Five Bangladesh navy ships carrying more than 1,700 Rohingya refugees left the southeastern port city of Chittagong on Tuesday for an isolated island where they will be relocated despite concerns among human rights groups about their safety.
The refugees were expected to reach Bhashan Char island after a three-hour naval journey, a government official involved with the process said. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media, said the refugees were taken to Chittagong from their camps in Cox’s Bazar by buses on Monday and stayed overnight in a temporary camp.
Authorities insist the refugees were selected for relocation based on their willingness, and that no pressure was applied on them. But several human rights and activist groups say some were forced to go to the island, located 21 miles (34 kilometers) from the mainland.