Dhaka, June 21 -- On the morning before World Refugee Day, children were flying small polythene kites at the Kutupalong Rohingya camp in Cox's Bazar. While the kites soared into the sky, their strings remained tightly bound to the reels held by the children.

Watching them quietly, Rohingya youth leader Mujibur Rahman said: "The lives of millions of Rohingya who have taken shelter in Bangladesh are like these kites. We have dreams, memories and a desire to return home.

"But those dreams remain tied down by the complex knots of war, politics, diplomacy, identity issues and international indifference."

Mujib was 15 years old when he fled Myanmar's Rakhine State and sought refuge in Bangladesh nine years ago.

At that age, life was very di...