Rohingya Broadcast 03.02.2020
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News headlines
• Bangladesh police report 7 Rohingyas shot dead near Bangladesh’s Teknaf refugee camp
• Lawmaker says Myanmar army clash Saturday with insurgents kills at least 5 Rohingyas
• UN and partners prepare 2020 joint humanitarian response, seeking at least $871 million
• Global coronavirus death toll tops 3,000
• 24 hours after US and Taliban sign peace deal, its implementation is halted
• Organization of Islamic Cooperation discusses Rohingya protection with UN chief
Shortwave, 31-meter band 9310 kHz
25-meter band, 11570 kHz, 12030 kHz
Report: Mohammed Rukon Uddin
Topic: Coronavirus fears drive up demand for, and prices of, facemasks.
Translation summary: Many people in Cox’s Bazar District routinely use facemasks to filter out dust and particulate matter, especially before the rainy season clears the air. But fears about novel coronavirus – first detected in Wuhan, the capital of China’s Hubei province – are increasing demand. More than 85,000 cases have been confirmed, mostly in China, and almost 3,000 people have died.
No outbreak has been reported in Bangladesh, but facemask prices have increased drastically. In one Kutupalong pharmacy, a mask that cost 5 takas just a few months ago now costs 20 to 30 takas. “I used to buy a box of facial masks for 90 takas from the supplier. Now it’s 1,200 to 1,500 takas,” said Ziaul Haq, a pharmacy retailer. Ziaul Hussain, a physician in Kutupalong, said, “Masks are not only used for protection from virus but also from dust and other viruses that spreads through sneezing. Therefore, people should always use masks.”
For coronavirus protection, the World Health Organization’s website advises using a mask only “if you are taking care of a person with suspected” COVID-19 infection or if you are sneezing and coughing, to prevent the spread of disease.” Masks are effective, the WHO says, “only when used in combination with frequent hand-cleaning with alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water.”
Report: Sabera Begum
Topic: A madrassa supports an orphan in Kutupalong registered camp.
Translation summary: The madrassa Khalid Bin Walid provides a home for at least one youth orphaned by conflict, said the madrassa’s assistant leader, Moulavi Abu Tayab. The madrassa gives the orphaned student with everything from lessons and books to food and drink, Tayab said. The youth came from Boli Bazar in Myanmar’s Maungdaw district and was the only one in his family of nine to survive, he said. Tayab said the madrassa operates without the help of any NGO.
Web extra: One in two Rohingya children who fled to Bangladesh without their parents were orphaned by violence, the aid group Save the Children reported in August 2018. At that time, it found “more than 6,000 unaccompanied and separated Rohingya children living in Cox’s Bazar, where they face crippling food shortages and are at increased risk of exploitation and abuse.”