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JUDY WOODRUFF: The ongoing crisis
in Myanmar

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has had a devastating impact
on one particular ethnic group,

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Rohingya refugees forced 
to flee to cramped camps in Bangladesh,

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battling the coronavirus and now being 
asked to relocate to a flood-prone island.

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"NewsHour" special correspondent 
Tania Rashid reports.

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TANIA RASHID: What were once homes, 
hospitals, and schools at the world's

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largest refugee camp burn to ash,

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as a massive fire rips
through these makeshift settlements.

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Fifteen people were killed, 400 missing, 
and tens of thousands displaced.

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Three years ago, the Rohingya, 
a Muslim minority group,

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fled a bloody military crackdown,

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launched by the Myanmar military
and police bordering Bangladesh.

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Mass killings, rapes, and arsons

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drove close to a million
into these sprawling camps in Cox's Bazar.

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In a report published in 2019,

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U.N. investigators warned
of genocidal intent.

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The Myanmar army denies that,

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and claims, it only acted against
insurgent groups who attacked the police.

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But now these fires have uprooted 
these Rohingyas' lives again.

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Bangladesh authorities and aid agencies 
have been providing emergency assistance

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to over 45,000 homeless refugees.

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Since December, the Bangladeshi government

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has started moving more than 13,000
refugees from the overcrowded camps

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to Bhasan Char, a remote island
in the Bay of Bengal.

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According to our local sources,

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the Bangladesh government has
offered those affected by the fires

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help with relocating there now.

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We visited the low-lying plain
in early 2017,

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back when it was just
an undeveloped strip of land.

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Experts on climate change deemed
the land mass unlivable.

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But the government said, it would
be better than the overcrowded camps.

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(Local advertisement playing)

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In a promo video last year,

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the Bangladeshi government claimed
to have constructed dams,

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cyclone shelters, hospitals,
mosques, and schools

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to house 100,000 Rohingyas
under safe conditions.

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Sah-yed Noor said he would consider
moving to the island

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to escape the poor living 
conditions inside the camps.

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SAH-YED NOOR, Refugee
(through translator):

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I think that Bhasan Char can be
better from camp,

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because every apartment
is made with brick.

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TANIA RASHID: His 16-year-old
niece, Fowzia (ph),

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was sent to Bhasan Char last year
by the Bangladeshi navy,

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after being stranded at sea for months
when she tried to flee to Malaysia.

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After several attempts to make contact with her,

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he gets her on the phone to check on her 
situation. He's been concerned about her

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safety. She said she's not feeling well 
and misses her family and wants to go home.

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After hearing from Fowzia, Sah-yed 
said he would only agree to relocate

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to Bhasan Char with his family, 
so they can be reunited together.

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These fires aren't the first ones to happen here. 
There were two fires in the month of January,

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according to news reports. It is unclear why 
the fires keep happening. But, as the Bangladesh

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government continues its investigations into the 
cause of the fires, the Rohingya continue to live

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in crammed, unsanitary living conditions, making 
them some of the most vulnerable to COVID-19.

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Bangladesh has administered over three million 
doses of the first vaccine to its citizens,

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and has initiated plans to include the Rohingyas 
in its national vaccination drive. But so far,

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none have been vaccinated. For now, the strict 
lockdown imposed by the government last year

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continues, with an 80 percent decrease 
of humanitarian aid staff on the ground.

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Essential services, including food and medical 
supplies, have been allowed into the camps

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through specially arranged checkpoints 
organized by the Bangladesh army.

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The U.N. Refugee Agency has teamed up 
with the Bangladesh government to train

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1,500 community health workers inside the 
camps to raise awareness about the virus.

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Dr. Fahadin Aktar works in early 
responsive care at the camp.

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DR. FAHADIN AKTAR, U.N. Refugee 
Agency (through translator): Here,

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first, we check their temperature. We 
set up compulsory handwashing points,

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and all people must wash their hands 
and maintain proper social distancing.

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Before, five people sat together, but 
now, in one seat, two people sit together

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with a barrier for social distancing. 
And we make sure all patients wear masks.

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TANIA RASHID: Despite the efforts, Dr. 
Aktar says he's seen a sharp decline

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in the numbers of Rohingya patients. 
Many are scared to go to the hospital.

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DR. FAHADIN AKTAR (through translator): 
Those with suspected symptoms are tested

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and quarantined. This has sparked fear among 
the Rohingya, concerned that they could be

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sent somewhere else, separate from their 
families, if they share their symptoms.

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TANIA RASHID: The official numbers say there 
have been only 400 confirmed COVID-19 cases

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and 10 related deaths at the camp. 
Bangladesh authorities insist cases

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at the camps are increasing at a much slower rate 
than global trends due to the enforced lockdown.

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But the longing to go back home 
remains for many of these refugees,

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despite the ongoing military coup back in 
Myanmar. For weeks, tens of thousands of peaceful

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protesters have taken to the streets of major 
cities, protesting the military's seized power.

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In response, the police are 
cracking down violently,

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with the bloodiest days this past weekend. Many 
Rohingya activists we spoke with are hoping their

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support for the movement in Myanmar will be a 
turning point in their on-going fight for justice,

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despite the lack of support from 
ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi,

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who defended the military against 
accusations of genocide in The Hague in 2019.

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But the aftermath of the recent fires 
have taken their lives for a drastic turn,

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as the place they sought refuge 
has put them in limbo yet again.

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For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm Tania Rashid.