Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Bangladeshi counterpart on the safety of Bhasan Char for Rohingya refugees.

The former Minister for Asia and the Pacific stressed to the Government of Bangladesh, most recently during his visit to Bangladesh in April 2019, that any relocation of refugees to Bhasan Char Island must be safe, dignified and in accordance with international humanitarian principles and standards.

The UK fully supports the UN's position that full and detailed technical and protection assessments should be conducted of Bhasan Char before any relocation of Rohingya refugees are considered. We welcome the Government of Bangladesh's commitment to ensure any relocation is voluntary and are conducted in coordination with UN agencies.