Most recently I met a large number of people with no concept of year, month, week, date and time. I know what you are thinking. Your mind raced to some of Brazil's Amazonian tribes.
Unfortunately, you are wrong! I was not talking about any isolated Amazonian tribe. I was referring to the Rohingya people of Burma. The Rohingyas were oppressed for so long to the level that they were forced to live without any access to basic knowledge and contact with the outside world. The Rohingyas did not have access to proper educations, medical facilities, water system and not to mention did not have any real jobs.
Badsha Mia, one of the Rohingya man who fled the ongoing genocide in Burma, is one of such "isolated Amazonian tribe member". The only concept of time that he has, Day and Night based on his experience in Burma. According to him, during the day time you go out and find food. After the sun sets, you do not go out because as Rohingya if you were out of your home you were more likely to be killed in your neighborhood.
Along with the year, month, week, date and time, Rohingyas are not aware of or do not have access to family planning measures. As a result, it did not come as surprise to me when I discovered Badsha Mia had 14 members in his family.
Two of the younger members of Badsha Mia's family of 14
Now imagine yourself as Badsha Mia for 12 days, fleeing a well armed Burmese military trying to kill your entire family and you had to hide, walk, crawl and at times run along with all the 14 family members to the safety in Bangladesh. During the journey there were no food, so you ate grass. Babies were crying, so you had to insert your fingers in their mouth so that the noises do not reach the Burmese army. Female members of your family were going through menstrual cycle, so you had to use plant leaves as protection.
This reminds of a scene that you see in African animal safari, where Hyenas chasing a beautiful mother Gazelle to tear it apart and the fear that it generates in the baby Gazelles' eyes and minds.
After his stressful and fearful journey, Badsha Mia made it to Bangladesh from Burma, after 12 days, with all of his family members barely alive. But many were not as lucky as him. They were either killed by the Burmese Army or died during this dangerous journey not only from the above mentioned causes but also because of the mines that the Burmese Army placed along the border with Bangladesh.
It hurts Badsha Mia and other Rohingyas the same way as it hurts you to lose a family member to hate, pure hate. Rohingyas like Badsha Mia who fled to Bangladesh are safe for now but carrying deep mental pain that is beyond measure. They are alive but they die every single second of the day in their tiny little huts in Bangladesh.
Let's create continuous awareness and pressure on Burmese leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her team to stop the genocide against the helpless Rohingyas and to ensure the safe return of the Rohingyas to their own home.
