Dhaka, Dec. 6 -- The government of Bangladesh has been working to develop Bhasan Char, an estuary island that appeared in the Bay of Bengal just over a decade ago, to accommodate some 1,00,000 Rohingyas there initially. It has been keen to stress that any such relocation would be voluntary. The government looks optimistic about implementing its plan to relocate Rohingyas to Bhasan Char subject to completion of further technical assessment to be done by an expert team.

The UN's first technical assessment mission was scheduled to be done from November 17 to November 19. However, the UN and the government of Bangladesh have agreed to "postpone" the visit to make sure that the right experts and all the necessary logistical arrangements are i...