Myanmar refugees

The reported deportations seem to contradict Kuala Lumpur's active approach to resolving the crisis in Myanmar.

Violent clashes between the Tatmadaw and the Arakan Army in the Chin state early this month triggered the exodus.

A Thailand-based NGO claims that Thai police have detained nearly 20,000 people trying to cross the border in the last five months alone.

The tragedy is a reminder of the unresolved Rohingya refugee crisis that has been largely eclipsed by the country's post-coup conflict.

The exodus follows a series of brutal military reprisal killings in Chin State's Matupi Township.

Dhaka says that the relocation of refugees to the low-lying island is a temporary arrangement; they will eventually have to return to Myanmar.

Bangladeshi police have made nearly 40 arrests, including five in connection with last month's murder of a prominent Rohingya advocate.

The arrangement will grant UNHCR an official presence on Bhasan Char, which has been criticized for its remoteness and vulnerability to extreme weather.

Local NGOs and residents are providing the refugees support.

Local reports from Mizoram and Manipur put the number of refugees at close to 7,000.

The country's political crisis is well on the way to becoming a crisis for the region as a whole.

The U.N. refugee agency claims that the group included registered asylum seekers.