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world news Diamars 12 OctOber 2021

UN, Bangladesh sign deal to aid Rohingya relocated to island

(AP) — The United Na- tainable return to Myanmar
tions and Bangladesh’s After Saturday’s agreement, in the future,” according to
government have signed authorities said another the statement.
an agreement to work to- 81,000 refugees would be
gether to help Rohingya relocated to the island over Johannes Van Der Klaauw,
refugees on an island in next three months. representative at the UN-
the Bay of Bengal where HCR, said the organization
thousands have been re- A U.N. team’s visit to the is- has seen the island and be-
located from crammed land in March preceded the lieves Bangladesh’s govern-
camps near the Myanmar world body’s changed view. ment has added “significant
border. infrastructure” to offset en-
In a statement, the United vironmental hazards. The
More than 19,000 Rohingya Nations High Commis- agreement also allows refu-
have already been moved to sioner for Refugees said the gees to move back and forth
the Bhasan Char island by the agreement was a further ex- between the island and the
government, and the U.N. pression of the Bangladesh’s main camps in Cox’s Bazar,
said one of the key reasons “generosity and support to- he said. might start having mental is- Bangladesh has been shel-
to sign the agreement was to ward the Rohingya popula- sues,” she said, adding that tering 1.1 million Rohingya
start serving that population. tion until they can return Refugees will also have medical and other aid facili- from Myanmar, including
safely and sustainably to a chance to earn a living ties were not very well set up more than 700,000 who fled
Bangladesh plans to relo- Myanmar.” through odd jobs that will on the island. She was un- a harsh military crackdown
cate 100,000 Rohingya to be accessible once aid orga- willing to be named, fearing on the Muslim ethnic group
the island in phases from the The agreement allows for nizations set up on the is- retribution. in August 2017 following an
crowded refugee camps in close cooperation between land. Klaauw also noted that attack by insurgents. Hasina
Cox’s Bazar district. the government and the movement to Bhasan Char Amir Hamza, 63, another says her administration will
U.N. on services and ac- would be on an informed and refugee said he won’t relocate not force them to return.
The agreement came as a tivities to benefit the island’s voluntary basis. to the island.
paradigm shift after the U.N. residents. The U.N. also said The Rohingya are not recog-
and humanitarian groups it had discussions with Ro- But most Rohingya refugees “I will go to the country nized as citizens in Myanmar,
criticized the relocation, hingya living in Cox’s Bazar say they don’t want to relo- where I was born, my father rendering them stateless, and
saying the 30-year-old is- as well as those already living cate. and grandfather were born. I face other forms of state-
land regularly submerged by on Bhasan Char island, prior have love for that country, and sanctioned discrimination.
monsoon rains was not fit for to signing of the agreement. A woman who had moved I agree to go to that country.
habitation. But Prime Minis- to the island with her fam- I don’t agree to go to another A U.N.-sponsored investiga-
ter Sheikh Hasina’s govern- “These cover key areas of ily earlier this year said many country, island, or any place, tion in 2018 recommended
ment has spent more than protection, education, skills- escaped on boats back to the even if I am offered milk the prosecution of Myan-
$112 million on develop- training, livelihoods and camp because life on the is- and rice on a golden plate. I mar’s top military com-
ment, adding sea walls, hos- health, which will help sup- land is hard for the refugees. am ready and happy to go to manders on charges of geno-
pitals, schools and mosques, port the refugees to lead de- my country, land, and to my cide, war crimes and crimes
and insists it is no more a cent lives on the island and “If people stay there for a home.” against humanity for the vio-
vulnerable area. better prepare them for sus- couple of years, all of them lence against the Rohingya.

Austria swears in new chancellor after Kurz steps aside

(AP) — Austria got a new corruption allegations.
chancellor on Monday, Kurz, 35, announced Satur-
two days after former day that he would step aside Van der Bellen lauded the
leader Sebastian Kurz to defuse a political crisis two new leaders’ experi-
resigned amid corrup- triggered by prosecutors’ an- ence in representing Austria
tion allegations, but the nouncement that he is one abroad, but also stressed the
direction of government of the targets of an investiga- responsibility they have in re-
policy was not expected to tion into suspected bribery storing the Austrian people’s
change. and breach of trust. Kurz’s confidence in the country’s
junior coalition partners, the government.
Austrian President Alexan- Greens, had demanded his
der Van der Bellen swore in replacement. Kurz denies any “We all expect that the gov-
Alexander Schallenberg, the wrongdoing. ernment will go back to work
former foreign minister, as and move things forward to-
chancellor. Career diplomat Kurz and his close associates gether,” Van der Bellen said.
Michael Linhart became the are accused of trying to se-
country’s new foreign min- cure his rise to the leadership Schallenberg served as the
ister. of his party and the country country’s foreign minister
with the help of manipulat- since 2019, while Linhart
Schallenberg, 52, told re- ed polls and friendly media was Austria’s ambassador to
porters later Monday that he reports financed with pub- France.
would do “everything to refill lic money. Kurz became the
the trenches” caused by the leader of his Austrian Peo- Kurz rejected allegations that
recent government crisis and ple’s Party and then chancel- he would try to hang on to
also “do everything in my lor in 2017. power, the Austrian news
power to serve our beautiful agency APA reported.
country of Austria.” Although he is stepping down
as chancellor, he is keeping “One thing is clear: I’m no
He also said he would con- his role as party leader and shadow chancellor,” Kurz
tinue to work closely with becoming the head of its par- said in a statement. “I will
the conservative Kurz. Both liamentary group, keeping work at high speed in the
share a hard line on immigra- him at the heart of Austrian coming days to make sure
tion. politics while he fights the there’s an orderly transition.”