At least 27 Rohingya refugees are missing after their boat sank on Saturday as they tried to flee a refugee camp criticized by human rights NGOs on a Bangladeshi island, authorities said.
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Nearly 20,000 Rohingya have been displaced to Bhashan Char Island, which is hit hard by cyclones roaring in the Bay of Bengal each year.
Ultimately, Bangladesh wants to settle 100,000 of the million Rohingya refugees on its soil, most of them in crowded camps on the continent.
Some Rohingya complain that they have been forcibly displaced on the island.
Thousands of them demonstrated in June against the living conditions.
After the tragedy, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said it was "
worried about reports that refugees have been arrested and imprisoned for trying to leave Bhashan Char
".
A rough sea
Police say the small fishing boat sank with 41 Rohingya on board after encountering rough seas in the Bay of Bengal near the island.
14 people were rescued, and searches continue to try to find the missing.
"
Navy boats and a helicopter also joined the search,
" Sujit Kumar Chanda, official administrator of Bhashan Char, told AFP.
Women and children are among the missing, he said.
A two-year-old was barely rescued by his father who kept him out of the water while swimming for help, he said.
"Life there is horrible"
Bangladesh started moving refugees to the controversial camp on the island in November, explaining that camps in the south-east of the country were overcrowded.
Hundreds of Rohingya have fled the island in recent months and have been arrested in coastal villages in the Chittagong region, police said.
Read also: Bangladesh transfers Rohingya to remote island
For Abdur Rahim, 27, who fled Bhashan Char several months ago, it is the lack of work on the island that drives people to escape.
“
Life there is horrible.
It is impossible to see relatives.
It's as if they put us in prison without giving us any opportunity,
”he denounced.
Amnesty International called on Bangladesh to "
ensure that all displacement on the island is voluntary
" and that refugees have "
the right to freedom of movement between the island and the mainland, where many of them have their families and their relatives
”.
