After communal violence broke out between Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar’s western state of Rakhine in June last year, hundreds of Rohingyas fled the country and sought refuge in neighbouring Bangladesh and India. Around 51 refugees made it to Kathmandu and are currently living in Kapan and Bansbari area. The families have no documents to prove their identities, have lost contact with those back home and say they are not planning on returning to Myanmar anytime soon. They are trying to make a living in the Valley with the support of the Muslim community here.
Mohamed Aayas came to Kathmandu two months ago with his wife Noor Jahan Begum and their five children. The family first fled to Bangladesh and then to the Indian town of Aligarh in West Bengal. However, when the Indian police began questioning their whereabouts the came to Biratnagar via the Jogbani checkpoint and made their way to Kathmandu. “Our landlord in Aligarh told us about the UN office in Kathmandu where we could get refugee cards so we came here,” says Aayas who works as a construction worker in Kapan. While fleeing Myanmar, the family found a nine-year-old girl called Noorkalima stranded on the way and brought her to Nepal with them. Aayas doesn’t know if her parents are alive.
Hadim Hussain, who owned several hectares of farm land and ran a fishery business, had a good life in Myanmar. But after clashes erupted the police arrested and tortured him. “Since our family was well known in the community we became the first target,” says Hussain who left the village with his brother. “The police caught my brother so I came to Bangladesh, moved to Assam after a while and finally reached Biratnagar via Jogbani ,” says Husain. “I saved Rs 3,000 cleaning buses and toilets and came to Kathmandu with that money.”
Mohamed Aayub like many others who fled the violence in Myanmar has no idea what happened to his family he left behind. “Our entire village was burnt down and I had to escape to save my life,” says Ayub. “I couldn’t even look for my wife and other family members, it was too dangerous."
NAVIN JHA