Staff Reporter :
The United States has urged Bangladesh to “postpone” its Rohingya relocation plan to Bhashan char until independent experts can determine it as a suitable location, though Bangladesh is looking for a voluntary nature of relocation.
Alice G Wells, US Acting Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of South and Central Asia gave the call while delivering her statement on a hearing before the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific on Tuesday. Congressman Brad Sherman was in the chair.
Earlier on October 21, Bangladesh and the European Union discussed the Bhashan char relocation plan, and Bangladesh reassured the “voluntary nature” of such Rohingya relocation.
State Minister for Foreign Affairs M Shahriar Alam also tweeted a couple of days back saying Bhashan Char is ready to welcome Rohingya families.
“Newly-built shelters will offer educational and livelihood options and will decongest the present camps,” his tweet reads.
Shahriar mentioned that cluster comes with multistoried buildings, a typical model that is hugely successful in coastal belt.
Bangladesh is currently hosting over 1.1 million of Rohingyas in congested camps in the country’s tourist hub – Cox’s Bazar district – putting much burden on Bangladesh.
“Given Bangladesh’s own development needs, Prime Minister Hasina opened the country’s borders to over 700,000 Rohingya refugees since August 2017 deserves recognition from international partners, including the United States,” Wells said.
The hosting of Rohingyas has come with genuine consequences for Bangladesh, which was already one of the most densely populated countries in the world, the US official said.
Wells said the United States is Bangladesh’s leading partner in responding to the humanitarian crisis with more than $669 million in assistance provided since August 2017.
The United States has urged Bangladesh to “postpone” its Rohingya relocation plan to Bhashan char until independent experts can determine it as a suitable location, though Bangladesh is looking for a voluntary nature of relocation.
Alice G Wells, US Acting Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of South and Central Asia gave the call while delivering her statement on a hearing before the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific on Tuesday. Congressman Brad Sherman was in the chair.
Earlier on October 21, Bangladesh and the European Union discussed the Bhashan char relocation plan, and Bangladesh reassured the “voluntary nature” of such Rohingya relocation.
State Minister for Foreign Affairs M Shahriar Alam also tweeted a couple of days back saying Bhashan Char is ready to welcome Rohingya families.
“Newly-built shelters will offer educational and livelihood options and will decongest the present camps,” his tweet reads.
Shahriar mentioned that cluster comes with multistoried buildings, a typical model that is hugely successful in coastal belt.
Bangladesh is currently hosting over 1.1 million of Rohingyas in congested camps in the country’s tourist hub – Cox’s Bazar district – putting much burden on Bangladesh.
“Given Bangladesh’s own development needs, Prime Minister Hasina opened the country’s borders to over 700,000 Rohingya refugees since August 2017 deserves recognition from international partners, including the United States,” Wells said.
The hosting of Rohingyas has come with genuine consequences for Bangladesh, which was already one of the most densely populated countries in the world, the US official said.
Wells said the United States is Bangladesh’s leading partner in responding to the humanitarian crisis with more than $669 million in assistance provided since August 2017.
