The mainly Muslim Rohingya are heavily persecuted in war-torn western Myanmar, and thousands risk their lives each year to try to reach Malaysia or Indonesia through Thailand.

A passing monk found two dead refugees, along with eight survivors - seven of them injured - in a forest in Chumphon province on Oct 17, officers said.

One of the injured refugees died a day later, a hospital staff member told AFP.

The uninjured survivor told police that traffickers had packed 26 people into two vehicles after they had made their way across the Thai-Myanmar border.

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It needs to raise US$7 million to aid Rohingya refugees.

The refugees are victims of conflicts in Myanmar.

"We must not forget the Rohingya people or take the support of the Bangladesh Government for granted" says Alistair Dutton, Caritas's secretary general.

Help the most vulnerable

Rohingya families are "among the most vulnerable people in our world today without the right to work" Dutton told media on 6 June.

He had just returned from visiting Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar, the world's largest refugee settlement.

Over a million Rohingya refugees from neighbouring civil war-hit Myanmar are existing at the camp.

Teenagers "have now spent half of their life in camps" he said.

Global aid is desperately needed.

Pope Francis is renewing appeals to solve the Rohingyas' refugee crisis. He met a Rohingya group during his visit to Bangladesh in 2017.

However, global aid for the refugees has decreased with other emergencies like the Ukraine war and the Palestine conflict taking centre stage.

Caritas Bangladesh says global funds to meet refugees' food expenses have reduced from $12 to $10 per month per person. Bangladesh is facing a foreign currency crisis and skyrocketing inflation.

Caritas plans to give the Rohingya community $7 million in aid this year.

Since 2017, Caritas has spent $45 million on Rohingya refugees and host community members in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh does not allow the refugees to work and their mobility is restricted within the camps.

Stateless child refugees

"Over the past six years, more than 200,000 children have been born in these camps" Dutton says.

They are stateless; they have never seen their home country and have no nationality.

How the aid is used

Dutton says temporary camps made of bamboo and plastic sheets can perish quickly.

There have also been two fires in the past fortnight that damaged hundreds of camps.

In the Rohingyas' home state on the southeastern Bangladesh border, the United Nations says 15,000 Rohingyas have taken shelter.

Caritas Asia says Caritas is working with Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand and India to help repatriate Rohingya refugees.

Given the current situation in Myanmar, repatriation is unlikely Dutton said.

In Myanmar Dutton plans to meet leaders of the bishops' conference where Caritas runs similar aid programmes for refugees.

Source

• UCA News

"My visit to Bangladesh was first of all to witness the solidarity of the confederation in Caritas Bangladesh and to the people of Bangladesh for their generosity in receiving the displaced people from Myanmar — the Rohingya" he said during a press briefing at Dhaka Reporters Unity auditorium on February 24 during his five-day visit to the South Asian nation.

He lamented that "our world is undergoing a major disaster today.

"Millions of people are being put on the wrong road with no point of return because of selfishness, because of wrong decisions and because of violence. So they are put on the wrong road, in exile. I met some of them," he said.

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Unable to legally work in Bangladesh, refugees support themselves with help from charitable organizations, extended family, and informal jobs such as fishing. View stunning photographs on the Atlantic website

They provide aid to individuals and families caught up in the Rohingya refugee crisis, as well as provide support in emergency response strategies.

Violence against Rohingya in Rakhine State escalated to a critical point, driving an estimated 671,500 Rohingya across the border into Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh.

Mitchell stresses the complexity of this crisis, "A lasting resolution for Rohingya will surely be a long process."

"They're also facing flooding from monsoons and cyclones, which this area is most affected by; limited space for the camp to grow; no space for relocation; and something we haven't dealt with before - wildlife migration."

The Cox's Bazar camp in Bangladesh currently sits in the middle of a migration route for wild elephants.

So far, passing elephants have destroyed shelters and other structures in addition to causing death and injury.

Mark Mitchell states, "There is an immense urgency and need for the global community to support Rohingya refugees."

The unrelenting influx of those seeking refuge led to the construction of temporary shelters wherever there was space.

This meant that infrastructure was very poor and is only now being put in place.

Many arrived with very few possessions, some fleeing with only the clothes on their backs.

They are now reliant on humanitarian assistance for food and other lifesaving needs.

Caritas is launching an emergency appeal to support the Rohingya via improved camp infrastructure and safety for women and children.

Donating now will double your impact; the NZ government will match the donations dollar for dollar.

For more information on the Rohingya Appeal, or to make a donation, visit www.caritas.org.nz

Source

• Supplied www.caritas.org.nz
• Image: blog.cafod.org.uk

They also discussed positive inter-faith relations in Bangladesh, which is 90% Muslim. Christians make up only 0.2% of the population.

A Holy See Press Office statement says Francis and Hasina discussed the Catholic Church's contribution in Bangladesh, "especially in the field of education."

During their 20-minute conversation, Francis and Hasina focused on the need to defend minorities and refugees.

Francis acknowledged the effort Bangladesh is making in promoting the peaceful coexistence of the various religious communities in the nation.

He particularly praised the Bangladeshi government for welcoming 600,000 Rohingya Muslim refugees last year. Most are living in refugee camps.

They fled Myanmar last year, where they were being persecuted.

The Rohingya are mainly a Muslim ethnic group from Myanmar's Rakhine State. Recent state-sponsored violence in Myanmar has led the United Nations to declare the crisis "a textbook example of ethnic cleansing."

Hasina and Francis both hope a "just and lasting solution to [the Rohingya] ordeal" might be reached soon.

After the meeting the pope met the prime minister's nine-person delegation and the two exchanged gifts.

Hasina gave Francis an image of a boat, believed to be filled with migrants.

Francis gave Hasina the medal of peace, which he often gives to the heads of state he receives. He also presented her with a copy of his 2018 Message for Peace and his environmental encyclical Laudato Si.

Source

• Vatican News
• Crux
• Image: The New Nation

He also says it is "imperative" for world governments to immediately provide assistance to help the Bangladeshi government cope with Asia's worst refugee crisis in decades.

Bangladesh has opened its borders to the refugees.

The United Nations is calling the situation the Rohingya are enduring a textbook case of "ethnic cleansing."

Francis used the opportunity his trip provided to appeal to Myanmar's Buddhist leaders to overcome "prejudice and hatred".

Later in his trip, in a speech before Bangladesh President Abdul Hamid, government officials and ambassadors from around the world, Francis praised Bangladesh's sacrifice and generosity in welcoming in so many refugees "before the eyes of the whole world."

He also met with 18 Rohingya people who are seeking refuge in Bangladesh.

He said the refugees wept as they told him their stories.

"In the name of all those who have persecuted you, who have harmed you, in the face of the world's indifference, I ask for your forgiveness," he told them.

He explained to journalists on his home-bound plane journey that he knew that he was going to meet the Rohingya while he was visiting Myanmar and Bangladesh, but he didn't know where and how.

Nonetheless, meeting the Rohingya was one of his conditions for making the trip, he told them.

Source

• Channel News Asia
• New York Times
• Catholic Herald
• Aljazeera
• Image: aa.com.tr