Bangladesh to move Rohingya to island from next month officials

Dhaka: Bangladesh will next month start moving 100,000 Rohingya refugees to a remote island, officials said Tuesday, despite warnings the silty strip is prone to violent weather.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is scheduled on October 3 to officially open newly-constructedshelters for the displaced Muslims on Bhashan Char, a muddy islet that only emerged from the Bay of Bengal in 2006. The plan is already behind schedule.

Officials previously said they wanted to start moving refugees from overcrowded camps near the border with Myanmar to the island in June, before the monsoon began.

The navy has fast-tracked construction of shelters and evacuation centres for 100,000 refugees and nearly three-quarters of the project is complete, a senior disaster management official told AFP.

"Initially, 50 to 60 Rohingya families will be relocated in the first phase beginning next month," said the official, Habibul Kabir Chowdhury.