WEBVTT

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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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(Fire burning)

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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.

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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,

NOTE Paragraph

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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
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.

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For now, the strict lockdown...

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imposed by the government
last year continues,

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with an 80 percent decrease...

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of humanitarian aid staff on the ground.

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Essential services,

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including food and medical supplies,

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have been allowed into the camps,

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through specially arranged checkpoints,

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organized by the Bangladesh army.

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The UN Refugee Agency...

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has teamed up with
the Bangladesh government

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to train 1,500 community health workers...

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inside the camps,

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to raise awareness about the virus.

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Dr. Fahadin Aktar...

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works in early responsive care,

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at the camp.

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DR. FAHADIN AKTAR
(through translator): Here,

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first we check their temperature.

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We set up compulsory handwashing points
and all people must wash their hands

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and maintain proper social distancing.

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Before, five people sat together,

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but now, in one seat,
two people sit together,

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with a barrier for social distancing.

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And we make sure
all patients wear masks.

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TANIA RASHID: Despite the efforts,
Dr. Aktar says,

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he's seen a sharp decline
in the numbers of Rohingya patients.

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Many are scared to go to the hospital.

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

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are tested and quarantined.

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This has sparked fear among the Rohingya,

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concerned that they could be
sent somewhere else,

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separate from their families,
if they share their symptoms.

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TANIA RASHID: The official numbers say,

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there have been only
400 confirmed COVID-19 cases

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and 10 related deaths at the camp.

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Bangladesh authorities insists,

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cases at the camps are increasing
at a much slower rate

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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.

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(Protesters shouting)

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For weeks, tens of thousands
of peaceful protesters

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have taken to the streets of major cities,

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protesting the military's seized power.

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(Distant gunshot)

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In response, the police
are cracking down violently,

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with the bloodiest days this past weekend.

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Many Rohingya activists we spoke with

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are hoping their support
for the movement in Myanmar

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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

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in The Hague in 2019,

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(Woman crying)

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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.

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(Pensive music)

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[Almost 60% of Bangladesh's Rohingya
refugee population is under the age of 18]