AP