Bangladesh sticks to plan to relocate Rohingya Muslims

The low-lying island proposed for the new camp is difficult to reach without boats and often becomes flooded.

In this Dec. 2, 2016 file photo, Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar, who recently crossed over to Bangladesh, huddle in a room at an unregistered refugee camp in Teknaf, near Cox's Bazar, a southern coastal district about, 296 kilometers (183 miles) south of D 

DHAKA: Bangladesh is sticking to its plan to relocate Rohingya Muslims, who fled Myanmar in the face of persecution, from overcrowded and unhealthy camps in a southern coastal district to a low-lying island still not ready for human habitation.

Foreign Minister A.H. Mahmood Ali briefed about 60 diplomats and representatives of various agencies and sought their help to relocate the Rohingya to Thengar Char in eastern Bangladesh, a government statement said late Sunday.

More than 300,000 Rohingya Muslims have been living in Bangladesh for decades while about 66,000 more have crossed the border since October amid renewed persecution and targeted attacks by soldiers and majority Buddhists in Myanmar's Rakhine state.

The low-lying island proposed for the new camp is difficult to reach without boats and often becomes flooded.