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world news Dialuna 7 December 2020

1.2M doses of China-made COVID vaccine arrive in Indonesia

(AP) — Indonesia’s gov- ing for millions of other teers in West Java’s Band-
ernment said 1.2 million doses of the Sinovac vaccine ung city since August. The
doses of a COVID-19 vac- to arrive in the form of raw government also looked into
cine developed by China- materials that will be further partnerships with two other
based biopharmaceutical processed by state-owned Chinese drug manufactur-
company Sinovac Biotech pharmaceutical holding com- ers, Sinopharm and CanSino
arrived in the country late pany PT Bio Farma. Biologics.
Sunday. However, Widodo said that
emergency use authorization Penny Lukito, head of the
President Joko Widodo said from the country’s Food and Food and Drug Control
in a televised address that an- Drug Control Agency is still Agency, estimated that the
other 1.8 million doses of the needed for mass vaccinations Sinovac vaccine would obtain
vaccine are expected to arrive to start. emergency use authorization
in early January. Indonesia is already cooper- from the agency by the third
“We are very grateful, thank ating with Sinovac in phase or fourth week of January,
God, the vaccine is now 3 clinical trials of its vaccine after the agency evaluates in-
available so that we can im- of the COVID-19 disease,” candidate, with tests being terim results from the third-
mediately curb the spread Widodo said. The government is still wait- carried out on 1,620 volun- stage clinical trial.

First Rohingya refugees arrive at isolated Bangladesh island

(AP) — Authorities in Amnesty International and
Bangladesh on Friday sent Human Rights Watch on
the first group of more Thursday urged the govern-
than 1,500 Rohingya refu- ment to cancel the relocation
gees to an isolated island plan.
despite calls by human The current refugee camps
rights groups for a halt to near the town of Cox’s Bazar
the process. are overcrowded and unhy-
gienic. Disease and organized
The 1,642 refugees boarded crime are rampant. Educa-
seven Bangladeshi naval ves- tion is limited and refugees
sels in the port of Chittagong are not allowed to work.
for the trip to Bhashan Char, Still, most Rohingya are un-
according to an official who willing to return to Myanmar
could not be named in accor- due to safety concerns. Gov-
dance with local practice. ernment officials didn’t have
After about a three-hour trip an estimate of how many ref-
they arrived at the island, ugees would be willing to be
which was once regularly relocated to the island.
submerged by monsoon rains Prime Minister Sheikh Ha-
but now has flood protection about whether to relocate to group following an attack by able to make a free and in- sina has repeatedly told the
embankments, houses, hos- the island in the Bay of Ben- insurgents. The crackdown formed decision about relo- U.N. and other international
pitals and mosques built at a gal. included rapes, killings and cating to Bhasan Char based partners that her administra-
cost of more than $112 mil- The director of infrastructure the torching of thousands of upon relevant, accurate and tion would consult them be-
lion by the Bangladesh navy. development on Bhashan homes, and was termed eth- updated information,” it said. fore making a final decision
Located 21 miles (34 kilome- Char, Commodore Abdul- nic cleansing by global rights U.N. spokesman Stephane on the relocation, and that no
ters) from the mainland, the lah Al Mamun Chowdhury, groups and the U.N. Dujarric said Friday: “We refugees would be forced to
island surfaced only 20 years told reporters on the island Foreign media have not been have heard some reports move.
ago and was never inhabited. that the international com- permitted to visit the island. from the camps that some
Saleh Noman, a Bangladeshi munity has nothing to worry Contractors say its infra- refugees may be feeling pres- Bangladesh attempted to
journalist who traveled with about regarding the safety of structure is like a modern sured into relocating to the start sending refugees back
the refugees, said by phone the refugees. township, with multifam- island of Bhasan Char or may to Myanmar under a bilateral
from the island that the ref- He said he expects that the ily concrete homes, schools, have changed their initial framework last November,
ugees were given rice, eggs U.N. and others would be playgrounds and roads. It also views about relocation and but no one was willing to go.
and chickens for lunch after convinced about the overall has solar-power facilities, a no longer wish to move,” The Rohingya are not recog-
their body temperatures were arrangements after visiting water supply system and cy- “If so,” he said, “they should nized as citizens in Myanmar,
measured by health workers the island. Asked when that clone shelters. be allowed to remain in the rendering them stateless, and
as a coronavirus precaution. would be, he answered that International aid agencies and camps in Cox’s Bazar.” face other forms of state-
Before they boarded the the government is working the U.N. have vehemently Dujarric said the U.N. has sanctioned discrimination.
ships they were also given on it. opposed the relocation since also seen “troubling images A U.N.-sponsored investiga-
face masks to protect against On Thursday, 11 passenger it was first proposed in 2015, of some distressed refugees” tion in 2018 recommended
COVID-19. buses carrying the refugees expressing fear that a big during Thursday’s relocation the prosecution of Myan-
The island’s facilities are built left Cox’s Bazar on the way storm could overwhelm the and has shared its concerns mar’s top military command-
to accommodate 100,000 to the island. They camped island and endanger thou- with Bangladesh authorities. ers on charges of genocide,
people, just a fraction of the overnight in school buildings sands of lives. “Our longstanding position, war crimes and crimes against
million Rohingya Muslims in the southeastern city of The U.N. said in a state- which bears repeating, is that humanity for the violence
who have fled waves of vio- Chittagong. ment Wednesday that it has comprehensive technical and against the Rohingya.
lent persecution in their na- Authorities in Cox’s Bazar not been involved in prepara- protection assessments to Myanmar is defending itself
tive Myanmar and are cur- did not say how the refugees tions for the relocation or the evaluate the safety and sus- in the International Court of
rently living in crowded, were selected for relocation. selection of refugees and has tainability of life on Bhasan Justice in the Hague, Nether-
squalid refugee camps in About 700,000 Rohingya fled limited information about Char should take place be- lands, after the West African
Cox’s Bazar district. to the camps in Cox’s Bazar the overall plan. fore any relocation,” Dujarric nation of Gambia brought a
The United Nations has after August 2017, when the “The United Nations takes said. “That’s essential for us case backed by the Organiza-
voiced concern that refu- military in Buddhist-major- this opportunity to highlight in terms of providing a way tion for Islamic Cooperation,
gees be allowed to make a ity Myanmar began a harsh its longstanding position that forward for any U.N. en- Canada and the Netherlands
“free and informed decision” crackdown on the Muslim Rohingya refugees must be gagement on this process.” over the crackdown.