WEARY AND BATTERED
They came in a small boat. Around 20 men, women and children — carrying their bundles of misery with them. The latest set of Rohingya arrived in Shaporideep in Teknaf on Friday evening.
Khaleej Times was on the ground witnessing the Rohingya refugee influx in all its horror and despair.
At this point at the farthest end of the Bangladesh-Myanmar border, tens of thousands of Rohingya had arrived in the past four weeks. Their total numbers have crossed 600,000, with still more people pouring in, turning the bordering areas of Bangladesh into a sea of refugees.
Far away in the horizon, Myanmar hills stood tall against the skies. Naf river that borders between Bangladesh and Myanmar stretches the entire landscape. The water canal connecting to the Bay of Bengal is shallow, providing a water corridor for the fleeing refuges.
Locals took charge as men on the shore helped pull the boat ashore as the people looked desperate to set their foot on a soil, which they think is safe.
Women and children were helped to alight from the boat.
A local man was waiting with bundles of cash to give away to the newly arrived Rohingya. A mosque a few metres away had set up a small food distribution point at their gate. Women and children got into a fist fight as one man started distributing a packet of water.
The fresh arrivals who spoke to Khaleej Times had consistently similar stories of army brutality and violence to share.
Hafissa, a Rohingya woman said her husband was shot dead in front of her eyes. “They butchered many of our people. I managed to escape with my son,” said Hafissa.
Another family consisting of only women said many of their male members were shot dead by the army. One of the women said the two young girls with them had lost both their parents. “Both their father and mother were killed. I am their aunt.”
A 10-year-old girl who gave her name as Munni said she lost all her family members. She has arrived in Bangladesh alone with some her neighbours.
A young man said he carried his sick mother in a basket. “She is too unwell to walk. I will have to wait here for a day before I can go and find a shelter,” said the man.
If the truth lies in the testimonials of these refugees, then the Myanmar government’s denial of allegations of ethic cleansing flies in the face. A recent statement by the Human Rights Watch says the satellite images show mass destruction of Rohingya villages. The human rights watchdog points out of a total of 214 villages have suffered total destruction.
Villagers said Rohingya refugees are trickling in on a daily basis. They add to the already overcrowded make-shift settlements that have sprung up everywhere.
At Lede, in one of such camps that Khaleej Times visited, the numbers had swelled to double since August, when fresh violence erupted in Myanmar. One of the volunteers working for International Organisation for Migration (IMO) said the initial settlement at Lede was meant for 18,000 people.
“Now the camp has between 32,000 and 35,000 refugees, including the new arrivals.
Bangladesh’s prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday proposed creating UN-supervised safe zones inside Myanmar to protect Rohingya Muslims who are fleeing a military crackdown to seek refuge in her country.
“These people must be able to return to their homeland in safety, security and dignity,” Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina told the UN General Assembly. The prime minister laid out a fivepoint plan that called for the protection of the Rohingya in “safe zones that could be created inside Myanmar under UN supervision.”
The United Nations has described the military operation as “ethnic cleansing” and French President Emmanuel Macron went further, describing it as a “genocide.”
There has been mounting international outrage over the plight of the Rohingya, prompting the UN Security Council this month to call for an end to the violence. The 1.1-million strong Rohingya people have suffered years of discrimination in Myanmar, where they are denied citizenship.
anjana@khaleejtimes.com