Bangladesh sends more refugees to island

Bangladesh on Thursday began relocating hundreds of Rohingya refugees to an island in the Bay of Bengal, despite concerns from rights groups over the conditions on the vulnerable low-lying area and pleas that no asylum seekers should be sent forcibly. Bangladesh has been sheltering 1.1 million of the Rohingya refugees, who fled Myanmar, in crowded camps near its coast. A senior official overseeing the relocation, Mohammad Shamsud Douza, said that a navy ship would take 379 refugees to the Bhashan Char Island. “They are going there voluntarily. All the 379 refugees have chosen to live there for a better and secure life,” he said.