U.N., U.S. urge safety assessment of Bangladeshi island where Rohingya shipped

FILE PHOTO: Rohingyas prepare to board a ship as they move to Bhasan Char island near Chattogram, Bangladesh, December 4, 2020. REUTERS/Mohammad Ponir Hossain

(Reuters) -A U.N. human rights investigator urged Bangladesh on Thursday to allow a safety assessment of the remote island where the government shipped 1,600 Rohingya refugees last week, amid U.S. concern about plans to carry out further relocations.

The United Nations says it has not been allowed to conduct a technical and safety assessment of Bhasan Char, a flood-prone island in the Bay of Bengal, and was not involved in the transfer of refugees there.