• Mohamad Husein, a Rohingya from Myanmar, wipes tears from his eyes as he talks to reporters at his hostel on the outskirts of Alor Setar, Kedah, North Malaysia. After his village in Myanmar's northwest Rakhine had been destroyed in a fire set by a Buddhist mob, he and his younger sister became separated from their family. AP Photo/Vincent Thian
    Mohamad Husein, a Rohingya from Myanmar, wipes tears from his eyes as he talks to reporters at his hostel on the outskirts of Alor Setar, Kedah, North Malaysia. After his village in Myanmar's northwest Rakhine had been destroyed in a fire set by a Buddhist mob, he and his younger sister became separated from their family. AP Photo/Vincent Thian
  • Senwara Begum, right, is helped by her foster father, hamsul bin Sayed,to use Skype to talk to her family members in Myanmar from their temporary shelter in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia. "I'm fine," Senwara says, trying to sound upbeat. "I'm with a family that is taking good care of me. They love me. I'm learning things, English and religion." Her father reminds her to be a good girl. He is desperate to see his children again, but believes they are better off far away. AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara
    Senwara Begum, right, is helped by her foster father, hamsul bin Sayed,to use Skype to talk to her family members in Myanmar from their temporary shelter in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia. "I'm fine," Senwara says, trying to sound upbeat. "I'm with a family that is taking good care of me. They love me. I'm learning things, English and religion." Her father reminds her to be a good girl. He is desperate to see his children again, but believes they are better off far away. AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara
  • Senwara Begum cries at a temporary shelter in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia after making a phone call to her family in Myanmar. AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara
    Senwara Begum cries at a temporary shelter in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia after making a phone call to her family in Myanmar. AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara
  • Mohamad Husein, right, from Myanmar, eats dinner at his hostel with his compatriots on the outskirts of Alor Setar, Kedah, northern Malaysia. For many fleeing Rohingya, Malaysia, is the preferred destination. Around 33,000 are registered there and an equal number are undocumented, according to the Rohingya Society of Malaysia. Those numbers have swelled with the violence in Myanmar. AP Photo/Vincent Thian
    Mohamad Husein, right, from Myanmar, eats dinner at his hostel with his compatriots on the outskirts of Alor Setar, Kedah, northern Malaysia. For many fleeing Rohingya, Malaysia, is the preferred destination. Around 33,000 are registered there and an equal number are undocumented, according to the Rohingya Society of Malaysia. Those numbers have swelled with the violence in Myanmar. AP Photo/Vincent Thian
  • Members of Senwara Begum's family watch her video interview at the Ohn Taw refugee camp on the outskirts of Sittwe, Myanmar. AP Photo/Kaung Htet
    Members of Senwara Begum's family watch her video interview at the Ohn Taw refugee camp on the outskirts of Sittwe, Myanmar. AP Photo/Kaung Htet
  • Tawhera Begum, sister of Senwara, cries as she watches a video interview of her sister. After their village was attacked and the family split up, Senwara fled by boat and ended up in Indonesia. Tawhera is with her parents in the Ohn Taw refugee camp on the outskirts of Sittwe, Myanmar. AP Photo/Kaung Htet
    Tawhera Begum, sister of Senwara, cries as she watches a video interview of her sister. After their village was attacked and the family split up, Senwara fled by boat and ended up in Indonesia. Tawhera is with her parents in the Ohn Taw refugee camp on the outskirts of Sittwe, Myanmar. AP Photo/Kaung Htet
  • Senwara Begum watches her friends play in the rain outside their temporary shelter in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia. AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara
    Senwara Begum watches her friends play in the rain outside their temporary shelter in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia. AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara
  • Sisters of Senwara Begum prepare a meal for the family at the Ohn Taw refugee camp on the outskirts of Sittwe, Myanmar. AP Photo/Kaung Htet
    Sisters of Senwara Begum prepare a meal for the family at the Ohn Taw refugee camp on the outskirts of Sittwe, Myanmar. AP Photo/Kaung Htet
  • Senwara Begum from Myanmar attends an English class at her temporary shelter in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia. Although sympathetic to the Rohingya, Indonesia only allows the refugees to stay until they can be resettled elsewhere, which can take years. AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara
    Senwara Begum from Myanmar attends an English class at her temporary shelter in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia. Although sympathetic to the Rohingya, Indonesia only allows the refugees to stay until they can be resettled elsewhere, which can take years. AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara

Asia

In pictures: Rohingya children flee ethnic violence by boat

Mark Asquith

April 28, 2014

  • English
  • Arabic

After their tiny Muslim village in Myanmar’s northwest Rakhine had been destroyed in a fire set by an angry Buddhist mob, Senwara, 9, and brother, Mohamed, 15, became separated from the family. What followed was a horrific boat journey and ordeal faced by thousands of Rohingya’s, described as the world’s most persecuted people.

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