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

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.

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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.

(Fire burning)

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.

(Local advertisement playing)

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 UN 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
(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. 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 insists,

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.

(Protesters shouting)

For weeks, tens of thousands
of peaceful protesters

have taken to the streets of major cities,

protesting the military's seized power.

(Distant gunshot)

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,

(Woman crying)

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.

(Pensive music)

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