AA's lenses shoot drama of Rohingya Muslims

COX'S BAZAR (AA) - July 31, 2012 - An Anadolu Agency (AA) team's lenses shot the drama of Rohingya Muslims who secretly cross the Naf River in boats and try to find haven in Bangladesh after fleeing incidents of violence in the Arakan (Rakhine) region of Myanmar.

Rohingya Muslims continue to escape to Bangladesh after being exposed to violence in Myanmar.
Dozens of Rohingya Muslims leave behind their homes and belongings and cross the Naf River secretly in boats in order to reach Bangladesh.
Rohingya Muslims reach Bangladesh after a difficult trip in boats but get sent back to Myanmar if caught.
Preferring to travel at night time to minimize the risk of getting arrested, Rohingya Muslims reach Bangladesh after a boat trip that lasts around one hour.

-Troops on duty along the river-

As the AA team, we began our journey from Cox's Bazar with guides who were from Rohingya Muslims in Bangladesh and who coordinated the distribution of aid materials sent by the Humanitarian Aid Foundation (IHH).
Following a three hour journey in vehicles, we left our vehicles and began walking.
As there were troops on duty along the river, our guides took us to fields leading to the river via a home. We were able to reach a boat hidden among the trees after walking in the Naf River and going through rice fields.
Since our guides had told us to turn off our mobile phones and all equipment, we had no light and had to reach the boat by means of touching with hands.
We began our journey without turning on the light of our cameras as our guides told us that any light may lead to troops on both sides firing on us.
While four boatmen rowed our boat, another boatman constantly emptied water from our boat to prevent sinking.
After an hour of rowing, we reached Myanmar's Arakan coast.
In order to find Rohingya Muslims preparing to escape, our guides directed our boat to the path leading to Arakan on Naf River.
After a while, we reached boats that were hidden among the trees in Arakan.
As soon as we landed from our boat, we walked about five kilometers and found 25 Rohingya Muslims.

-"I would cross the river not only by boat but through swimming for a secure life"-

Talking about their experiences in fear and tears, the Rohingya Muslims said that they wanted to be protected and return to their own country.
An elderly, Yunus, said that they were out of food and that their home was demolished by troops (of Myanmar).
"We are not permitted to pray in mosques. They are torturing Muslims. We can not go out during day time. We reached the river after a very difficult journey. I would cross the river not only by boat but through swimming as well for a secure life," Yunus stressed.
"The troops of Myanmar do not consider us as humans. The troops of Myanmar pick up girls and do not let them return. We expect Muslim countries to help us," Yunus noted.
A woman, Jainub, said that they faced hunger in Arakan.
"They killed my husband. They took away one of my siblings and we never heard from him again. They do not let us go out of our homes. They have sexually harassed young women," Jainub stated.

-"Muslim countries do not feel our problems in their hearts"-

Holding her child, Hatice told us that the troops of Myanmar did not let them perform prayers.
"The troops of Myanmar increased the incidents of torture during Ramadan," Hatice said.
"I had escaped to Bangladesh once in the past. I was arrested by border patrol of Bangladesh and sent back. I could not find a secure spot in Myanmar with my child. I have to try to escape again," Hatice stressed.
"My husband was taken by the troops of Myanmar and he did not return. I can not sleep at night due to fear," Hatice indicated.
Another woman, Ayesha Begum said that they wanted "peace and tranquility".
"We do not want to live by running away from the soldiers in Myanmar and the border patrol in Bangladesh. The troops of Myanmar took my husband and we never heard from him again. I have been hungry for the past three days. We ate banana plants in Arakan but do not have any bananas any more. The Muslim countries do not feel our problems in their hearts," Begum said.
"We are not permitted to stay in Myanmar. They do not want us on our own territory. They tell us that we do not belong in Arakan," Begum stressed.
A Rohingya Muslim, Mahmud Yusuf said that "if things continue as they are, the Muslim population of Arakan would disappear in 15-20 years.
"The government of Myanmar is committing a genocide," Yusuf underlined.

-Migration from a difficulty to another-

We jumped on to our boat after the boat of Rohingya Muslims began its journey for Bangladesh.
Six year old girl, Hanna, was also taken to the boat for Bangladesh. Hanna's mother and father were both arrested by the troops of Myanmar earlier.
Hanna's relatives decided to send her to Bangladesh for her survival.
Once they reach Bangladesh, these Muslims would spend the night in barracks. As of tomorrow, they would move into Bangladesh and try to take care of themselves.
Settling at refugee camps is a luxury for these Muslims. The Bangladeshi government does not permit new arrivals to stay in camps. Those arrested are forcefully sent back to Myanmar. Fearing arrest, the Rohingya Muslims try to move to the heartland of Bangladesh.
They have two options: Staying in Myanmar with fear of getting killed any minute or seeking a barrack in Bangladesh without getting arrested by police forces and after a dangerous journey.

Reporting by Mustafa Keles