Rohingya refugees face another relocation amid devastating fires, COVID outbreaks in camps
-
0:00 - 0:02JUDY WOODRUFF: The ongoing crisis
in Myanmar -
0:02 - 0:06has had a devastating impact
on one particular ethnic group, -
0:06 - 0:11Rohingya refugees forced
to flee to cramped camps in Bangladesh, -
0:12 - 0:18battling the coronavirus and now being
asked to relocate to a flood-prone island. -
0:18 - 0:21"NewsHour" special correspondent
Tania Rashid reports. -
0:23 - 0:24(Fire burning)
-
0:25 - 0:29TANIA RASHID: What were once homes,
hospitals, and schools at the world's -
0:29 - 0:32largest refugee camp burn to ash,
-
0:32 - 0:36as a massive fire rips
through these makeshift settlements. -
0:36 - 0:41Fifteen people were killed, 400 missing,
and tens of thousands displaced. -
0:43 - 0:47Three years ago, the Rohingya,
a Muslim minority group, -
0:47 - 0:49fled a bloody military crackdown,
-
0:49 - 0:53launched by the Myanmar military
and police bordering Bangladesh. -
0:54 - 0:56Mass killings, rapes, and arsons
-
0:56 - 1:01drove close to a million
into these sprawling camps in Cox's Bazar. -
1:01 - 1:04In a report published in 2019,
-
1:04 - 1:07U.N. investigators warned
of genocidal intent. -
1:07 - 1:10The Myanmar army denies that,
-
1:10 - 1:14and claims, it only acted against
insurgent groups who attacked the police. -
1:15 - 1:19But now these fires have uprooted
these Rohingyas' lives again. -
1:20 - 1:24Bangladesh authorities and aid agencies
have been providing emergency assistance -
1:24 - 1:27to over 45,000 homeless refugees.
-
1:29 - 1:32Since December, the Bangladeshi government
-
1:32 - 1:36has started moving more than 13,000
refugees from the overcrowded camps -
1:36 - 1:40to Bhasan Char, a remote island
in the Bay of Bengal. -
1:40 - 1:42According to our local sources,
-
1:43 - 1:46the Bangladesh government has
offered those affected by the fires -
1:46 - 1:49help with relocating there now.
-
1:51 - 1:54We visited the low-lying plain
in early 2017, -
1:54 - 1:57back when it was just
an undeveloped strip of land. -
1:58 - 2:01Experts on climate change deemed
the land mass unlivable. -
2:02 - 2:05But the government said, it would
be better than the overcrowded camps. -
2:06 - 2:08(Local advertisement playing)
-
2:08 - 2:10In a promo video last year,
-
2:10 - 2:13the Bangladeshi government claimed
to have constructed dams, -
2:13 - 2:16cyclone shelters, hospitals,
mosques, and schools -
2:16 - 2:19to house 100,000 Rohingyas
under safe conditions. -
2:20 - 2:23Sah-yed Noor said he would consider
moving to the island -
2:23 - 2:25to escape the poor living
conditions inside the camps. -
2:26 - 2:28SAH-YED NOOR, Refugee
(through translator): -
2:28 - 2:31I think that Bhasan Char can be
better from camp, -
2:31 - 2:33because every apartment
is made with brick. -
2:36 - 2:38TANIA RASHID: His 16-year-old
niece, Fowzia (ph), -
2:38 - 2:41was sent to Bhasan Char last year
by the Bangladeshi navy, -
2:41 - 2:45after being stranded at sea for months
when she tried to flee to Malaysia. -
2:47 - 2:50After several attempts
to make contact with her, -
2:50 - 2:52he gets her on the phone
to check on her situation. -
2:53 - 2:55He's been concerned about her safety.
-
2:56 - 2:57She said she's not feeling well,
-
2:58 - 2:59and misses her family,
-
2:59 - 3:00and wants to go home.
-
3:01 - 3:03After hearing from Fowzia,
-
3:03 - 3:05Sah-yed said he would only agree,
-
3:05 - 3:08to relocate to Bhasan Char with his family,
-
3:08 - 3:10so they can be reunited together.
-
3:12 - 3:13These fires,
-
3:13 - 3:15aren't the first ones to happen here.
-
3:15 - 3:16There were two fires,
-
3:16 - 3:17in the month of January,
-
3:18 - 3:19according to news reports.
-
3:19 - 3:22It is unclear why the fires
keep happening. -
3:23 - 3:25But, as the Bangladesh government,
-
3:25 - 3:26continues its investigations,
-
3:26 - 3:28into the cause of the fires,
-
3:28 - 3:30the Rohingya continue to live,
-
3:31 - 3:33in crammed, unsanitary living conditions,
-
3:34 - 3:36making them some of the most vulnerable,
-
3:36 - 3:37to COVID-19.
-
3:38 - 3:39Bangladesh has administered,
-
3:40 - 3:41over three million doses,
-
3:41 - 3:43of the first vaccine to its citizens,
-
3:44 - 3:45and has initiated plans,
-
3:45 - 3:46to include the Rohingyas,
-
3:46 - 3:48in its national vaccination drive.
-
3:49 - 3:50But so far,
-
3:50 - 3:51none have been vaccinated.
-
3:52 - 3:54For now, the strict lockdown...
-
3:54 - 3:57imposed by the government
last year continues, -
3:57 - 3:59with an 80 percent decrease...
-
3:59 - 4:01of humanitarian aid staff on the ground.
-
4:02 - 4:03Essential services,
-
4:03 - 4:05including food and medical supplies,
-
4:05 - 4:07have been allowed into the camps,
-
4:07 - 4:09through specially arranged checkpoints,
-
4:09 - 4:11organized by the Bangladesh army.
-
4:12 - 4:13The UN Refugee Agency...
-
4:13 - 4:15has teamed up with
the Bangladesh government -
4:15 - 4:18to train 1,500 community health workers...
-
4:18 - 4:19inside the camps,
-
4:19 - 4:21to raise awareness about the virus.
-
4:22 - 4:23Dr. Fahadin Aktar...
-
4:23 - 4:25works in early responsive care,
-
4:25 - 4:26at the camp.
-
4:27 - 4:29DR. FAHADIN AKTAR
(through translator): Here, -
4:29 - 4:31first we check their temperature.
-
4:31 - 4:35We set up compulsory handwashing points
and all people must wash their hands -
4:35 - 4:37and maintain proper social distancing.
-
4:37 - 4:38Before, five people sat together,
-
4:38 - 4:40but now, in one seat,
two people sit together, -
4:41 - 4:42with a barrier for social distancing.
-
4:42 - 4:44And we make sure
all patients wear masks. -
4:45 - 4:47TANIA RASHID: Despite the efforts,
Dr. Aktar says, -
4:47 - 4:50he's seen a sharp decline
in the numbers of Rohingya patients. -
4:50 - 4:53Many are scared to go to the hospital.
-
4:53 - 4:56DR. AKTAR (through translator):
Those with suspected symptoms -
4:56 - 4:58are tested and quarantined.
-
4:58 - 5:00This has sparked fear among the Rohingya,
-
5:00 - 5:02concerned that they could be
sent somewhere else, -
5:02 - 5:05separate from their families,
if they share their symptoms. -
5:05 - 5:07TANIA RASHID: The official numbers say,
-
5:07 - 5:09there have been only
400 confirmed COVID-19 cases -
5:10 - 5:12and 10 related deaths at the camp.
-
5:12 - 5:14Bangladesh authorities insists,
-
5:15 - 5:18cases at the camps are increasing
at a much slower rate -
5:18 - 5:20than global trends
due to the enforced lockdown. -
5:21 - 5:25But the longing to go back home
remains for many of these refugees, -
5:25 - 5:28despite the ongoing military coup
back in Myanmar. -
5:29 - 5:30(Protesters shouting)
-
5:30 - 5:33For weeks, tens of thousands
of peaceful protesters -
5:33 - 5:36have taken to the streets of major cities,
-
5:36 - 5:38protesting the military's seized power.
-
5:39 - 5:40(Distant gunshot)
-
5:40 - 5:44In response, the police
are cracking down violently, -
5:44 - 5:47with the bloodiest days this past weekend.
-
5:48 - 5:50Many Rohingya activists we spoke with
-
5:50 - 5:53are hoping their support
for the movement in Myanmar -
5:53 - 5:56will be a turning point
in their on-going fight for justice, -
5:57 - 6:00despite the lack of support
from ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi, -
6:01 - 6:05who defended the military
against accusations of genocide -
6:05 - 6:06in The Hague in 2019,
-
6:07 - 6:08(Woman crying)
-
6:09 - 6:14But the aftermath of the recent fires
have taken their lives for a drastic turn, -
6:15 - 6:20as the place they sought refuge
has put them in limbo yet again. -
6:20 - 6:23For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm Tania Rashid.
-
6:24 - 6:26(Pensive music)
-
6:26 - 6:30[Almost 60% of Bangladesh's Rohingya
refugee population is under the age of 18]
- Title:
- Rohingya refugees face another relocation amid devastating fires, COVID outbreaks in camps
- Description:
-
In another aspect of the ongoing crisis in Myanmar, Rohingya refugees — a Muslim minority group that first fled a bloody crackdown launched by the Myanmar military three years ago — have been forced to live in cramped refugee camps in Bangladesh. On top of battling COVID-19 and fires, they are now being asked to relocate to a flood prone island. NewsHour special correspondent Tania Rashid reports.
Stream your PBS favorites with the PBS app: https://to.pbs.org/2Jb8twG
Find more from PBS NewsHour at https://www.pbs.org/newshour
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2HfsCD6Follow us:
Facebook: http://www.pbs.org/newshour
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/newshour
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/newshourSubscribe:
PBS NewsHour podcasts: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/podcasts
Newsletters: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/subscribe - Video Language:
- English
- Team:
Amplifying Voices
- Project:
- Refugee Crisis and Solutions
- Duration:
- 06:35