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RohingyaRefugees

01 JUNE 2015 - KULAI, JOHORE, MALAYSIA: Rohingya children in a madrasa (Muslim religious school) recite the Koran in Kulai, Malaysia. The Rohingya children are not allowed to attend Malaysian schools. Their madrasa is in a dilapidated building with holes in the roof and exposed wiring. The UN says the Rohingya, a Muslim minority in western Myanmar, are the most persecuted ethnic minority in the world. The government of Myanmar insists the Rohingya are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and has refused to grant them citizenship. Most of the Rohingya in Myanmar have been confined to Internal Displaced Persons camp in Rakhine state, bordering Bangladesh. Thousands of Rohingya have fled Myanmar and settled in Malaysia. Most fled on small fishing trawlers. There are about 1,500 Rohingya in the town of Kulai, in the Malaysian state of Johore. Only about 500 of them have been granted official refugee status by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. The rest live under the radar, relying on gifts from their community and taking menial jobs to make ends meet. They face harassment from Malaysian police who, the Rohingya say, extort bribes from them. PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ

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RohingyaRefugeesKulaiMalaysia022.jpg
Copyright
© 2015 Jack Kurtz
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4608x3456 / 12.9MB
Contained in galleries
Rohingya Humanitarian Crisis (All), Malaysia (All)
01 JUNE 2015 - KULAI, JOHORE, MALAYSIA: Rohingya children in a madrasa (Muslim religious school) recite the Koran in Kulai, Malaysia. The Rohingya children are not allowed to attend Malaysian schools. Their madrasa is in a dilapidated building with holes in the roof and exposed wiring. The UN says the Rohingya, a Muslim minority in western Myanmar, are the most persecuted ethnic minority in the world. The government of Myanmar insists the Rohingya are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and has refused to grant them citizenship. Most of the Rohingya in Myanmar have been confined to Internal Displaced Persons camp in Rakhine state, bordering Bangladesh. Thousands of Rohingya have fled Myanmar and settled in Malaysia. Most fled on small fishing trawlers. There are about 1,500 Rohingya in the town of Kulai, in the Malaysian state of Johore. Only about 500 of them have been granted official refugee status by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. The rest live under the radar, relying on gifts from their community and taking menial jobs to make ends meet. They face harassment from Malaysian police who, the Rohingya say, extort bribes from them. PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
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