Sharjah24 – Reuters: Bangladesh started moving a second group of Rohingya Muslim refugees to a low-lying island in the Bay of Bengal on Tuesday, despite opposition from rights groups worried about the new site's vulnerability to floods.

The United Nations says it has not been involved in the relocation but urged the government to ensure no refugee is forced to move to Bhasan Char island, which only emerged from the sea 20 years ago.

"We are ready to receive the new arrivals," Navy Commodore Abdullah Al Mamun Chowdhury said from the island of the 1,804 Rohingya being moved in seven ships.

A first group of more than 1,600 Rohingya, members of a minority group who have fled from Myanmar, were relocated from their rickety camps near the Myanmar border to Bhasan Char earlier in the month.

The government has built a 12-km (7.5 mile) embankment to protect the island along with housing for 100,000 people. It dismisses the risks.

The government also says the relocation is voluntary but some refugees from the first group have spoken about being coerced to go.