1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:05,360 JUDY WOODRUFF: The ongoing crisis in Myanmar  has had a devastating impact on one particular   2 00:00:05,360 --> 00:00:11,840 ethnic group, Rohingya refugees forced  to flee to cramped camps in Bangladesh,   3 00:00:11,840 --> 00:00:17,840 battling the coronavirus and now being  asked to relocate to a flood-prone island. 4 00:00:17,840 --> 00:00:21,040 "NewsHour" special correspondent  Tania Rashid reports. 5 00:00:21,040 --> 00:00:28,720 TANIA RASHID: What were once homes,  hospitals, and schools at the world's   6 00:00:28,720 --> 00:00:35,120 largest refugee camp burn to ash, as a massive  fire rips through these makeshift settlements.   7 00:00:35,840 --> 00:00:41,280 Fifteen people were killed, 400 missing,  and tens of thousands displaced. 8 00:00:42,560 --> 00:00:46,880 Three years ago, the Rohingya,  a Muslim minority group,   9 00:00:46,880 --> 00:00:52,800 fled a bloody military crackdown launched by the  Myanmar military and police bordering Bangladesh.   10 00:00:53,520 --> 00:01:00,480 Mass killings, rapes, and arsons drove close to a  million into these sprawling camps in Cox's Bazar. 11 00:01:01,200 --> 00:01:08,640 In a report published in 2019, U.N. investigators  warned of genocidal intent. The Myanmar army   12 00:01:08,640 --> 00:01:13,680 denies that, and claims, it only acted against  insurgent groups who attacked the police.   13 00:01:14,800 --> 00:01:19,040 But now these fires have uprooted  these Rohingyas' lives again. 14 00:01:19,760 --> 00:01:24,400 Bangladesh authorities and aid agencies  have been providing emergency assistance   15 00:01:24,400 --> 00:01:32,640 to over 45,000 homeless refugees. Since December,  the Bangladeshi government has started moving more   16 00:01:32,640 --> 00:01:39,840 than 13,000 refugees from the overcrowded camps to  Bhasan Char, a remote island in the Bay of Bengal. 17 00:01:40,400 --> 00:01:46,400 According to our local sources, the Bangladesh  government has offered those affected by the fires   18 00:01:46,400 --> 00:01:53,840 help with relocating there now. We  visited the low-lying plain in early 2017,   19 00:01:54,400 --> 00:02:00,160 back when it was just an undeveloped strip of  land. Experts on climate change deemed the land   20 00:02:00,160 --> 00:02:05,440 mass unlivable. But the government said it  would be better than the overcrowded camps. 21 00:02:07,840 --> 00:02:12,480 In a promo video last year, the Bangladeshi  government claimed to have constructed dams,   22 00:02:12,480 --> 00:02:18,960 cyclone shelters, hospitals, mosques, and schools  to house 100,000 Rohingyas under safe conditions. 23 00:02:19,840 --> 00:02:22,160 Sah-yed Noor said he would consider moving to the   24 00:02:22,160 --> 00:02:25,120 island to escape the poor living  conditions inside the camps. 25 00:02:25,120 --> 00:02:28,080 SAH-YED NOOR, Refugee (through translator):   26 00:02:28,080 --> 00:02:32,880 I think that Bhasan Char can be better from  camp, because every apartment is made with brick. 27 00:02:32,880 --> 00:02:39,600 TANIA RASHID: His 16-year-old niece, Fowzia  (ph), was sent to Bhasan Char last year by   28 00:02:39,600 --> 00:02:45,040 the Bangladeshi navy after being stranded at sea  for months when she tried to flee to Malaysia. 29 00:02:46,960 --> 00:02:49,680 After several attempts to make contact with her,   30 00:02:49,680 --> 00:02:54,240 he gets her on the phone to check on her  situation. He's been concerned about her   31 00:02:54,240 --> 00:03:00,080 safety. She said she's not feeling well  and misses her family and wants to go home. 32 00:03:01,280 --> 00:03:05,680 After hearing from Fowzia, Sah-yed  said he would only agree to relocate   33 00:03:05,680 --> 00:03:09,680 to Bhasan Char with his family,  so they can be reunited together. 34 00:03:11,680 --> 00:03:17,200 These fires aren't the first ones to happen here.  There were two fires in the month of January,   35 00:03:17,200 --> 00:03:24,000 according to news reports. It is unclear why  the fires keep happening. But, as the Bangladesh   36 00:03:24,000 --> 00:03:30,160 government continues its investigations into the  cause of the fires, the Rohingya continue to live   37 00:03:30,160 --> 00:03:36,960 in crammed, unsanitary living conditions, making  them some of the most vulnerable to COVID-19. 38 00:03:37,920 --> 00:03:43,520 Bangladesh has administered over three million  doses of the first vaccine to its citizens,   39 00:03:43,520 --> 00:03:49,760 and has initiated plans to include the Rohingyas  in its national vaccination drive. But so far,   40 00:03:49,760 --> 00:03:55,760 none have been vaccinated. For now, the strict  lockdown imposed by the government last year   41 00:03:55,760 --> 00:04:01,360 continues, with an 80 percent decrease  of humanitarian aid staff on the ground. 42 00:04:02,080 --> 00:04:06,880 Essential services, including food and medical  supplies, have been allowed into the camps   43 00:04:06,880 --> 00:04:10,720 through specially arranged checkpoints  organized by the Bangladesh army.   44 00:04:11,440 --> 00:04:15,760 The U.N. Refugee Agency has teamed up  with the Bangladesh government to train   45 00:04:15,760 --> 00:04:21,200 1,500 community health workers inside the  camps to raise awareness about the virus. 46 00:04:21,760 --> 00:04:25,600 Dr. Fahadin Aktar works in early  responsive care at the camp. 47 00:04:25,600 --> 00:04:29,120 DR. FAHADIN AKTAR, U.N. Refugee  Agency (through translator): Here,   48 00:04:29,120 --> 00:04:32,640 first, we check their temperature. We  set up compulsory handwashing points,   49 00:04:32,640 --> 00:04:36,400 and all people must wash their hands  and maintain proper social distancing. 50 00:04:36,400 --> 00:04:40,160 Before, five people sat together, but  now, in one seat, two people sit together   51 00:04:40,160 --> 00:04:44,000 with a barrier for social distancing.  And we make sure all patients wear masks. 52 00:04:44,000 --> 00:04:48,480 TANIA RASHID: Despite the efforts, Dr.  Aktar says he's seen a sharp decline   53 00:04:48,480 --> 00:04:52,640 in the numbers of Rohingya patients.  Many are scared to go to the hospital. 54 00:04:52,640 --> 00:04:56,320 DR. FAHADIN AKTAR (through translator):  Those with suspected symptoms are tested   55 00:04:56,320 --> 00:05:00,000 and quarantined. This has sparked fear among  the Rohingya, concerned that they could be   56 00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:03,120 sent somewhere else, separate from their  families, if they share their symptoms. 57 00:05:03,120 --> 00:05:09,360 TANIA RASHID: The official numbers say there  have been only 400 confirmed COVID-19 cases   58 00:05:09,360 --> 00:05:14,880 and 10 related deaths at the camp.  Bangladesh authorities insist cases   59 00:05:14,880 --> 00:05:19,920 at the camps are increasing at a much slower rate  than global trends due to the enforced lockdown. 60 00:05:21,040 --> 00:05:24,880 But the longing to go back home  remains for many of these refugees,   61 00:05:24,880 --> 00:05:32,640 despite the ongoing military coup back in  Myanmar. For weeks, tens of thousands of peaceful   62 00:05:32,640 --> 00:05:38,160 protesters have taken to the streets of major  cities, protesting the military's seized power. 63 00:05:40,240 --> 00:05:44,160 In response, the police are  cracking down violently,   64 00:05:44,160 --> 00:05:50,960 with the bloodiest days this past weekend. Many  Rohingya activists we spoke with are hoping their   65 00:05:50,960 --> 00:05:56,240 support for the movement in Myanmar will be a  turning point in their on-going fight for justice,   66 00:05:56,960 --> 00:06:00,400 despite the lack of support from  ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi,   67 00:06:00,960 --> 00:06:06,240 who defended the military against  accusations of genocide in The Hague in 2019. 68 00:06:08,560 --> 00:06:13,680 But the aftermath of the recent fires  have taken their lives for a drastic turn,   69 00:06:14,560 --> 00:06:19,840 as the place they sought refuge  has put them in limbo yet again. 70 00:06:19,840 --> 00:06:33,840 For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm Tania Rashid. 71 00:06:35,200 --> 00:06:35,700