Vice World News
“Even an animal would not stay in that kind of trapped situation.”
A member of Myanmar's security forces stands guard in September 2018 at "no-man's land" between Myanmar and Bangladesh, where Rohingya who fled a 2017 crackdown have taken shelter. Photo: Aung Naing Soe
The mass arrest of nearly 100 Rohingya Muslims hiding in safe houses in Myanmar’s biggest city last week cast a harsh spotlight on the lengths to which the persecuted minority go to escape the country, and how a small mistake can shatter dreams of a better life.
Rohingya, who are not recognized as citizens in Buddhist-majority Myanmar and lack access to many basic services, have been fleeing their homes in Rakhine state for decades. But conditions worsened after a 2017 crackdown drove 740,000 Rohingya to Bangladesh in a violent campaign that is now the focus of a genocide investigation.