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The Curious Case of Bhasan Char: Island Relocation and the Politics of Refugee Containment in the ‘Global South’: The Case of Bangladesh

by Tazreena Sajjad

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Tazreena Sajjad

Abstract

On October 9, 2021, the Bangladesh Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, and UNHCR signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a common framework for humanitarian services for refugees on Bhasan Char, following its decision to relocate 100,000 Rohingya from the Kutapalong-Balukhali ‘mega-camp’ to the island. Nested in the literature on the politics of containment and migration diplomacy, this research asks: What factors explain the Government of Bangladesh (GoB)’s new phase of attempted refugee containment in Bhasan Char? Specifically, given the infrastructural development and investments made in Bhasan Char, which has been hailed as a ‘model’ for hosting refugees, what explains the choice of an island in particular? Finally, what are the broader implications of island relocation with regard to refugee management in the Global South? This study offers three specific explanations relocating some Rohingya to Bhasan Char: (i) repeated failures in Rohingya repatriation and persistent international indifference to the protracted crisis; (ii) perception of the Rohingya not only as sources of political and economic insecurity, but as a threat to the local environment and land; and (iii) the history and political economy of khas (public) land use - including islands - in Bangladesh. In drawing attention to Bangladesh’s land use and its politics, this project emphasizes the need to understand the use of an island for refugee management from a Global South perspective, as opposed to Global North’s off-shoring practices. In addition, it argues that while the Bhasan Char strategy has garnered international attention – first negative and, later, positive – it has not yielded substantive material benefits for Bangladesh. Instead, the strategy has not only resulted in Bangladesh having to absorb signification portions of financial costs to support two camps -one on the mainland and one on an island – but raises questions about how such arrangements continue to absolve the Global North of equitable refugee-hosting responsibilities.