-NiE ,
INTERMEDIATE A new tomorrow
Critical thinking ● Identify ● Reason
Problem solving
Creative thinking
● Measure ● Organise
9
Struggling to survive REPORTS of the Rohingya people fleeing Myanmar and losing their homes have been making the rounds in newspapers. But how many of us actually scratch the surface to understand the horrors they have to endure just to survive? Some
NiE Activity
1 NOVEMBER 2017
● Imagine ● Connect ● Brainstorm
● Question ● Recreate
● Present
survive the journey to a new land but the others are either stopped in their tracks or buried at sea. Whatever their reason for fleeing their own homes, their hope is the same. It is to find a safe place they can all call home.
Communicating ● Oral ● Written ● Non-verbal ● Aural
Collaborating ● Listen
● Compromise
● Contribute ● Attain goal respectfully
Rohingya child re food distribut n stretching their hands ed by locals at ou Cox’s Bazar. a makeshift t to receive — AP refugee cam p in
Read the following article which has been adapted from The Star.
18,000 Rohingya flee Myanmar Violence forces refugees into Bangladesh COX’S BAZAR (Bangladesh): At least 18,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled fresh violence in Myanmar and crossed into Bangladesh in less than a week. Hundreds of them are stranded in no man’s land at the countries’ border, the International Organisation for Migration said. Human rights groups and advocates for the Rohingya say the Myanmar army was retaliating for attacks last week by Rohingya militants by burning down villages and shooting civilians. The Myanmar government blames Rohingya insurgents for the violence, including the arson. Government figures put the death toll since last week at a minimum of 103, including 12 members of security forces, 77 persons described as insurgents and 14 civilians. Rohingya advocates fear hundreds of civilians may have been killed in army raids.
A report issued yesterday by Myanmar’s Information Ministry said that 45 improvised explosive devices were detonated. In addition, seven villages, one security post and two neighbourhoods in the township of Maungdaw burned down on Sunday and Monday. A majority of Myanmar’s estimated one million Rohingya live in northern Rakhine, where they have faced persecution in a country that refuses to recognise them as a legitimate native ethnic minority, leaving them without citizenship and basic rights. Sanjukta Sahany, a spokesman for the International Organisation for Migration, said the Rohingya crisis was not an issue between Myanmar and Bangladesh but of international concern. Ali Hossain, Cox’s Bazar district’s top government official, said that their resources were under huge stress after some 87,000 Rohingya entered Bangladesh since October last year and another 18,000 since last Friday. “This is a very complex situation,” he said. — AP (The Star, Aug 31, 2017)
Part A
Part B
Work on this activity with a friend. Each of you will play different roles – either that of a Noun finder or a Verb finder. Conduct a vocabulary hunt by looking for words in the article that are linked to suffering and negativity. Fill the words in the table below.
Form a group of four. In your group, compare the list of nouns and verbs you have found. Remember, these are words that carry a negative meaning. Now, think of words that have a positive meaning. Write them down next to each of the words you have listed. Then, as a group, read the article again. How would you rewrite the article using the positive words to change the scenario depicted? Discuss among yourselves. Next, in not more than 300 words, rewrite the article in the space provided. Finally, appoint a group representative to deliver the story as a news presenter.
Noun
Verb
Heading: _____________________________________
burned killed detonated
crisis stress
blames fear
raids persecution
burning down shooting
arson death
__________________________________________________________
stranded retaliating
militants insurgents
__________________________________________________________
fled
attacks
__________________________________________________________
Verb
Noun
__________________________________________________________
Answers:
Part C We often think we have bigger problems than others. It is when we learn about other people’s circumstances that we realise just how much bigger their problems are. What are some lessons or points that you can take away from the Rohingya refugee crisis? Share your reflections in class.
Standfirst: ________________________________________ COX’S BAZAR (Bangladesh): __________________________________
__________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________
EXAMPLE ●
A heading is the title of a news article.
●
A standfirst is a brief introductory summary of a news article.