Sunday, December 17, 2017

Rohingya refugees flee with solar panels to power phones

Source Website: http://www.tnp.sg/news/world/rohingya-refugees-flee-solar-panels-power-phones
By Reuters, The New Paper, 16 December 2017 at 06:00 am
 

A Rohingya refugee charging his phone with a solar panel as he waits to be taken to a refugee camp at the Bangladesh-Myanmar border in Palang Khali.
PHOTO: A Rohingya refugee charging his phone with a solar panel as he waits to be taken to a refugee camp at the Bangladesh-Myanmar border in Palang Khali.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Picture posted by The New Paper on 16 December 2017 at 06:00 am
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvaFUNDatM-w47K6wGoe07X5n4REjBJ87f29D0_vPH76PA4shsvWqpgJxSO0YYIpP1w9W_YvsrYeMpIkj-WE4dhik0O60EF2PYgP-C6xPLv94CfuBkq0fKe1e_aoUNe9c2YkiO2lSfvR0/s1600/NP_20171216_SOLAR16_1679876.jpg
http://www.tnp.sg/sites/default/files/styles/rl680/public/articles/2017/12/16/NP_20171216_SOLAR16_1679876.jpg?itok=-s7kZHBQ
http://www.tnp.sg/news/world/rohingya-refugees-flee-solar-panels-power-phones


UKHIYA, BANGLADESH When Rohingya refugees began arriving in Bangladesh, after violence erupted in Myanmar's northern Rakhine state in August, local residents were puzzled to see some toting small solar panels on their shoulders.

"They were carrying solar panels with them, I was surprised. I would never do that in such a situation," Mr Jashim Uddin, a tea stall owner said.

Many reported making an arduous trek lasting between five and 15 days along hilly and waterlogged roads - but the hazardous journey did not prevent them from carrying the solar panels with them.


Refugees reported an arduous trek of 5 to 15 days along hilly and waterlogged roads, but that did not stop many of them from carrying a solar panel.
PHOTO: Refugees reported an arduous trek of 5 to 15 days along hilly and waterlogged roads, but that did not stop many of them from carrying a solar panel. [2]
Picture posted by bdnews24.com on 15 December 2017 at 15:21:54.0 BdST 
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj11d3NqNkhmfKMY1AplAPTl9RzP0Myg8Tx1cekovHEwJfh4AJi7aEtWZ-G8kN2Q6C5_8iE0GlikYeqxI_r6exYl0Rea9yttJqar-zwQy4lA_BdeJqy_Oh3NzG_eL6P4s1otf49_eoonNE/s1600/01_Teknaf_Rohingya_09092017__0001.jpg
https://d30fl32nd2baj9.cloudfront.net/media/2017/12/15/01_teknaf_rohingya_09092017__0001.jpg/ALTERNATES/w640/01_Teknaf_Rohingya_09092017__0001.jpg
https://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2017/12/15/fleeing-rohingyas-carry-one-key-asset-solar-panels


"This solar panel saved my life," said Mr Ayatullah, 18, once a shopkeeper in Myanmar and now a resident of the Thaingkhali refugee camp in Bangladesh.

He had to avoid Myanmar's army when he fled the country.

"They were killing everyone they came across. We had to depend on information from our people about the safe route, and a mobile phone was needed for that. This solar panel helped us to charge the mobile phone," he added.

Refugees used the panels, each the size of a laptop computer and fitted with a battery and a small light, to charge mobile phones and provide light at night on the jungle roads to Bangladesh, they said.


Refugees used the panels, each the size of a laptop computer and fitted with a battery and a small light, to charge mobile phones and provide light at night on the jungle roads to Bangladesh, they said.
PHOTO: Refugees used the panels, each the size of a laptop computer and fitted with a battery and a small light, to charge mobile phones and provide light at night on the jungle roads to Bangladesh, they said.
Picture posted by bdnews24.com on 15 December 2017 at 15:21:54.0 BdST
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFmBV5fH4OCl7BzVF0x7cUvDlZFtyIUzvILFiXQCYQ2QDwdK6UaPNFW1jd1rLyNArRgqCTW6c05XCLysmxIkXgrn_cjWtu2oXeWUC5kdERIY_sFdc9Xdxc04qimfgS7nMWZVwG3bcSdaw/s1600/01_Rohingya%252Brefugees_100917__0002.jpg
https://d30fl32nd2baj9.cloudfront.net/media/2017/12/15/01_rohingya-refugees_100917__0002.jpg/ALTERNATES/w640/01_Rohingya+refugees_100917__0002.jpg
https://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2017/12/15/fleeing-rohingyas-carry-one-key-asset-solar-panels


Mr Mohammad Yaser, another refugee, said that solar panels were cheaper in Myanmar than in Bangladesh, with a 20-watt panel costing 20,000 kyat (S$15). In Bangladesh, an equivalent panel costs eight to 12 times as much. Many of the refugees said they knew about this price difference and it was another reason to take their panels with them.

Security concerns also were a worry.

"When we arrived in Bangladesh, we had to stay on the street for the first few days.

"We powered lights with the solar panel and the light made us feel safe," said Mr Abdur Jaher, 45, who fled with his wife and their five children.


A Rohingya Muslim child carries a solar panel as she crosses over the border
PHOTO: A Rohingya Muslim child carries a solar panel as she crosses over the border [3]
Photo by Bernat Armangue/AP
Picture posted by  News And Finally, Press Association on Saturday, 16 December 2017
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUhWBm5t4DLxPBEdT-cvV7arPYFM4iYzg8gil8i2FawJGbLY29wGsJ8UbYceVeyvdepqmk06EVHIIvdjfj2Q-qqtn1qDX8xIb3SxhmO3WH-Y34u6N5Hvx55e8aJ7f7DxZpB6Gs43e_J_o/s1600/ipanews_5c807cf8-8d02-4589-a3d5-d2dcf7ee9e91_embedded58578.jpg
https://www.independent.ie/world-news/and-finally/article36112781.ece/BINARY/ipanews_5c807cf8-8d02-4589-a3d5-d2dcf7ee9e91_embedded58578
https://www.independent.ie/world-news/and-finally/who-are-the-rohingya-muslims-and-whats-going-on-in-burma-36112783.html

By Reuters, The New Paper, 16 December 2017 at 06:00 am
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now



Reference
[1] Reuters, The New Paper, Rohingya refugees flee with solar panels to power phones, posted on 16 December 2017 at 06:00 am, http://www.tnp.sg/news/world/rohingya-refugees-flee-solar-panels-power-phones

[2] bdnews24.com, Fleeing Rohingyas carry one key asset: Solar panels, posted on 15 December 2017 at 15:21:54.0 BdST, https://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2017/12/15/fleeing-rohingyas-carry-one-key-asset-solar-panels

[3] News And Finally, Press Association, Who are the Rohingya Muslims and what’s going on in Burma?, posted on Saturday, 16 December 2017, https://www.independent.ie/world-news/and-finally/who-are-the-rohingya-muslims-and-whats-going-on-in-burma-36112783.html

Links
Apple App Store - https://itunes.apple.com/sg/app/the-new-paper/id949361491?mt=8
Google Play Store - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sph.mypaperpdf&hl=en

at