SPECIAL REPORT | With the world largely unaware or unaffected enough to take stock, a group of dedicated journalists are working hard to bring the tales of the persecuted Rohingyas to light.

They peel away the layers of ignorance, unfolding the distant story of a persecuted people, long since hidden by the Myanmar government, reportedly since 1942.

These journalists are working to bring to life the screams and cries of a community in the throes of agony.

Established on April 21, 2012, Rohingya Vision (Rvision) is the first Internet-based TV news station dedicated to the Rohingya community.

Headquartered in Saudi Arabia, the TV channel also has offices in Malaysia, Pakistan and the United Kingdom.

It has its own team of journalists and photographers, with a total workforce of 42 people altogether, including 20 correspondents in Myanmar and 12 staff operating from Malaysia.

RVision journalist and anchor Arifa Sultana told Malaysiakini that although the team come from Myanmar, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and even Cyprus, all of them are Rohingya by ancestry.

A viewership of four million

The Internet TV station boasts a viewership of four million a month – mostly from the Rohingya diaspora around the world.

The organisation was founded by concerned Rohingyas with media background. One of them, Muhammed Noor, serves as the managing director, while another, Ismail Louqman, is on the board of directors.

According to Arifa, the Internet broadcaster is funded by Rohingya businesspersons.

Arifa said the idea for the outfit stemmed from the founders, who realised the need for a media channel to reveal the “unfolding story of the persecuted people, which was hidden by the Myanmar government since 1942”.

“RVision’s main objective is to unfold the grief of the Rohingyas to the international community and to sustain the values and pride of the Rohingyas.

“(It also aims) to revive the culture and spirit of the Rohingya people throughout the world, via new media channels and social networking,” Arifa said.

When extremists started to raze the houses of the Rohingyas in May 2012, RVision was particularly successful in bringing a comprehensive coverage of the events through its network, putting international spotlight on the massacre.

Violence intensified

Violence against the Rohingyas has intensified in recent months, after an attack on a Myanmar army outpost, which local authorities blamed on the community.

International reports have highlighted satellite images where Rohingya villages were burned to the ground. Accompanied with reports from the ground by RVision of other atrocities, these helped to shed light onto the usually ignored matter.

This also helped bring focus to reports on the slaughter of men and children as well as the rape of Rohingya women by Buddhist extremists allegedly aided by the Myanmar security forces.

RVision's coverage was instrumental in bringing the alleged ethnic cleansing of the Rohingyas to light, helping to build up pressure against the Myanmar government and raise support for the community.

However, how far this would go in leading to the salvation of the persecuted minority is not yet known.

The channel broadcasts its various programmes in several languages, including the Rohingya mother tongue, the Myanmar language, English and Arabic.

It holds itself to be an independent and unaffiliated to any political, governmental or religious organisation.

According to information on its website, RVision's ultimate objective is to disseminate and document Rohingya news, events and issues and to empower the Rohingya youth.

The website showcases news reports and opinion pieces on the Rohingya situation, as well as links to related pictures and videos.