Rohingya refugees document their barbed-wire enclosure

Rohingya labourers are being employed by the Bangladesh army to carry the concrete pillars for the construction of the barbed-wire fence. Photo Credit: RJ.

Rohingya refugees in the camps of Bangladesh have been taking photographs of concrete pillars with their smartphones. They want to share with the world an unwelcome new development — the barbed-wire fencing of their camps by the Bangladesh army. Taking considerable risks to snap photos, the individuals sent me the images you see on this page using WhatsApp messaging and Twitter Direct messaging. They also took the video and audio interviews that are part of this article.

Using mobiles has become difficult in the Rohingya camps. Sim cards have been confiscated recently by the Bangladesh authorities, and so too have smartphones, allegedly. This is on top of restrictions on 3G/4G internet service in the Rohingya camp areas of Cox’s Bazar district.

Rohingya labourers without protective clothing. Photo Credit: RJ

Rohingya response

According to the refugee documentarians, the general consensus is that camp inhabitants strongly object to the barbed-wire fencing. They fear that the fence will further limit their access to markets and emergency health care. Rohingya feel that their freedom of movement and ability to communicate with each other have already been severely affected by a series of…