Ambassadors from Sweden, Norway and Denmark were among a group of foreign diplomats who visited the refugee camp Bhasan Char island in southern Bangladesh, where more than 23,000 Rohingya refugees from Myanmar are currently housed.
The ambassadors were Sweden’s Ambassador to Bangladesh, Alexandra Berg von Linde, Norway’s Ambassador Espen Rikter-Svendsen, and Denmark’s Ambassador Winnie Estrup Petersen. Diplomats from Canada, the European Union, Germany, the United States, South Korea, the Philippines and Italy also took part in the visit.
The delegation travelled to the remote island in the Bay of Bengal to observe conditions and facilities established by the Bangladeshi government for the forcibly displaced Rohingya population. According to news reports, the group toured housing units, schools, infrastructure, and livelihood projects developed since Bangladesh began relocating refugees to Bhasan Char following the 2017 military crackdown in Myanmar.
“Insightful visit to Bhasan Char where 23,000 Rohingya refugees now live. Good opportunity to see firsthand the infrastructure, livelihood opportunities, health and education services that are being put in place,” said Charles Whiteley, EU Ambassador to Bangladesh, in a post on social media following the visit.
The envoys were accompanied by senior officials from Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and held informal conversations with refugee residents to learn more about their living conditions. They also reviewed the work of development agencies operating on the island.
The majority of Myanmar refugees—specifically the Rohingya—live in Cox’s Bazar district in southeastern Bangladesh. The Kutupalong-Balukhali refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar is the largest refugee settlement in the world, hosting over 600,000 people, with the total Rohingya population in the district estimated to be over 900,000.
Bhasan Char houses only a small number of them — around 23,000 refugees as of early 2022 — who have been relocated there under a Bangladeshi government initiative to ease overcrowding in Cox’s Bazar.
Source: Daily Sun
