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Rohingya refugees settle on to naval ships to be transported to an isolated island in the Bay of Bengal, in Chittagong, Bangladesh, Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2020. Officials in Bangladesh sent a second group of Rohingya refugees to the island on Monday despite calls by human rights groups for a halt to the process. The Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement that more than 1,500 Rohingya refugees left Cox’s Bazar voluntarily under government management. Authorities say 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 refugees have been forced to go to the island, located 21 miles (34 kilometers) from the mainland. (AP Photo/Mahmud Hossain Opu)
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A Rohingya girl carries blankets as she prepares to board a ship to move to Bhasan Char island near Chattogram, Bangladesh, December 29, 2020. REUTERS/Mohammad Ponir Hossain TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
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Bangladesh Navy personnel help a disabled Rohingya refugee child to get off from a navy vessel as they arrive at the Bhasan Char island in Noakhali district, Bangladesh, December 29, 2020. REUTERS/Mohammad Ponir Hossain
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Rohingya refugees sit on a navy vessel carrying them to Bhasan Char island in Noakhali district, Bangladesh, December 29, 2020. REUTERS/Mohammad Ponir Hossain
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A Rohingya refugee girl drinks water on their way to the Bhasan Char island in Noakhali district, Bangladesh, December 29, 2020. REUTERS/Mohammad Ponir Hossain
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Rohingya refugees travel in a naval ship to be transported to an isolated island in the Bay of Bengal, in Chittagong, Bangladesh, Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2020. Officials in Bangladesh sent a second group of Rohingya refugees to the island on Monday despite calls by human rights groups for a halt to the process. The Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement that more than 1,500 Rohingya refugees left Cox’s Bazar voluntarily under government management. Authorities say 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 refugees have been forced to go to the island, located 21 miles (34 kilometers) from the mainland. (AP Photo/Mahmud Hossain Opu)
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Rohingya refugees prepare to board a ship as they move to Bhasan Char island, near Chattogram, Bangladesh, December 29, 2020. REUTERS/Mohammad Ponir Hossain
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Rohingya refugees wait to get off from a navy vessel as they arrive at the Bhasan Char island in Noakhali district, Bangladesh, December 29, 2020. REUTERS/Mohammad Ponir Hossain
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Rohingya refugees sit on a navy vessel carrying them to Bhasan Char island in Noakhali district, Bangladesh, December 29, 2020. REUTERS/Mohammad Ponir Hossain
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Rohingyas refugees sit on board a navy ship to move to Bhasan Char island in Chattogram, Bangladesh, December 29, 2020. REUTERS/Mohammad Ponir Hossain
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Rohingya refugees board a naval ship to be transported to an isolated island in the Bay of Bengal, in Chittagong, Bangladesh, Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2020. Officials in Bangladesh sent a second group of Rohingya refugees to the island on Monday despite calls by human rights groups for a halt to the process. The Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement that more than 1,500 Rohingya refugees left Cox’s Bazar voluntarily under government management. Authorities say 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 refugees have been forced to go to the island, located 21 miles (34 kilometers) from the mainland. (AP Photo/Mahmud Hossain Opu)
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Rohingya refugees wait to alight from a naval ship after arriving at Bhashan Char island, in the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh, Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2020. Officials in Bangladesh sent a second group of Rohingya refugees to the island on Monday despite calls by human rights groups for a halt to the process. Seven Bangladesh navy ships carrying 1,804 Rohingya refugees arrived Tuesday at an isolated island where they will be relocated despite concerns among human rights groups about their safety. Authorities say 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 refugees have been forced to go to the island, located 21 miles (34 kilometers) from the mainland. (AP Photo/Mahmud Hossain Opu)
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Rohingya refugees are seen on board of two navy vessels that will carry them to Bhasan Char island, in Chattogram, Bangladesh, December 29, 2020. REUTERS/Mohammad Ponir Hossain
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A Rohingya man helps a boy to wear a life jacket after getting on board of a navy vessel that will carry them to Bhasan Char island, in Chattogram, Bangladesh, December 29, 2020. REUTERS/Mohammad Ponir Hossain
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Rohingya refugees sit on wooden benches of a navy vessel on their way to the Bhasan Char island in Noakhali district, Bangladesh, December 29, 2020. REUTERS/Mohammad Ponir Hossain
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Meal is served to the Rohingya refugees on a navy vessel on their way to the Bhasan Char island in Noakhali district, Bangladesh, December 29, 2020. REUTERS/Mohammad Ponir Hossain
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Rohingya refugees wait in a naval ship to be transported to an isolated island in the Bay of Bengal, in Chittagong, Bangladesh, Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2020. Officials in Bangladesh sent a second group of Rohingya refugees to the island on Monday despite calls by human rights groups for a halt to the process. The Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement that more than 1,500 Rohingya refugees left Cox’s Bazar voluntarily under government management. Authorities say 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 refugees have been forced to go to the island, located 21 miles (34 kilometers) from the mainland. (AP Photo/Mahmud Hossain Opu)
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Rohingya refugees board a naval ship to be transported to an isolated island in the Bay of Bengal, in Chittagong, Bangladesh, Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2020. Officials in Bangladesh sent a second group of Rohingya refugees to the island on Monday despite calls by human rights groups for a halt to the process. The Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement that more than 1,500 Rohingya refugees left Cox’s Bazar voluntarily under government management. Authorities say 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 refugees have been forced to go to the island, located 21 miles (34 kilometers) from the mainland. (AP Photo/Mahmud Hossain Opu)
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Updated 30 December 2020
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Bangladesh moves biggest group of Rohingya to isolated island

Bangladesh moves biggest group of Rohingya to isolated island

Four Bangladesh navy ships on Tuesday took the second and biggest group of Rohingya Muslims yet from crowded refugee camps to an uncertain future on a bleak island three hours from the mainland.
The government insisted that the 1,800 refugees, who have been in camps since fleeing a Myanmar military clampdown, want to start new lives on Bhashan Char, where 1,600 others arrived earlier this month.