{{Short description|Island in Sandwip Upazila, Bangladesh}} {{Infobox islands | name = Bhasan Char<br>{{small|Char Bhasani}} | native_name = ভাসানচর | native_name_lang = bn | image_name = | image_size = | image_caption = | image_alt = | image_map = | map_alt = | map_size = | map_caption = | pushpin_map = Bangladesh | pushpin_label = Bhasan Char | pushpin_label_position = | pushpin_map_alt = | pushpin_relief = | pushpin_map_caption = | coordinates = {{coord|22|22|30|N|91|23|33|E|display=it}} | location = Bay of Bengal | area_sqmi = 25 | area_footnotes = | rank = | length_km = | length_footnotes = | width_km = | width_footnotes = | coastline_km = | coastline_footnotes = | elevation_m = | elevation_footnotes = | highest_mount = | country = {{flag|Bangladesh}} | country_admin_divisions_title = Division | country_admin_divisions = Chittagong Division | country_admin_divisions_title_1 = District | country_admin_divisions_1 = Chittagong District | country_admin_divisions_title_2 = Upazila | country_admin_divisions_2 = Sandwip Upazila | country_leader_title = | country_leader_name = | population = 35,629 | population_as_of = September 2024 | population_footnotes = | density_km2 = | density_rank = | density_footnotes = | languages = | ethnic_groups = Rohingya (majority)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bhasan Char Population (UNHCR), 2024 |url=https://bangladesh.un.org/sites/default/files/2024-02/Joint%20Government%20of%20Bangladesh%20-%20UNHCR%20Population%20Factsheet%20Bhasan%20Char%20as%20of%20January%202024.pdf |website=UNHCR}}</ref> | timezone = BST | utc_offset = +6 }}
'''Bhasan Char''' ({{langx|bn|ভাসান চর}}), also known as '''Char Bhasani''' ({{langx|bn|চর ভাসানী}}), is an island in Sandwip Upazila, Chittagong District, Bangladesh.<ref name="DailyStar2026">{{Cite news|title=Bhasan Char is Sandwip's, not Hatiya's, says Land Ministry|url=https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bhasan-char-sandwips-not-hatiyas-says-land-ministry-4083596|access-date=18 January 2026|work=The Daily Star|date=17 January 2026|language=en}}</ref> Historically administered under Hatiya Upazila of Noakhali District, the island was officially declared part of Sandwip Upazila in 17 January 2026 following the resolution of a long-standing boundary dispute.<ref name="DailyStar2026"/> Nayamasti Union of Sandwip Upazila was gradually lost due to severe river erosion. Large areas of the union were washed away by the strong currents of the Meghna River, and the eroded soil and sediment were later deposited downstream. Over time, this deposited material accumulated in the estuarine zone and eventually formed a new char, which is now known as Bhasan Char.
Until 2019<ref name="tbs">{{Cite news |url=https://tbsnews.net/rohingya-crisis/bhasan-char-project-cost-rise-34|title=Bhasan Char project cost to rise 34%|date=2019-12-16|work=The Business Standard|language=en|access-date=2019-12-19}}</ref> it was known as '''Thengar Char'''.<ref name="foreignaffars">{{cite news|last1=Kullab|first1=Samya|title=The Trouble With Thengar Char|url=https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/bangladesh/2017-02-23/trouble-thengar-char|access-date=February 25, 2017|work=Foreign Affairs|date=February 23, 2017|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref name="guardian2Feb2017">{{cite news|last1=Rahman|first1=Shaikh Azizur|title=Plan to move Rohingya to remote island prompts fears of human catastrophe|url=https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2017/feb/02/bangladesh-government-plan-move-rohingya-remote-island-human-catastrophe|access-date=February 25, 2017|work=The Guardian|date=February 2, 2017}}</ref> It is located in the Bay of Bengal, about {{convert|6|km}} from Sandwip island and {{convert|37|mi}} from the mainland.<ref name="cnn">{{cite news|last1=Pokhare|first1=Sugam|last2=Westcott|first2=Ben|title=Thousands of Rohingya refugees may be sent to remote island|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2017/01/31/asia/myanmar-bangladesh-thengar-char/|access-date=February 25, 2017|work=CNN|date=January 31, 2017}}</ref>
==Etymology== A ''char'' is an island formed by the continuous shifting of a river.<ref name="Land Solutions">{{cite book |last1=Shamsuddoha |first1=Md. |last2=Hossain |first2=M. Shahadat |last3=Shahjahan |first3=Mohammad |editor1-last=Leckie |editor1-first=Scott |title=Land Solutions for Climate Displacement |date=2014 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-203-76251-6 |pages=138–140 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v9OhAwAAQBAJ&dq=%22andar+char%22&pg=PA139 |access-date=6 July 2021 |chapter=Land availability for climate-displaced communities in Bangladesh}}</ref>
== History == The island was formed by Himalayan silt in the Bay of Bengal. While earlier reports suggested it surfaced in 2006,<ref name="foreignaffars" /> local residents and Forest Department records indicate that land began re-emerging in the 1990s, shortly after the Nayamasti Union of Sandwip completely disappeared into the sea due to erosion in 1992.<ref name="ProthomAlo2026">{{Cite news|title=Bitorker Obosan, Bhasan Char Sandwiper Ongsho (End of controversy, Bhasan Char part of Sandwip)|url=https://www.prothomalo.com/bangladesh/district/ozsdhffi4m|access-date=18 January 2026|work=Prothom Alo|date=17 January 2026|language=bn}}</ref> It spans {{convert|40|km2|sqmi ha}}.<ref>{{cite news|title=UN rapporteur visits Bangladeshi island chosen for Rohingya relocation|url=https://www.efe.com/efe/english/world/un-rapporteur-visits-bangladeshi-island-chosen-for-rohingya-relocation/50000262-3877303|access-date=March 17, 2019|work=efe.com|date=January 24, 2019}}</ref>
===Administrative dispute and resolution=== For several years, the island was the subject of a boundary dispute between the residents of Sandwip Upazila (Chittagong District) and Hatiya Upazila (Noakhali District). In 2017, the government issued a gazette placing the island under Hatiya, followed by another notification in 2021 establishing a "Bhasan Char Police Station" under Noakhali jurisdiction.<ref name="ProthomAlo2026"/> These decisions sparked protests from the residents of Sandwip, who claimed the land was the re-emerged territory of their lost Nayamasti Union.
In January 2026, the Ministry of Land officially resolved the dispute by declaring that the six mouzas of Bhasan Char belong to Sandwip.<ref name="ProthomAlo2026"/> This decision was based on a report by a technical committee formed by the Chittagong Divisional Commissioner, which analyzed on-spot inspections, historical documents, and satellite images to confirm the island's geographical and historical link to Sandwip.<ref name="ProthomAlo2026"/>
===Rohingya relocation=== In 2015, the government of Bangladesh planned to construct a total of 1,440 buildings, including 120 cyclone shelters, to relocate 100,000 Rohingya refugees from the mainland camps of Cox's Bazar.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/rngs/MYANMAR-ROHINGYA/010060Z21XP/index.html|title=A remote home for the Rohingya|website=Reuters|access-date=Dec 5, 2020}}</ref><ref name="guardian14Jun2015">{{cite news|title=UN concern at Bangladesh plan to move thousands of Rohingya to flooded island|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jun/14/un-concern-at-bangladesh-plan-to-move-thousands-of-rohingya-to-flooded-island|access-date=February 25, 2017|work=The Guardian|date=June 14, 2015}}</ref> The proposal was characterized by the United Nations Refugee Agency as "logistically challenging".<ref name="guardian14Jun2015" /> On January 26, 2017, the Bangladeshi government ordered their resettlement nonetheless.<ref name="foreignaffars" /><ref name="guardian2Feb2017"/><ref name="cnn" /> Human Rights Watch called it "a human rights and humanitarian disaster in the making".<ref name="foreignaffars" />
In August 2019 the government announced an expansion of the Ashrayan Project (Ashrayan-3) to build 100,000 homes, despite opposition from Rohingya leaders and human rights groups.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Khokon |first1=Sahidul Hasan |title=Bangladesh: Govt takes up Ashrayan-3 project to shelter Rohingya refugees |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/world/story/rohingya-bangladesh-myanmar-sheikh-hasina-ashrayan-3-1096442-2017-11-29 |access-date=1 August 2019 |work=India Today |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | title = Inside the Bhashan Char plan for Rohingyas | url = https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/rohingya-crisis/2019/01/29/inside-the-bhashan-char-plan-for-rohingyas/| date = January 29, 2019| work = Dhaka Tribune| access-date = 2019-11-22}}</ref><ref name="tbs"/><ref name=AlJazeera2021>{{cite news |title=Bangladesh sends third group of Rohingya refugees to island |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/1/29/bangladesh-sends-third-group-of-rohingya-refugees-to-island |date=29 January 2021 |work=Al Jazeera English |access-date=17 March 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Will thousands of Rohingya refugees be sent to a remote island? |url=https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2020-01-23/will-thousands-of-refugees-soon-be-sent-to-a-remote-island |date=January 23, 2020 |work=Los Angeles Times |access-date=February 5, 2020}}</ref>
A United Nations delegation visited the island for the first time in March 2021. The UN Refugee Agency has signed a memorandum in helping the refugees here.<ref name=AlJazeera2021b>{{cite news |title=UN team visits remote Bangladesh island where Rohingya relocated |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/3/17/un-team-visits-remote-bangladesh-island-where-rohingya-relocated |date=17 March 2021 |work=Al Jazeera English |access-date=17 March 2021}}</ref> The Rohingya were permitted work and contribute to the economy,<ref name=AlJazeera2021/> but may not move off the island.<ref name=AlJazeera2021b/> In principle, the island was seen as a temporary solution until the refugees could return home.<ref name=AlJazeera2021/> Until May 2022, the government has relocated approximately 28,000 Rohingya refugees to Bhasan Char.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Refugees |first=United Nations High Commissioner for |title=UNHCR's Grandi urges redoubled support for Rohingya refugees, host communities in Bangladesh |url=https://www.unhcr.org/news/press/2022/5/628e04824/unhcrs-grandi-urges-redoubled-support-rohingya-refugees-host-communities.html |access-date=2022-06-30 |website=UNHCR |language=en}}</ref>
==Population== As of 30 September 2024, 35,629 people, including 8,477 families live in the island.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://reliefweb.int/attachments/f8ceaac4-cbb8-4964-aa97-44eb52b545e0/Bhasan%20Char%20Factsheet%20-%20Sep%202024.pdf|title=Bhasan Char Population Factsheet|date=30 September 2024|access-date=10 October 2024|publisher=UNHCR|website=ReliefWeb}}</ref>
==Geography== Bhasan Char lies to the immediate southwest of Sandwip. It is a low-lying island formed from silt deposits, and is only accessible by boat and helicopter. As the island’s coastline is constantly shifting due to its newness and its position in the Ganges Delta, the refugee camp is protected by a system of levees. It is vulnerable to the area’s frequent tropical cyclones.<ref name="e952">{{cite journal | title=“An Island Jail in the Middle of the Sea” | journal=Human Rights Watch | date=2021-06-07 | url=https://www.hrw.org/report/2021/06/07/island-jail-middle-sea/bangladeshs-relocation-rohingya-refugees-bhasan-char | access-date=2024-05-27 | page=}}</ref>
==See also== {{portal|Islands}} * List of islands of Bangladesh
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{Noakhali District}}
Category:Islands of the Bay of Bengal Category:Islands of Bangladesh Category:Hatiya Upazila Category:Rohingya diaspora