Stranded at Sea

Rohingya refugees are trying to start a new life.

But they aren't making it.

We were not allowed to enter Malaysia because of the [coronavirus] disease.

The Malaysian government turned the boat away, back to Bangladesh.

After reaching Bangladesh waters, we were there for about one month.

Then the food ran out.

People were dying – five to ten in a day.

People did not get food and water.

Women were not beaten, but the men were given much more trouble.

That is why I starved for nine days.

Our people could not tolerate it any more.

We never thought we would see our parents again.

20 to 40 people like us, both male and female, died in front of us.

If they had been given food, they would not have died.

People starved to death.

Those who died were thrown into the sea in front of us.

I would never ever have gone, if I had known I would have to suffer like this.

When five to ten people were dying, we thought that we would also die.

The Rohingya refugees originally fled persecution in Myanmar.

From Bangladesh they boarded boats, borrowing money...

or paying their life savings to smugglers...

for the journey to Malaysia, a wealthier country.

Mohammed Zubair is my eldest son.

He left home and was saying: "Mother, people are all going today."

"I will also go with them."

But many are getting stuck at sea.

Bangladesh has rescued dozens this year from stranded boats.

We reached the shore of Bangladesh 50 days after boarding the boat.

We lost our senses so many times.

We threw salt water onto our bodies.

We stayed alive by doing this.

We used to sleep by keeping one person's leg next to another person.

My sister had a disease, jaundice – that's why she died, as she didn't get water to drink.

I heard that my sister drank sea water.

She fell down as she was coming back, after drinking the salt water.

I was shouting and crying out, hugging her.

They [the traffickers] wanted to beat me and they forced me to go back [to my place on the boat].

After saying the funeral prayer, I heard that she was thrown [overboard], but I didn't witness this with my own eyes.

People saw that she was thrown overboard there.

I wanted to jump, but a boy named Hares caught me.

How can I forget those troubles? I won't be able to forget – even after I've died.