149980 - Bangladesh: Rohingya (Answered)

Mrs Anne Main
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what information he holds on when the UNHCR plans to report on the feasibility and desirability of relocating Rohingya refugees to Bhashan Char Island.

Mark Field

​I hope a planned visit to Bhashan Char by the Government and UN Joint Consultative Working Group can be facilitated as soon as possible. We expect the UN to report once it has visited the island. In advance of the visit, and to inform discussions with the Government on Bhashan Char, the UNHCR has produced a position paper outlining its concerns and the key principles for acceptable relocation. I have repeatedly made clear to the Government of Bangladesh that any relocation of refugees must be safe, dignified and in accordance with international humanitarian principles, standards and laws