Friday 5 July 2013

Still, Nowhere to Go "They threw people asking water into the water" Firsthand accounts of Rohingya refugees on their perilous journey (1)

Still, Nowhere to Go 

"They threw people asking water into the water" Firsthand accounts of Rohingya refugees on their perilous journey (1)


by Yu-Kyung Lee, Kuala Lumpur, Penang (Malaysia)/Bangkok (Thailand), 04 July 2013)

Jani Alam, a 25 year old supposedly full of vigor, is walking slow and painfully. Having feet slightly swollen, the ‘exercise’ is the only ‘treatment’ besides ‘snake oil message’ by 60 year old traditional doctor, Guramia Saiyid. Both Jani and Guramia are stateless Rohingya refugees from Arakan state in western Burma now living in Malaysia. Guramia has lived in the country for 11 years, while Jani has arrived 4 months ago.
"In the past months, dozens of refugees arrived almost every day. This month, May, a bit decreasing” said Jamar Udin (41) a neighbor and also a Rohingya. According to Jamar, many of the newly arrived have difficulty for walking. The reason is lack of exercise.
Jani exercise by walking. Due to lack of exercise while making horrible journey by smugglers’ boat, Jani has difficulty for walking. photo: Yu-Kyung Lee
It was last November that Jani got on the boat in Bangladesh, to where he crossed Naf River from Arakan State. Since then, he hardly stretched or moved his legs for months. During 7 days journey from Bangladesh to Thai shore, 2-3 persons per day died, he said. After he arrived at Thai shore, smugglers used Toyota pickup truck, in which Jani and others were stacked atop one another to have perfect condition to be suffocated.
Having been tossed over from boat to truck, from shore to jungle, from Bangladesh via Thailand to Malaysia, smugglers were absolutely dictating desperate bodies. After terrible ordeals, survivors were dropped off at Penang the northwest coast of Malaysia.

Lack of exercise causing serious inability

Due to lack of exercise while making horrible journey by smugglers’ boat, Jani has difficulty for walking. He’s getting ‘snake oil’ massage by Rohingya Traditional doctor, Guramia Saiyid who is also a refugee.  photo: Yu-Kyung Lee
"Rakhine Buddhists armed with arrows, machetes and sticks came to our village to destroy everything. NASAKA (the border police in Arakan State) who just watched it, however, started to shot at us as we tried to put out the fire. My both parents succumbed to their bullet wounds after three days".
Jani described the first wave of Buddhist riots


and in Korean 



 2) Months ago, after Meikhtila violence..





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