Twitter shamelessly indulges in 'whataboutery' as Priyanka Chopra visits Rohingya camp in Bangladesh

Actress Priyanka Chopra, who is also the global UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for Child Rights, on Tuesday urged her fans and followers to care for and support the Rohingya refugees.
Priyanka, who is on a field visit in Dhaka, on Monday visited Cox's Bazaar, one of the largest refugee camps in the world, and shared photographs with Rohingya children on Instagram.

"In the second half of 2017, the world saw horrific images of ethnic cleansing from the Rakhine State of Myanmar (Burma). This violence drove nearly 700,000 Rohingya across the border into Bangladesh - 60 per cent are children! Many months later they are still highly vulnerable, living in overcrowded camps with no idea when or where they will ever belong...even worse, when they will get their next meal," Priyanka wrote.

"And as they finally start to settle and feel a sense of safety, monsoon season looms...threatening to destroy all that they have built so far. This is an entire generation of children that have no future in sight,?" she added.

Priyanka, who had met Syrian refugee children in Jordan last year, says children are at the "forefront of this humanitarian crisis, and they desperately need our help". "The world needs to care. We need to care. These kids are our future," she wrote.

Priyanka also shared a video talking about how the refugees had to travel by foot to enter Bangladesh. "Their trip here was filled with many hardships and tremendous danger. Many of them made their journey on foot, walking for days through the hills, then floating across the Naf River or the Bay of Bengal on make shift boats... Many of them injured, pregnant, elderly," she wrote.

"Their ordeal did not end here, after entering Bangladesh, they would often have to wait for days, sleeping in the open fields with no food or water, for aid workers to reach them. For a lot of the Rohingya children, this ordeal will leave them scarred, physically and emotionally, for the rest of their lives," she added.

Here are the pictures shared by Priyanka Chopra on Instagram - 

 

I’m in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh today for a field visit with UNICEF, to one of the largest refugee camps in the world. In the second half of 2017, the world saw horrific images of ethnic cleansing from the Rakhine State of Myanmar(Burma). This violence drove nearly 700,000 Rohingya across the border into Bangladesh - 60% are children! Many months later they are still highly vulnerable, living in overcrowded camps with no idea when or where they will ever belong...even worse, when they will get their next meal. AND...as they finally start to settle and feel a sense of safety, monsoon season looms...threatening to destroy all that they’ve built so far. This is an entire generation of children that have no future in sight. Through their smiles I could see the vacancy in their eyes. These children are at the forefront of this humanitarian crisis, and they desperately need our help. The world needs to care. We need to care. These kids are our future. Pls Lend your support at www.supportunicef.org #ChildrenUprooted @unicef @unicefbangladesh Credit: @briansokol @hhhtravels

A post shared by Priyanka Chopra (@priyankachopra) on May 21, 2018 at 6:27am PDT

 

 

Across the river is Myanmar(Burma.) It’s empty now, but a few months ago this area, known as “Sabrang,” was filled with hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees fleeing Myanmar. Their trip here was filled with many hardships and tremendous danger. Many of them made their journey on foot, walking for days through the hills, then floating across the Naf River or the Bay of Bengal on make shift boats...many of them injured, pregnant, elderly, etc. Their ordeal didn’t end here...after entering Bangladesh, they would often have to wait for days, sleeping in the open fields with no food or water, for aid workers to reach them. For a lot of the Rohingya children, this ordeal will leave them scarred, physically and emotionally, for the rest of their lives. With your help, maybe these children can have a chance at a future...because right now, their future is bleak. The world needs to care. We need to care. Please lend your support at www.supportunicef.org #ChildrenUprooted @unicef @unicefbangladesh

A post shared by Priyanka Chopra (@priyankachopra) on May 22, 2018 at 3:30am PDT

 

 

When Mansur Ali, 12 yrs old, first came to the Child Friendly Space (CFS) at the Balukhali camp, he was only drawing scenes of bloodshed and violence. Helicopters shooting at him and his friends playing soccer... or his village and home being on fire with burning bodies all around him.. Today, his drawings reflect a more hopeful story, one we would like all these children to have. Since the #Rohingya children have arrived in Cox’s Bazar, they have been living in overcrowded camps with no real place that to call their own. Imagine a space that lets you forget your troubles and be a child again... even if its only for just a few hours a day. For the Rohingya children, over 300,000, in the camps in Bangladesh this is the only space that allows them to be kids. These Child Friendly Spaces created by @unicef give kids access to art, music, dance, sport, and counselling etc. The space has often proved to be very therapeutic, helping these kids deal with the horrific situations they faced.. the @unicef aid workers work tirelessly to make sure these children find their spirit again. It doesn’t matter where a child is from or what his or her circumstances are... NO child deserves a life without hope for the future. The world needs to care. We need to care. Please lend your support at www.supportunicef.org #childrenuprooted @unicef @unicefbangladesh

A post shared by Priyanka Chopra (@priyankachopra) on May 22, 2018 at 6:54am PDT

Priyanka asked her admirers to help these children "because right now, their future is bleak". But, instead of appreciating her efforts, some twitter trolls chose to indulge in whataboutery by asking her to visit Mumbai slums or Kashiri Pandits' refugee camps. 

Here are some of the things people tweeted - 

Hello lage hath kashmiri pandito ke camps bhi dekh lo wo apne hi desh me refugee bane baithe hai,ya aapki or unisef ke liye hi humanity reserved hai rohingya ke liye ;bloody double standard bollytard

— abhishek kamble (@abhi_kya) May 21, 2018

Another "Useful Idiot" working for a elite-nexus, who turn BLIND-EYE TO GAZA, SYRIA. where worst killing happened few days back, since 2014.

— Shivam Srivastava (@shivam_D12) May 21, 2018

रोहिंग्या मुस्लिमनो के छोटे छोटे बच्चों को आतंकवादी बनने की ट्रेनिग दी जा रही है तुम चैक करने गई थी कि कैसी हो रही है ट्रेनिंग भारत को बरबाद करने के लिए गद्दार प्रियंका शर्म नहीं आई तुम्हें इस हिन्दू ओ ने तुम्हे इतनी प्रसिद्धि दी और तुम क्या कर रही हो

— RamRaj Rabari (@RamRajRabari) May 22, 2018

Remember you doesn't represent 1.2 billion people sentiments. If you have no sympathy for indians then give your land and money to rohingyas and settle in Bangladesh permanently. From now onwards no more your movies for me and my family. Shame shame not expected from you.

— srinivasam (@subramaniumsri) May 22, 2018

Sorry for saying big thing.. but I just want to ask .. we have d same problem in India , forget India .. in Mumbai itself how many time did u visit n went there n thing about their problem n needs ??? Will appriciate if spare some time also at least nearby of our places. Thanks

— Somit Gope (@imSomit) May 21, 2018

कितने में बिकी ?
बंगलादेश में तो गरीबी है ,क्या इतनी सी कीमत है तुम्हारी ?
गरीब बच्चे तो भारत में भी हैं,

— सनातन संस्कृति के रक्षक, अरिहंत, (@Dharmarakshak69) May 22, 2018

मैडम नई कभी कश्मीरी पंडितों के कैम्प में भी चले आना , अपने देश मे ही है , वीजा भी नही लेना पड़ता उनसे भेंट करने के लिए।

— Suraj (@surajpoddar3) May 21, 2018

Priyanka chose to maintain dignified silent on the matter.