This is story of Nur Azizah (15 years old) with her father Alam (40 years old) and her younger brother Ubaid (7 years old). They are Rohingya refugees among approximately 300 refugees in Makassar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia.
Her family had been forced to find some ways to leave their village in Arakan Mondo Province, Myanmar for violence and hard life. Firstly, Alam went to Bangladesh by boat and stayed for two years, then entered Malaysia through Thailand. When he was 24, he married a Rohingya woman named Safika who also lived in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia., and blessed with two children, Nur Azizah and Ubaid. After giving birth of Ubaid, the mother was died from an illness.
As most of Rohingya or Bangladeshis in Malaysia had same dream to migrate to Australia. So did Alam with his children tried to enter as illegal immigrant several times, but never succeeded. Then, their boat with other illegal immigrants was caught at Indonesian territory by the navy and immigration. After been arrested, they were sent to Makassar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia to be retained at detention center of Immigration Office for couple of years.
Now, they had been lived at refugee accommodation for about four years. Without any legal accesses to formal education, Nur Azizah and his brother continued to study in groups under the guidance of a fellow refugee from Afghanistan.
In a 3 meters x 2 meters room of free camp accommodation, Nur Azizah spent the times with her families and other refugees. Unlike other refugees from other countries, the Rohingya are stateless persons and can’t go back to their homeland. Alam himself said that insofar as possible, they will stay at the refugees accommodation to wait until some third countries will invite them. He is leery about trying to enter Australia illegal.
Now, Nur Azizah celebrated her fifteenth birthday in uncertain and temporary country. There is no guarantee where she will celebrate her sixteenth birthday in the future. No certain dream of country and citizenship, just like sailing in a stormy sea and wait if there is country invites them to dock and settle-down.
Happy birthday Nur Azizah!
Since morning, the dormitory complex which is used as the Rohingya refugees housing, is relatively busy. The people are gathering around in the public kitchen at the corner of building.
With the help of her father, Azizah is preparing the main course for her birthday. She will serve the quests and other refugees with traditional Rohingya’s dishes.
During their stay in Makassar, the refugees are using public kitchen to prepare the daily food and beverages. And for some special occasion, they will serve the traditional foods.
During their stay in Makassar, the refugees are using public kitchen to prepare the daily food and beverages. And for some special occasion, they will serve the traditional foods.
Azizah with her father and brother had stayed in several places in captives in Southeast Asian countries. And now they are staying in Makassar after being captured by the authority when they were trying to across the ocean to Australia.
Ubaid, his younger brother, stays with Azizah and his father in a dormitory room. The refugees with family usually are placed in the dormitories.
All refugees of Rohingya, and some other countries as well, are attending the birthday party of Azizah. Usually they get familiar in the detention prisons.
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