“At the time of this photo, we were young and we felt encouraged.  Our vision was to secure our own freedom. We must stand on our own  feet. We must try. We had to inspire the young people and we had confidence, completely, that one day we would be successful. One day, we will achieve our freedom. That was our vision.

“At that time, we had lost everything.  At that time when we embarked on the jungle, all of our rights and freedoms had been taken away. We had no way to address our grievances. Not through the courts or by peaceful means. We were convinced of that at the time. We knew this was the only way. We had to fight against the oppressors.”

Nurul Islam, Rohingya elder, 2023