While the conflict has led to a massive exodus of Rohingyas, many still try to continue their daily lives at home, making compromises to keep out of harms way. Dave Grunebaum is in Rakhine state with the story.

 

At this village on the outskirts of the Rakhine State capital Sittwe, Rohingya Muslims pray for peace. Their market is open, they still have their homes. But Rohingyas across Myanmar are stateless. There are tight restrictions on where they're allowed to go which makes it difficult for them to get jobs.

 

RORFIT ROHINGYA MUSLIM "We feel worthless living in this country because we are not citizens. We want citizenship."

 

Hiru Lameen runs a vegetable stall with his brother. He says because of the limits on where he can go to buy and sell his vegetables, his family barely scrapes by.

 

HIRU LAMEEN ROHINGYA MUSLIM "Now the money we earn is not enough to feed my family properly, my wife, my children."

 

While these villagers live a difficult day to day life, they feel fortunate they're not caught up in the violence that's hit north of here. Nearly 400-thousand fellow Rohingyas have fled to Bangladesh in recent weeks because of a military counter-insurgency campaign. The refugees have trekked over mountainous terrain often going days without eating.

 

RORFIT ROHINGYA MUSLIM "They're Muslim and I'm Muslim. We have the same spirit. So if they suffer, it's like we suffer."

 

But these villagers didn't want to talk about it in detail with us. They fear reprisals for speaking out.

 

DAVE GRUNEBAUM RAKHINE STATE "The village leaders would not talk to us on camera. But it's clear from what they said to us off-camera and from some of their actions that they seem to have brokered some sort of deal with the authorities. Limit the number of public complaints the villagers say, don't let them talk too much about the politics and this community can probably keep living the way it has been living."

 

A village leader followed us around and took notes of our interviews. Clearly these Rohingyas feel like they have to be extra cautious especially when dealing with foreigners. They still have their village but they don't have their freedom.