Sumon Corraya

Around 1.2 million people are sheltering on the border with Myanmar. Another attempt at repatriation fails because refugees have not been guaranteed Myanmar citizenship. Bangladesh refuses to bear the refugee burden any longer, warns if they don’t go back, they “will face tougher times”.

Survivors say they could smell kerosene when their homes were burning. Residents blame Md. Elias Uddin Mollah, an Awami League MP. Caritas will start distributing aid.

Thousands of Bangladeshis emigrate each year in search of work. Many leave without proper papers. Volunteers at the Caritas ITC Centre in Sirajdikhan provide useful information and show how to fill out forms. For Caritas Dhaka, this is a way “to ensure social justice”.

At least one million refugees live in camps on the border between Myanmar and Bangladesh in unsustainable conditions. The Archbishop of Yangon admires the people and government of Bangladesh for their compassion and their participation in “the pilgrimage of peace".

In July alone, there were 5,500 new cases. The disease is caused by the dengue virus, which is carried by mosquitos found in open sources of stagnant water. The authorities are raising awareness and promoting prevention. Local Caritas staff is helping out.

Rumours mainly concern child abuse accusations that spread via social media and trigger the murderous fury of ignorant and biased mobs. “Those who spread rumours want to destroy peace in the country,” said the president of the Episcopal Commission for Justice and Peace.

Dozens of victims throughout South Asia, millions of displaced people and considerable damage to homes and means of transport. Caritas is focusing on the districts of Bandarban and Gaibanda, where the situation is dramatic. At the beginning money will be distributed; then help to rebuild homes.

The Archdiocese of Dhaka organised a three-day seminar. Often minority Christians are the victims of forced expropriations by majority Muslims. Many legal disputes occur in mixed marriages or quick land sales. Spousal disputes are often due to non-consensual marriage in which brides are forced to marry grooms picked by their parents.

Since August 2017, more than 700,000 Muslims have fled Myanmar. Half of the refugees are under 18. About 98 per cent of young people do not have a job and get involved in illegal activities.

Two years ago, the Episcopal Commission for Justice and Peace began prison visits for Christian inmates. Bangladesh has 68 prisons. About 175 Christians are behind bars, 40 of them foreigners. The Church provides them with spiritual and legal support.

Bangladesh doesn’t allow refugee children to attend schools with their Bangladeshi peers. A radical group, Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh, fills the educational gap with its own 1,200 madrassas. Activists warn against the danger of future terrorist attacks.

Joseph Kamal Rodrigues, 67, is well known within the Christian community. He has composed pieces of liturgical worship for the Catholic Church. Kazi Nazrul Islam's musical genre fuses spiritual and philosophical elements, romantic and revolutionary themes.