2 senior UN officials in Dhaka; Bhasan Char visit to be finalised

Two senior officials of UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, arrived today on a four-day visit to observe the Rohingya situation in both Cox's Bazar Rohingya camps and Bhasan Char.

The UN officials are Gillian Triggs, the Assistant High Commissioner for Protection, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and Raouf Mazou, Assistant High Commissioner for Operations, a crucial role for overseeing UNHCR's responses to refugee situations worldwide.

They will hold meetings with the officials in Dhaka and are planning to visit Cox's Bazar and Bhasan Char. The programmes are yet to be finalised.

They are likely to go to Bhasan Char first, most probably tomorrow, said the official.

Bangladesh is hosting over 1.1 million Rohingyas in Cox's Bazar district and Bhasan Char and is expecting UN agency engagement in Bhasan Char within the next couple of months to provide humanitarian services there.

The government planned to shift 1 lakh Rohingyas to Bhasan Char gradually while around 20,000 have already been shifted there.

United Nations General Assembly President Volkan Bozkir highly appreciated Bangladesh's efforts for Rohingyas in Bhasan Char during his recent visit, saying it will be another example to the world on how to deal with the refugee issues.

Bhasan Char, a temporary shelter for Rohingyas until repatriation, remained unhurt with no casualty to personnel and livestock though cyclone Yaas caused damage to some extent in coastal areas.

"I really applaud the work done there - the quality of buildings and also taking all the precautions. I think this will be another example to the world on how to deal with refugee issues," he said.