DHAKA: Bangladesh's government sent a fourth group of Rohingya Muslim refugees to an island in the Bay of Bengal on Saturday, ignoring calls from human rights groups for a halt to the move.
The 1,466 Rohingya who had been living in the sprawling refugee camps of Cox’s Bazar were sent Saturday to Bhasan Char, an island specifically developed to accommodate 100,000 of the 1 million Rohingya who have fled from neighboring Myanmar. That follows 1,776 refugees who made the trip on Friday.
The relocations began in December and have been criticized by human rights groups, who say many of the refugees are being forced to move against their will.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her government have denied that and said the relocations will continue.
Bangladesh has said that ultimately it is up to Myanmar to take the refugees back and has called on the international community to put pressure on Myanmar's government to ensure their safe return.
More than 1 million Rohingya have fled waves of violent persecution in their native Myanmar and are currently living in overcrowded, squalid refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar district.
“My people and relatives came here earlier. They said it is better here. So, we came,” Aman Ullah, a Rohingya refugee, said Saturday after his arrival on Bhasan Char.
Another said he came voluntarily.
“We were asked to come. And we came here at our own will,” said Mohammed Nuruddin.
The island, located 21 miles (34 kilometers) from the mainland, surfaced only 20 years ago and was not previously inhabited. It was regularly submerged by monsoon rains but now has flood protection embankments, houses, hospitals and mosques built at a cost of more than $112 million by the Bangladesh navy.
Bangladesh sends more Rohingya to island despite concerns
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Bangladesh sends more Rohingya to island despite concerns
- The 1,466 Rohingya who had been living in the sprawling refugee camps of Cox’s Bazar were sent Saturday to Bhasan Char
- That follows 1,776 refugees who made the trip on Friday
Ramadan tests Pakistan’s daily wage workers but faith endures
- Reduced work hours during fasting month cut already fragile incomes
- Charities, local businesses step in as laborers try to support families back home
ISLAMABAD: Abdul Waqif grips a worn-out shovel and digs into the earth beneath the harsh midday sun, his body bent with age but still moving steadily.
Moments later, the 70-year-old hoists a heavy bag of cement onto his shoulders and carries it toward an under-construction house, all while fasting.
For Waqif and thousands of daily wage laborers across Pakistan, Ramadan is not just a month of spiritual devotion. It is also a month of shrinking incomes.
Waqif migrated from Mohmand tribal district in northwestern Pakistan to Islamabad two decades ago in search of work.
Like many laborers from rural and former tribal areas, he left behind limited local opportunities to earn a living in larger cities such as Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi.
In Pakistan, daily wage workers, particularly in construction and manual labor, are among the most economically vulnerable.
They are paid only for days worked, receive no job security or benefits, and often rely on informal arrangements. Any slowdown in economic activity directly affects their ability to feed their families.
Economic activity typically slows during Ramadan, when Muslims fast from dawn to sunset. Employers often reduce work hours or postpone physically demanding projects to ease the burden on fasting workers. While intended as a gesture of consideration, it means fewer working hours and fewer earnings.
For laborers such as Waqif, who earns between 1,000-1,200 rupees ($3.59-$4.31) a day, even a slight reduction in work can be devastating.
His suhoor, the pre-dawn meal before fasting begins, usually consists of a few chapatis from a nearby hotel. The hunger and thirst that follow him through the day are constant companions as he lifts bricks and mixes cement in the heat. But so is his faith.
“Allah gives me courage. I am hungry and thirsty, but I keep working,” Waqif said while wiping the sweat from his brow.
Back in Mohmand district, his wife, four daughters and two sons depend on the money he sends home. Every rupee matters.
“I support them with this work,” Waqif said. “I eat three meals a day here and I also have to save money for my children and send it to them.”
The reduction in work during Ramadan weighs heavily on him. “I don’t find much work in Ramadan, and I’m worried for my family,” Waqif said.
Finding food for suhoor is sometimes a challenge. On some mornings, someone offers him a piece of flatbread. Other times, he buys what little he can afford from a nearby eatery.
Muhammad Sajid, owner of Al-Hadi restaurant in Islamabad’s G-15 sector, says he tries to ease that burden by offering meals to laborers at half price.
“We don’t let anyone go hungry,” Sajid told Arab News. “We offer sehri and iftar as much as anyone can afford.”
The restaurant serves tea, yogurt, several types of curries and parathas.
Charity groups also expand operations during Ramadan, when community support traditionally increases. The Junaid Welfare Foundation runs a roadside dastarkhwan, or communal meal spread, serving hundreds daily.
Haq Rawan Shareefi, a manager at the foundation, said about 500 people are provided iftar meals each day. The cost of one person’s iftar is 200 rupees.
“That means, on iftar and sehri, our expenses range from 150,000 rupees to 200,000 rupees,” Shareefi said.
For Waqif, breaking his fast at sunset brings temporary relief from the physical strain of the day. But the financial uncertainty remains.
“I ask Allah for this,” he said. “May Allah give me strength to earn an honest living for my children.”
