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