Rohingya people concerned about safety and security

The congestion in the camps has evolved into a safety and security concern. Recent feedback from camp residents has detailed numerous concerns over safety issues at night and conflicts over resource and facility use. In one quarter of listener group sessions analysed, safety and security issues were a key topic of discussion. Safety and security issues appear to be a particular concern for residents of camps 24 (Leda) and 25 (Ali Khali), who complained about the lack of 24-hour security.

Ration cards and water issues top the list of concerns

Source: Feedback collected by IOM between May and November 2018 from 12,373 Rohingya people in camps 8W, 9, 10, 18, 19, 20, 22, 23 and 24 supplemented by qualitative data from weekly focus group discussions conducted by BBC Media Action in camps 1E, 18 and 24.

Chittagonian and Rohingya:

So near and yet so far

At the start of every TWB language training, the attendees are given a worksheet with five images – a dog, window, pregnant woman, mountain, and a child. The worksheet is not just an ice-breaker exercise; their task is to identify the names of the images in Bangla, Chittagonian (also known as Chatgaya), and Rohingya. They start by whispering to each other quietly, but in a matter of minutes, loud debates erupt.

“That’s not how you say dog in Chittagonian!”

A tsunami struck beaches along Indonesia’s Sunda Straits on the evening of 22 December. Twenty-four hours later, at least 222 people were confirmed killed and 843 injured, and more were missing. Hundreds of buildings and homes along the coast on the islands of Java and Sumatra have been destroyed by the force of the wave. The casualties occurred in three regions — South Lampung in Sumatra and the Serang and Pandeglang regions of Java, west of the capital Jakarta — along the Sunda Straits. An alert is in place for potentially destructive tide waters over 24-25 December.

Winter woes in the camps

Winter (sheeth haal) in the northern parts of South Asia is typically welcomed as a comfortable season, a respite from the scorching heat and monsoonal rains. The cool weather starts in late November and ends in mid-February, though there are of course regional variations. Cox’s Bazar, being further south and on the ocean, has a less pronounced winter season. However, though daytime temperatures are usually comfortably warm, nights can be quite chilly (thanda), particularly in the hilly areas of the camps.