The UN team appeared to take these claims at face value, recommending that “any future relocations are undertaken in a gradual and phased manner, which would help to ensure that the governance structure, facilities and services available on Bhashan Char are commensurate to the needs of Rohingya refugees living there.” This contradicts previous statements from the UN and embassies when they repeatedly stressed to the Bangladesh government that no refugees should be relocated to Bhasan Char until there had been an independent expert technical assessment of its habitability. After visiting the island in January 2019, then-UN special rapporteur on Myanmar Yanghee Lee said, “there are a number of things that remain unknown to me even following my visit, chief among them being whether the island is truly habitable.” On May 18, 2021, UNHCR launched its 2021 Rohingya Joint Response Plan which said that the during its visit to Bhasan Char “The UN team looked at the current situation and facilities on Bhasan Char and the feasibility of establishing humanitarian operations there” and that “Based on the preliminary findings of the visit, the UN and the Government of Bangladesh have agreed to further discussions regarding future UN operational engagement on Bhasan Char, including on the framework that governs the life and wellbeing of Rohingya refugees on the island.” “AN ISLAND JAIL IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SEA” 10