ID :
495613
Tue, 06/19/2018 - 05:56
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Rohingya Youths Trying To Be A Resourceful Generation

By Cecilia Jeyanthi Victor This is the second of the two part series on the Rohingya refugees in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. The writer who accompanied non-governmental organisation (NGO) MERCY Malaysia made observations of how the Rohingya youths are finding ways to survive. COX’S BAZAR (Bangladesh), June 19 (Bernama) -- For the thousands of Rohingya youths who fled Rakhine state in Myanmar, they have to find ways to survive and help support their families. Hence, entering one of the major Rohingya refugee camps, Balukhali some 60 kilometers’ away from Cox’s Bazar coastline and resort area, one will find many young Rohingya running makeshift tuck shops, wet markets, snack and grocery stalls. As the Rohingya are stateless, being employed or having access to formal education is out of the question. Hence the young men have to make use of their ingenuity to keep themselves occupied at the camps and get on with life. ENTREPRENEURSHIP HIGH ON THEIR LIST One of the enterprising young man is Solimullah Sadiel Ahmed who had opened his own tuck shop selling beetle-nut leafs, cigarettes, tea and biscuits. Solimullah actually lives in another refugee camp in Hakimpara located about half an hour’s drive from Cox's Bazar. “I opened the shop to help my family, we need to survive, I have eight siblings,” said the 17-year-old dressed in a traditional ‘lungi’, also known as a sarong, and a white t-shirt. “But presently, business is not doing so well due to Ramadan, so I had to close my shop, now we depend fully on aid relief,” added Solimullah who spoke through a translator. However, he is not alone. Many other young Rohingya are also trying their hands in business. Hence, Solimullah faces stiff competition from others. For many Rohingya youths, owning a small business is dream come true. THE PAST STILL HAUNTS THEM For most youths, including Solimullah, the past still haunts them and hope they will never return to Myanmar. “I find it hard to forget what my family and I went thorough in Myanmar, being tortured by the army (Myanmar army). “One day the Myanmar army came and attacked my family at night, we had to run, they had destroyed our house,” said Solimullah who hailed from Myanmar’s Western township of Maungdaw. Solimullah and his family fled to another place, where they were again attacked by the army. To escape, the family jumped into a pond, swam a distance and later walked to a hilly area just outside Maungdaw. “We stayed in the hilly area for one night and the next day started walking for another two days into the Bangladesh border, but sadly our father died along the way,” said Solimullah. NO GOING BACK TO MYANMAR Solimullah, who is living with his mother and siblings in Hakimpara camp hopes to continue living in Bangladesh and establish himself there. “It is too dangerous to go back to Myanmar, its better to be in Bangladesh. But if there is an opportunity to go elsewhere, I will go,” stated a hopeful Solimullah. “But at the moment, I do not have the energy to travel,” said Solimullah who has two meals a day. Nur Muhammad, 32, a teacher said if forced to return to Myanmar, life would be a nightmare for the Rohingya people. “Myanmar is not safe for us, we are better off in Bangladesh,” said Nur Muhammad, a Rohingya, who teaches English at a local primary school set up by an international NGO at the Balukhali camp. -- BERNAMA

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