THOUSANDS OF ROHINGYA PROTEST AT BHASHAN CHAR ISLANDS

THOUSANDS OF ROHINGYA PROTEST AT BHASHAN CHAR ISLANDS

Subject: Geography

Context: Several thousand Rohingya refugees have staged “unruly” protests against living conditions on a cyclone-prone island off Bangladesh where they were moved from vast camps on the mainland, police said.

Concept:

• The island is also known as Thengar Char Island.
• Bhashan Char Island was formed about two decades ago on the mouth of river Meghna.
• The uninhabited island is located around 30 kilometres east of Hatiyaisland in South-East Bangladesh.
• Bangladesh wanted to move 100,000 Rohingya refugees to the muddy silt island to take the pressure off the overcrowded border camps.
• The Bhashan Char falls in an ecologically fragile area prone to floods, erosion and cyclone.
• Though the Bangladesh government has built a three-metre-high embankment along its perimeter to keep out tidal surges during cyclones.