Rohingya refugee camp on fire in Bangladesh

A six-year-old boy was killed in a fire that engulfed the Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh

On Tuesday, leaving at least 2,000 people homeless, Reuters quoted Bangladeshi officials and witnesses as saying.

Last January, a fire destroyed 1,200 homes and left more than 5,000 homeless. There have been five fires in the camps between January and March this year.

The UN Save the Children says some of the victims are living in relatives' homes and others have been sent to other camps.

The tents where the refugees live are made of tarpaulin and bamboo and are very easy to catch fire.

The cause of Tuesday's fire is unknown. Hours after the arrival of emergency workers, the fire was extinguished and more than 300 houses were on fire, a Bangladeshi government official said.

Flowers on the Rock - Interview with Camp Witnesses

Interview with Tursunai Ziyavudun and Gulzira Avulkan, one of the camp witnesses

At different times, thousands of girls and women heroes knelt down among the Uyghurs against oppression and injustice. Witnesses to the camp, which exposed China's genocide, are showing the resilient spirit of Uyghur and Kazakh women.

We invited Tursunai Ziyavudun, a Witness from the Uyghur Camp in the United States, and Gulzira Aulqan, a Kazakh Witness, to our radio program "Flowers on a Stone" on the occasion of International Women's Day on March 8. They shared the secrets of their courage, the dreams they had in their hearts as a simple woman. Please join our conversation with our reporter Gulchehra.

Tursunai Ziyavudun, a brave camp witness who has caused a huge backlash in the world by exposing horrific crimes such as systematic sexual abuse of captive women in camps and prisons, has never dreamed of becoming a hero, in a simple peasant family in Kunas County, Yildiz.

She was detained twice in 2017 and 2018 for a total of nine months in a camp in Kunas County, Gurgaon, and then with the help of her husband, who is a Kazakh citizen, went to Kazakhstan in September 2019 to testify about her horrific experiences in the camp despite various threats from China. Since arriving in the United States in September 2020 with the help of the U.S. State Department, he has been instrumental in defining China's genocidal crimes by states and parliaments, including Tursunai, one of the few witnesses in the camp.

In the run-up to International Women's Day on March 8, she testified at a hearing of the U.S. House Committee on Chinese Affairs, on women's rights in China, the state of sexual discrimination and harassment of women, and the forced abortion of Uyghur women.

A father-in-law saying, "I have an untouchable daughter to ten sons" was etched in Tursunai's heart when he was 15 years old. Tursunai's courageous words, which were uttered by his father, were echoed in the death camps of Tursunai Ziyavudun Tursunai, the Chinese Gundipai, who were severely persecuted and humiliated in the human form.

Tursunai lost his life in childbirth due to serious injuries to his internal organs, such as the stomach and uterus, while undergoing severe torture at the camp. In our conversation today, he shared how he enjoys life in the United States, where he embraces freedom, and his unique dreams.

It has an indestructible courage, accompanied by feminine charm and kindness, and the resilient spirit of this living hero wants to inspire us all.

Other Kazakh witnesses, including Mehrigul Tursun, Zumrat Davut and Tursunai Ziyavudun, are among the Uyghur witnesses who have played a key role in exposing the internal secrets of China's current camps in the Uyghur Autonomous Region and the international recognition of China's repressive policies in the Uyghur Autonomous Region as genocide. He is also a Kazakh camp witness.

Gulzira Avulkan, a 15-month-old Kazakh camper who spent 15 months in a camp in the city of Yildiz, was enslaved in 2018 at a youth clothing factory at Yidong Industrial Park in Yidong Industrial Park, where Chinese forced laborers are based. In addition to the severe sexual harassment, population control, and brainwashing faced by Uyghurs and Kazakhs in the camps, he also played a key role in proving the existence of slavery. Through her own experiences, she has exposed the Chinese government's policy of converting Uyghur and Kazakh girls into universal free or low-cost labor in the name of "poverty alleviation," highlighting the fact that so-called "vocational skills centers" are in fact forced labor.

First of all, Gulzira Awulkan thanked all the Uyghur women and brothers in the United States for their help and care for themselves and their families. He encouraged ordinary people as well to take part in solving this great task: "One of the things you and other people can do is keep up the pressure  there are going to be some difficult decisions for government".

"We all have the same courage, justice and kindness, whether it is Uyghur or Kazakh women," Gulzira said. "We cried together with the Uyghur sisters, they told me my tears, they encouraged me and told me that you will soon be released and go to Kazakhstan. Be patient," he said, whether in his hometown, in the camp, or in slave labor.

"I was released on bail and is being held in the United States. She hopes that my Uyghur sisters will be happy that I am released, even if they do not come out on their own, and that they will listen to the oppression we have seen. So I will not stop. I speak for all Kazakhs, Uyghurs and other oppressed sisters. "

Gulzira, who never thought she would be a hero one day, also testified that after her departure in Kazakhstan, her relatives testified about camp and slave labor despite being taken hostage by the Chinese, and that the witnesses of her previous Uyghur camps were courageous. I deeply respect the Uyghur and Kazakh camp witnesses who are reporting to the media and the world the atrocities they have suffered in the camp. During my time in the camp, I witnessed the testimony of the witnesses of the camp that made China very upset. They tried to brainwash us by looking at the camp witnesses. But we are proud of their bravery and inspired. Because the Chinese government is afraid of international pressure from free press.

Gulzira, along with other camp witnesses in Washington, D.C., has become one of the most active members of the Uyghurs' anti-Chinese protests.

'Embarrassing' - Patriots criticize former commando for supporting Najib

PRN JOHOR l A group of military veterans, the National Patriot Association (Patriot), condemned the presence of several commando veterans wearing green berets to support former prime minister Najib Razak during the Johor election campaign in Simpang Renggam, last Sunday.

"There is nothing more embarrassing and and discouraging, (than) to see a veteran commando from the country's elite special forces assemble with a criminal who has been found guilty and labeled as 'national disgrace' by various media reports (domestic and foreign)," he said. said its president, Mohamed Arshad Raji.

Najib was on July 28 sentenced to 12 years in prison and fined RM210 million for misappropriating funds belonging to SRC International Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of 1MDB.

The Court of Appeal on Dec 7 last year upheld the high court’s decision. The court also rejected Najib's claim that he had acted in the "national interest", instead calling it "something that is a disgrace to the country".

Arshad said as veterans of the elite national security forces who are trained and highly disciplined to defend the country, commando veterans should hold fast to that principle.

“Patriots have no issue if a group of veterans joins a political campaign because we are a democracy.

“In fact, even though we may be military retirees or ex -soldiers, we can and must play a constructive role as responsible citizens in shaping the country's political future for the better and its stability.

"But to be seen dressed that could be associated with the Armed Forces on such a political campaign circuit - and even more so when with individuals who have been convicted in court is not only inappropriate and unpleasant but critically violates the Armed Forces' honorable position and status," he said. he said.

Najib, during his visit to Laman Simpang Renggam last Sunday was greeted by a large number of attendees, including those wearing BN blue.

Some of them included a small group of green beret men who approached Najib and with him.

Najib, who is the chairman of the BN advisory board, often went down to campaign in the Johor election, and positioned himself as a leader who remained popular despite having been found guilty of corruption charges.

He is appealing his conviction in Federal Court.

The campaign for the Johor election began on Feb 26. The people of Johor will vote on Saturday, March 12.