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MORE THAN 600,000 Rohingya people have fled to Bangladesh from Myanmar since violence broke out in Rakhine State on 25 August – over half of them children.
Babies born in Balukhali camp often come into the world with no clothes, no clean water to be bathed in and nowhere for their birth to be registered. They are the unseen, stateless children of the Rohingya.
Anwara, 17, gave birth a week ago. She arrived at Balukhali camp in the first week of September.
“We fled because people were shooting at us. It took us five days to get here. Sometimes I slipped back and my stomach hurt. It was a hard journey.
I’ve only been married for a year and I’m so worried about my husband. I try to get information about him, but I can’t – there is no way to.
“During the day, I look after my daughter. She’s got a rash… I can’t go to the doctor because the queues are long and I can’t stand for long periods of time.”
Dilduha, 23, arrived at Balukhali camp in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh in September. Her baby boy is seven days old.
“Our house was set on fire so we fled. It was a long, hard journey. We slept in fishermen’s huts and hid in the jungle, as well as in the hills.
“At the moment my son is not very well and I’m worried about him, so that is my main concern. I didn’t have any clothes to dress him in when he was born.”
Mondaz, 26, cradles her 22-day-old daughter in her arms
“People were burning houses in our area, that was why we left. It took us 8 days to get here, hiding in the hills and the forest. We had to stay on an island too. We were too scared to sleep.
“I had to go to hospital to give birth because I was having difficulties during labour. It was in the neighbouring camp, and I stayed in overnight. I was meant to go back for a check-up after four to five days, but I haven’t been because I can’t afford to.”
Jomila, 25, arrived at Balukhali camp in the first week of September. Her baby is eight days old.
“Three days after I gave birth I was in severe pain. I was close to death, so my husband managed to get me to the hospital. I’m still taking medicine to help me get better.
“My husband goes to collect water every day. He sleeps during the day now, because at night time he volunteers with four other men to protect the area. We heard that there are people with weapons who have been coming into the camp at night, so we’re ready if they come here.”
Aisha, 20, arrived at Balukhali camp about a month ago.
“I gave birth 5 days after I arrived. After walking for days I reached the border, but the army wouldn’t allow me to cross the river. I felt so ill I thought I was going to die. It wasn’t until I started to cry, that they helped me across.
“I have one other daughter, aged four, and one son, aged three. They are both really sick now. One has a fever and the other has diarrhoea.
“It’s very cold here at night and I don’t have enough to keep the baby warm. I couldn’t bring anything with me from home – the house was burned to the ground.”
Yasmin, 20, gave birth to her daughter 3 days after arriving at the camp. Her baby is now 15 days old.
“Our tent wasn’t even built when I gave birth. One older lady and my sister helped me with the delivery. We just had to cover the area as best we could to try and get some privacy.
It was a very sudden labour so I had no time to go anywhere else. Also, it was raining, so the ground was just completely flooded. We weren’t even able to cook because there was no firewood. I feel very weak and my baby isn’t doing so well either.
“I’m having difficulty producing enough milk for her, so I have to supplement her feeding with rice-water.”
Rashida, 27, gave birth to her daughter three days ago. She arrived at the camp seven days before that with her four other children
“Our children have no clothes. My daughter is getting sick – she has diarrhoea. We just have to wash her clothes when she soils them – we don’t have any nappies.
“There was no water here when we arrived, and no toilets either. We dug a hole to get water, but it was dirty. So it’s been hard to keep things clean when the water itself is dirty.”
All photos courtesy of Plan International.
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Arrest and suspicion do not mean guilt.
Hopefully when arrested this individual gave full and unconditional assistance.
Ordinary and decent people were killed by angry and vicious killers seeking glory and exercising pure hate. There is a real duty, a moral duty, to provide all possible assistance.
@Tony Daly:
Did you manage to watch ‘Jihadi next door’?, now deleted from Netflix? Any of their dubious like minded associates should be arrested and brought in to “assist” law enforcement agencies, it’s the logical thing to do as Jihadists have no morals.
@Rowe:
BBC radio 2 today spoke about it.
The actual recorded footage for Jihadi next door was 41/2 hours long before editing. Amazingly the UK police did not request it even up today, despite one of the boys in it going on to feature in the attack.
@Rowe: the rule of law should continue to be observed. It is part of The Western way. It is what distinguishes us from those who attack us.
@Mike Cantwell: it is those assumptions which produce false positives and obstruct identifying those who are truly guilty.
Well Tony every decent person would assist the Guards but 66% of Muslims in Britain will not assist the Police with re to Terrorism I can’t imagine the numbers will be any different here
@Mike Cantwell: you are incorrect. Moderate Muslims, the vast majority, will give discreet and confidential assistance.
@Tony Daly: You’re dead wrong – the statistics are there to prove it.
‘One in three’ muslims would tip off police if they believed someone close to them was involved with terrorist sympathisers.
Are you prepared to alter your position now that you have been shown this data?
@Tony Daly: Tony..while it’s admirable that you come to the defence of the majority of peaceful Muslims sometimes you have to look at it objectively. While this man may not have had anything to do with the attack if he was carrying false documents, even if the purpose was social welfare fraud, I have no time for him and believe he should be deported.
@Tony Daly:
The law of the land doesn’t really apply to those who live under Sharia.
@Tony Daly: Tony Daly man!!! You are wrong as usual !! Stop pushing a false agenda u old hag
@Mick Murphy: what would be the odds though for getting him deported ?
@Suzie Sunshine: lol…you know the answer to that as well as I Suzie
@Mick Murphy: sadly I do , Mick …
@Mick Murphy: It’s a sad state of affairs when our best chance of tracking jihadis down will be through welfare fraud officers .
@Ken Hayden: sometimes an unethical decision is the best decision in the long run for the greater good! Its called consequentialism and is the usual form of ethics in this world! I dont know why you softies think this should be changed!
Where did Tony go?
Thank God Ireland is an island and not in mainland Europe, wish Ireland and its people the safety and prosperity.
A file will now be prepared for the Director of Pathetic Prosecutions…some serious overtime in that office!! Joke shop
The western news blackout on the ongoing genocide in the Yemen by the Saudi regime can’t continue, this poses a huge moral problem for Irish citizens, American backed forces are currently fighting side by side with Isis, the Saudi warplanes are being refuelled by American planes which is the service we supply at Shannon, in short we are assisting terrorism against the Yemeni people while standing shoulder to shoulder with the victims of Isis closer to home.
@Dave Hogan: Its a civil war, gift wrapped by a typical sunni v shia proxy conflict. Saudi V Iran. The Yemeni people you suggest we should be assisting are also fighting against Iranian armed Yemeni / Hezbollah forces. Yet again you only manage half the story. The Saudis have absolutely killed the majority of civilians, whilst the Houthis have and are being investigated for war crimes. Absolute poverty, poor sanitation and almost zero water resources pose a far greater long term threat.
Just like all the arrested in London and Manchester released without charge……a smokescreen…
Are people quilty by association now?
@abcyz: the hysteria and blood lust revenge brings out the worst in some people. They are the ones who respond just as ISIS wants them to respond.
Terrorism is deliberately provocative. It is meant to trigger fear, hate and revenge. It is intended to undermine western values of fairness and justice.
@abcyz: Given what happened they’re certainly worthy of questioning.
@abcyz: wouldn’t it be worse if they weren’t investigated especially after one of them was found with the London attackers documents? god forbid something happened here with one of these lads, everyone would be up in arms demanding why they weren’t at the very least investigated. well done gardai for doing their job.
@Tony Daly: wont be long changing your tube if it was someone close to you….
@Paul: that is the lame argument as to emotion. It is meaningless.
@Tony Daly: what way would you respond if it was one of your family members caught up in one of these attacks ? Not all Islamic people are bad people but 80% are in favour of sharia law being implemented..Our stupid government will let more good and BAD in to the country..And more attacks will occur ..I’m sure your in favour of open borders too yeah? All love one another and everything is sunshine and rainbows like Katy Perry suggests..You don’t fight back with hate but at least open your eyes because I guarantee you if an attack happened one of your family members you would have a different view
@Stevo02 Scofield: I have no idea but my personal reaction in a period of immense grief would not be a sound basis for policy. Try to exercise objectivity.
@Tony Daly:
Objectivity!!!!! On the journal?
Good luck with that.
@Tony Daly: western Europe is rapidly resembling Isreal before the wall was built to protect its people from the slaughter of suicide bombers what wall is Europe going to bulid to protect is people from jihad killers
@abcyz:
Released without charge, file being prepared for the DPP as per normal practice. If the investigation found nothing untoward there would be no file for the DPP.
@Tony Daly: There he goes again
Yes they are
You lie down with dogs you get fleas
Released without charge a joke
Hold them and deport them
This country and its police force are a joke
@Mark Walsh: feel better?
@Tony Daly: Yes Tony I do, I have another one for you too…
My name is Jafar
I come from afar
I have a bomb in my car
Allahu Akbar
@Mark Walsh: too right! Any suspicion and your out soft lefties have so much blood on their hands and still moan!
@Shane Moynihan: Oops, looks like you switched from your ‘Mark Walsh’ account by accident! Are you Suzie Sunshine and Matty Kilcock too?
Ah sure of course!
@Damien Dineen: I don’t mind once we are on the ball checking this stuff as quickly as possible!
Up Wexford
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