UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency has relocated some 1,700 new refugees to a government-allocated site in south-eastern Bangladesh, decongesting existing facilities in Kutupalong and giving them a home after weeks on the move.

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is deeply saddened by reports of a new shipwreck in the Bay of Bengal this morning in which at least four Rohingya refugees died when their boat capsized close to the southern Bangladesh shore. Others who were injured have been taken to local hospitals for immediate treatment.

Thousands of refugees from Myanmar have been admitted to Bangladesh after spending up to four days stranded near the border. By last night Bangladesh border guards reported that over 6,800 refugees had passed through Anjuman Para border village in Cox’s Bazar district. Thousands more are said to be on their way from Myanmar. The most vulnerable among the new arrivals are bussed from the border to a transit centre near Kutupalong camp. At the centre, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and its partners provide food, water, medical checks and temporary shelter.

Since Sunday night, an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 Rohingya refugees have entered Bangladesh through the Anjuman Para border crossing point in Ukhia district in the country’s south-east. Many say they had initially chosen to remain in their homes in Myanmar’s northern Rakhine state despite repeated threats to leave or be killed. They finally fled when their villages were set on fire. The refugees UNHCR staff spoke to yesterday described walking for around a week to reach the Bangladesh border. Some crossed into the country on Sunday night, others throughout Monday in the heat and rain.

UNHCR has just completed the first phase of Rohingya refugee family counting, where more than half a million refugees from Myanmar have so far been counted. Going from shelter to shelter, more than 100 UNHCR-hired enumerators have so far gathered data on more than 120,000 families. In the innovative and revealing family counting exercise, UNHCR teams found that one-third of the families are vulnerable.

Bangladesh: dozens of community volunteers in both camps are providing essential services to the newcomers and assisting with activities by UNHCR and partners. Volunteers are being managed to ensure a uniform presence in all blocks.

A UNHCR-chartered Boeing 777 flew in this morning with 91 metric tonnes of aid, including much needed shelter materials, jerry cans, blankets, sleeping mats and other essential items. The aid will be delivered to the refugee camps at Cox’s Bazar in south-eastern Bangladesh. A second flight donated by United Arab Emirates (UAE) is scheduled to land at 14:15 this afternoon local time, bringing in some 1,700 family tents.

More than 500,000 Rohingya refugees from Myanmar have been registered in a joint registration exercise by the Bangladesh authorities and UNHCR. For many of these refugees, it is the first time they have an identity card.

Kelly T. Clements, the UN Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees, concluded a four-day visit to Bangladesh. While in Cox’s Bazar, she met with local officials to discuss the ongoing operational response and opportunities to further aid Bangladeshi communities generously hosting refugees.

Myanmar plans to give the green light to three of six hydroelectric projects to begin construction on the Thanlwin River within three months