Rohingya refugees face another relocation amid devastating fires, COVID outbreaks in camps

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.

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.