No one's people: Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh

World
Europe

01:19

Mumtaz Begum lost three of her children to the violence in Myanmar's Rakhine state.

Speaking to Assignment Asia, she recalled the horror she went through: “They took people from everywhere, and then the military made them sit. They shot all the young boys. When they shot the men, most of them died or were severely injured. They then cut people with knives and swords.”

Mumtaz Begum and her only surviving child, who managed to escape from a military offensive in Myanmar. /CGTN Photo

“They threw dead bodies into pits they dug in the ground, then put petrol and burned them. I had my 2-year-old child with me. They threw my child into the fire in front of me. My other children were thrown into the river,” she added.

Mumtaz was among more than half a million people who fled a military offensive in Myanmar in August 2017.

The Rohingya are a stateless people often described as the world's most persecuted minority.

In 2017, more than half a million of them poured into Bangladesh on boats after escaping deadly attacks in Myanmar.

Many died during the risky journey, while those who made it carry the scars of their ordeal.

Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh /CGTN Photo

Mumtaz ended up at this camp in Bangladesh, home to hundreds of thousands of Rohingyas.

Myanmar's government said the military was not targeting civilians but fighting terrorists in Rakhine.

It also promised to accept and assist Rohingyas who wish to return to Rakhine, so long as they can verify their identities.

The Rohingyas, on the other hand, want the Myanmar government to guarantee their safety and recognize them as citizens.

Assignment Asia is CGTN's award-winning current affairs program featuring long-form stories and documentaries on some of the most pressing issues in the region. The show airs Saturdays at 1330 and 2130 GMT, with replays every Sunday at 0630, Monday at 0130, and Tuesday at 0530.