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JUDY WOODRUFF: The ongoing crisis[br]in Myanmar

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has had a devastating impact[br]on one particular ethnic group,

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Rohingya refugees forced [br]to flee to cramped camps in Bangladesh,

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

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"NewsHour" special correspondent [br]Tania Rashid reports.

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TANIA RASHID: What were once homes, [br]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[br]through these makeshift settlements.

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

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Three years ago, the Rohingya, [br]a Muslim minority group,

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fled a bloody military crackdown,

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launched by the Myanmar military[br]and police bordering Bangladesh.

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Mass killings, rapes, and arsons

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drove close to a million[br]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[br]of genocidal intent.

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The Myanmar army denies that,

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

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But now these fires have uprooted [br]these Rohingyas' lives again.

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Bangladesh authorities and aid agencies [br]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[br]refugees from the overcrowded camps

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

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According to our local sources,

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the Bangladesh government has[br]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[br]in early 2017,

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back when it was just[br]an undeveloped strip of land.

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Experts on climate change deemed[br]the land mass unlivable.

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But the government said, it would[br]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[br]to have constructed dams,

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cyclone shelters, hospitals,[br]mosques, and schools

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to house 100,000 Rohingyas[br]under safe conditions.

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

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to escape the poor living [br]conditions inside the camps.

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SAH-YED NOOR, Refugee[br](through translator):

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I think that Bhasan Char can be[br]better from camp,

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because every apartment[br]is made with brick.

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

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

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

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After several attempts[br]to make contact with her,

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he gets her on the phone[br]to check on her situation.

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He's been concerned about her safety.

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She said she's not feeling well,

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and misses her family,

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and wants to go home.

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After hearing from Fowzia,

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Sah-yed said he would only agree,

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to relocate to Bhasan Char with his family,

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so they can be reunited together.

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These fires,

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aren't the first ones to happen here.

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There were two fires,

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in the month of January,

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according to news reports.

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It is unclear why the fires[br]keep happening.

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But, as the Bangladesh government,

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continues its investigations,

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into the cause of the fires,

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the Rohingya continue to live,

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in crammed, unsanitary living conditions,

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making them some of the most vulnerable,

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to COVID-19.

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Bangladesh has administered,

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over three million doses,

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of the first vaccine to its citizens,

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and has initiated plans,

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to include the Rohingyas,

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in its national vaccination drive.

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But so far,

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

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

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

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through specially arranged checkpoints [br]organized by the Bangladesh army.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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In response, the police are [br]cracking down violently,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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