JOURNEYS WITH A SMARTPHONE

Bangladesh

As one of the most densely-populated places on the planet, Bangladesh isn’t on most international traveller’s radar. But it’s a real gem of a country aching to be explored.

Map of Myanmar highlighted in red, showing regions such as Bago, Yangon, Dhaka, Mongla, Chittagong, Cox's Bazar, and Mandalay, with parts of Thailand and China visible. The right page has a black background with the word 'Bangladesh' and 'January to March' printed on it.
Open book showing a photo of the Pink Palace, a pink Mysore-style building with a dome, stairs, and people standing in front of it.
Boats and people on the Buriganga River in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Various boats are docked or moving, with people loading or unloading goods. The scene shows a busy riverbank with vibrant activity.
People collecting shells and rocks in a shallow river, using baskets and scoops, with some individuals bent over and others standing.
Open magazine spread showing photographs of people in Bangladesh. The left page has three smaller photos of individuals, and the right page has a larger photo of two men carrying bowls on their heads, standing outdoors near a construction site or rubble. The setting suggests rural or developing areas.
Photograph of an outdoor scene at sunrise or sunset showing people working, possibly in a rural or mountain area, with one person wearing a turban and another person bending over, near rocks and a dirt path.
A book page showing two photos: one of a person on a boat, viewed from above, and one of a smiling girl wearing a red headscarf and nose ring.
Open magazine showing a page titled "Eye of the Tiger" with a background image of a rainforest canopy, featuring trees and sunlight filtering through the leaves.
A smiling man with an orange beard and hair sits on a boat near a river, surrounded by green trees.
A man with a beard holding two freshly caught shrimp, one in each hand, while seated in a lush, green, tropical environment.
Open photo book featuring a woman in a colorful traditional sari holding a young child, next to a young boy dressed as a police officer in a blue uniform and cap, against a textured wall.
Open travel book featuring photos and a description of Chittagong, Bangladesh, including images of boats and men repairing a boat, with text about a view from a bridge on January 23, 2018.

SUN, SEA & SUFFERING.

Inside the Rohingya Refugee Camps of Southern Bangladesh

Open magazine showing a page titled "Sun, Sea & Surfing" with a photo of two women in a refugee camp in Southern Bangladesh, including corrugated metal shelters and a dirt pathway.
A boy with dark hair and a serious expression wearing a red shirt standing outdoors in a rural area with makeshift structures and trees in the background.
A young girl with dark hair lying on the ground in a rural setting, with a black and white goat standing nearby.
Photograph of children in a developing country, engaging in activities around a water pump, with colorful backgrounds and rough terrain.

Witnessing a Tragedy

We had just passed the nearby town of Ukhia, so I was half-expecting apocalyptic throngs of filthy, fly-covered, starved children waiting around every moonscaped corner. I cursed my ignorance and the thought of rubbernecking one of the most tragic human episodes of 'textbook ethnic cleansing' in modern times. I attempted to put things into perspective and assess some sobering statistics.

Since August 2017, an estimated 800,000 to 1,000,000 people call this place home, with the majority under 18

The persecution of the Rohingya is a modern phenomenon, though, culminating in the devastation I witnessed. Predominantly Muslim, a previous insurgency in 1978 was brutally crushed by the Burmese military, and over 200,000 Rohingya fled to neighbouring Bangladesh. Denied citizenship under the 1982 Myanmar Nationality Act, which quashed freedom of movement and educational rights, the longstanding name 'Rohingya' was replaced by the term 'Bengali' by the Burmese government.

The Rohingya are trapped. Contained within camps set up by the remarkable benevolence and humanity of the Bangladesh government and its people, and countless worldwide NGOs in support, they're caught between a rock and a hard place. Military and police checks are everywhere — no doubt a traumatic experience in itself — and no Rohingya can stray far without being returned. The Bangladesh government has also banned local people from marrying Rohingya.

Worse still, with their entire livelihoods in ruin back home and the continued failure of the Burmese government to honour the recent reparation agreement with Bangladesh, there is nowhere else to go. 

Open magazine showing a page with a photo of a man with a beard and a young girl walking on dirt ground, tents in the background, and an article discussing the Burmese military's scorched-earth policy and its impacts.
A young girl and a smaller child standing in front of a bamboo wall. The girl holds a metal pitcher and a red basket. The smaller child wears a striped shirt with diamond shapes.
Open photo book displaying images of smiling young boy with dark curly hair, wearing a striped shirt and a plaid scarf, carrying a load of leaves on his shoulder, outdoors in sunny weather.
An older woman wearing a yellow patterned sari holds a young boy with short dark hair and big eyes, who is wearing a sleeveless shirt, in front of a weathered brick wall with an arched doorway. The boy is holding a dog on a rope leash. The background features old brick ruins and some greenery.
A man and a young boy smiling at each other against a dark blue background, with text indicating they are father and son from Puthia, Rajshahi, Bangladesh.
Open travel magazine featuring children in traditional clothing, with images of historic architecture, likely in Bangladesh, and text describing a trip to Rajshahi, Bangladesh from February 12th to 15th, 2018.
Open magazine featuring a large portrait of a young girl with dark hair, earrings, and a serious expression, standing against a stone wall. Adjacent pages show smaller photos of other children and people, including a woman holding a black puppy and women cooking at a stove in a rural setting.
A young boy with short black hair wearing a patterned brown and beige shirt standing outdoors on a dry, cracked field with greenery in the background.