It isn’t a name that’s familiar to the people of Jamaica, or the wider Caribbean –Cox’s Bazar.

Cox’s Bazar is a 13 square kilometre tent city in Bangladesh. The people who live there, 1.2 million Rohingyas from Myanmar, are not without relevance to Jamaica and the Caribbean.  But, they are an example of what can happen when societies are destabilised - whether by conflict, natural disasters or other disruptions.

According to the United Nations, the Rohingyas in Bangladesh rely entirely on humanitarian assistance for protection, food, water, shelter and health.  Another 3.7 million are internally displaced in Myanmar, most since the military takeover in 2021. The first military crackdown against Rohingyas began in October 2016.