Bangladesh firm on Rohingya relocation plan, wants Myanmar to take them back

Rohingya children react to the camera as they attend a class at a school inside the Kutupalang Refugee Camp in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, November 21, 2016. REUTERS/Mohammad Ponir Hossain

DHAKA (Reuters) - Bangladesh is determined to relocate Rohingya Muslims fleeing violence in Myanmar to a Bay of Bengal island that critics say is unliveable, a Bangladeshi minister said, adding that the move is temporary and Myanmar will ultimately have to take them back.

Around 69,000 people have fled the Muslim-majority northern part of Rakhine State to Bangladesh since the Myanmar military launched a security operation in response to attacks on police border posts on Oct. 9. Scores of people have been killed.