Poppy McPherson

(Reuters) – The agreement for United Nations workers to begin work on a remote island in Bangladesh where thousands of Rohingya refugees have been sent by the government does not guarantee that they can move to the mainland. A copy of the agreement is available.

Nearly 19,000 Rohingya refugees from Myanmar have been moved by the Bangladesh government to Bhasan Char Island. This was despite opposition from rights groups and protests from refugees.

Refugees have called for freedom of movement between the remote and floodprone island, several hours off the coast, and the sprawling mainland camps near the port town of Cox’s Bazar, while dozens have died in recent months attempting to flee on rickety boats.

The U.N. Refugee Agency, who had in the past refused to offer humanitarian services to Bhasan Char until assessment were complete, didn’t respond to requests for comment as to why this deal signed in October was not published or its contents.

In an Oct. 9 statement, the agency said the agreement covered “key areas of protection, education, skills-training, livelihoods and health, which will help support the refugees to lead decent lives on the island and better prepare them for sustainable return to Myanmar in the future”.

For comment, officials from Bangladesh could not reach them immediately.

A leaked copy of the deal seen by Reuters says the United Nations would be “permitted unhindered access” to the population and further relocations would be voluntary. But it says any travel between the island and mainland would be on an “as needs” basis, the precise details of which would be determined between the United Nations and Bangladesh.

They can “move on and within Bhasan Char for their daily activities”, it says.

Referring to Rohingya “forcibly displace Myanmar nationals/refugees” in the deal, it reflects the rejection of Bangladesh (which isn’t a signatory) to grant refugee status to this group.

Fortify Rights, a non-profit organization, stated that it has reviewed the agreement and called for the United Nations to amend it.

“UNHCR’s lifesaving services are essential and needed on the island, but the agency must ensure it is not propping up a refugee prison with this agreement,” said the group’s regional director, Ismail Wolff.

Over a million Rohingya fled Myanmar to seek safety in Bangladesh. They fled the country in 2017. The vast majority of them arrived in Bangladesh in 2017.

Myanmar has denied genocide and claimed it was engaged in a legit campaign against the terrorists who assaulted police posts.