A night with Rohingya and Bangladeshi refugees

Photos by Ulet Ifansasti/Getty Images

Marina Petrillo
the reported.ly team

--

Deemed the people that nobody wants, Muslim Rohingya men, women and children are fleeing Buddhist Myanmar where they are persecuted, their destiny intertwining with that of other refugees from Bangladesh (where they also sought shelter). After many weeks at sea, they are landing by the hundreds, day after day, in Indonesia.

In March 2015, we wrote about the need for aid for Rohingya refugees and a special volunteer group using PayPal to help fundraise for basic needs like water.

The government of Malaysia has clearly stated that it won’t accept them and some boats are believed to be stranded at sea after being abandoned by smugglers. Human rights organizations urge the international community to aid all refugees in the Bay of Bengal, as survivors tell the darkest tales of abuse, beatings and killing. Some of them still bear visible signs of violence.

Below is a series of photos taken by Ulet Ifansasti with Getty Images on May 17, 2015 at a temporary camp in Kuala Langsa, in the Aceh province.

Rohingya migrants wash themselves in the sea as they prepare for prayer.
Volunteers cooking at a temporary shelter.
A Rohingya migrant helps volunteer by cooking at temporary shelter.
A Rohingya girl.
Bangladesh migrants stand in line to get medical treatment.
A Bangladesh migrant receives medical treatment.
Bangladesh migrants rest receiving medical treatment.
A Bangladesh migrant rests as he received medical treatment.
Rohingya migrants are seen inside the temporary shelter.
A Rohingya woman and her daughter inside the shelter.
A Rohingya woman.

--

--

Marina Petrillo
the reported.ly team

author, social journalist, broadcaster, part of http://reported.ly/ | livetweeting Egypt since #Jan25 | http://alaskahub.org | ONA