[ cheers and applause ] this is "nightline." >> tonight, we journey to the remote island one government doesn't want you to see. bob woodruff reporting on what could be the controversial solution to one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world, the rohingya escaped horrors and persecution in myanmar. now nearly a million forced into refugee camps in bangladesh. once again nowhere to go. innocence stolen from their children. >> it's a mass grave. >> but still resilient with an uncertain future. hallmark holidays. >> that is beautiful, that is our tree right there. >> 'tis the season to find love and the spirit of christmas wrapped up in a two-hour guilty

pleasure. behind the scenes of these addictive made for tv movies. >> i love being in these movies because they make people feel good. >> why they're the ratings gift that keeps on giving. >> there you go, willie. >> "nightline" will be right back.

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"nightline" continues. >> reporter: nestled deep inside the bay of bengal, more than two hours from the nearest inhabited island, and 24 miles away from the mainland -- >> it's a much bigger island than i thought it was going to be. >> reporter: a place the bangladesh government doesn't want you to see. it's called bashentur, literally, "floating island." >> you guys think they've seen us out here? >> reporter: it's the government's solution so the so-called rohingya problem. a place to put tens of thousands of refugees who have fled genocide in their own country. but there's almost no access to the island and other western journalists have been turned away. so we're heading there in hopes of seeing what active iist feary become a prison island. for three years we've covered the tragedy of the rohingya, one of the most persecuted groups in the world.

an ethnic muslim minority, they have been targeted by the buddhist military in their home country of myanmar. there have been gang rapes, the torching of hundreds of villages, enslavement, and the killings of children, some before the eyes of their own parents. over 10,000 people have died in what a recent u.n. report has called a textbook ethnic cleansing. these atrocities finally called out by the u.s. house of representatives. >> the united states has a moral obligation to call these crimes genocide. >> reporter: aung san suu kyi, myanmar's de facto leader and nobel peace prize laureate, has widely fallen from grace for her failure to condemn the violence in her country. >> we want to find out what the real problems are, and we have to make sure that these allegations are based on solid evidence before we take action. >> reporter: but despite aung san suu kyi's denial, almost 1 million rohingya have fled her country into neighboring bangladesh.

and now an international debate roils over what the future of the rohingya should be. just weeks ago, bangladesh and myanmar struck a controversial deal to repatriate the rohingya in phases. but when buses arrived to carry refugees back to myanmar, they refused to go. so for now, thousands of families are in limbo and a new humanitarian crisis is under way. here in bangladesh, they're spread out between 32 different makeshift camps. it is not a beautiful place to be. but they know it's a lot safer than it would have been if they'd stayed in myanmar. everywhere there are reminders that this new life is tenuous, temporary. the rows of bamboo huts, the roofs thatched with tarps. noralam lives with his family in

the refugee camp. the memory of being tortured in myanmar is forever seared in his brain. the plan to repatriait tretriat him. he said it's too dangerous until they're granted full citizenship and allowed to practice islam. he said he'd rather kill himself than go back now. but as the camps become overpopulated, safety, even here, is not guaranteed. even for those who get out of myanmar and get here to bangladesh to these camps, there's plenty of danger. in fact, there are more rapes in these camps. here in this bare-bones women's clinic, dr. sadia has cared for

many women like this one, who fled danger in myanmar only to be raped by a man inside her own camp. overwhelmed by shame, she came here for an abortion and support. >> we save the life by giving the counseling and gick the psycho-social support. >> have you saved a lot of lives? >> yeah, definitely. >> reporter: here they've also delivered hundreds of babies. the world health organization is expecting 60,000 children to be born in the camps just this year. for children that are born or brought here, now this is their life. tell me what you see. what is this, first of all? >> this is the waiting area. you come inside the center. you wait here. for your turn. >> to do what?

>> to get therapeutic food. to get a hot meal. >> reporter: mahmoud padwari is an aid work are foreaction against hunger, an international ngo. >> this is a center to treat severely, acutely malnourished children. >> reporter: their little arms are measured to screen for being chronically underfed. >> you know, the tape, in the red portion that means severely malnourished. >> reporter: perhaps more disheartening than the damage to their little bodies -- the incalculable toll this trauma takes on the spirit of a child. there's tears? >> yes, tears. >> a picture they took originally of their mom or somebody crying? >> yeah, somebody very close to them. >> reporter: their therapy, crayons. grief etched in every stroke.

>> so this one, military with the rifle. it's a grave with dead bodies in a grave. >> that's a mass grave? >> mass grave, yes. >> the people watching? >> the kids who witnessed this violence. now after nine months of counseling they are drawing happy things. like happy families, the mother collecting water, the father is praying. >> reporter: these six little children live in this tent with their mother and father. but the memory of horrors left behind is still fresh. he shows us where he was stabbed by the military of myanmar, also known as burma. do you still have nightmares about what you went through in myanmar? she tells us anywhere is better

than back in myanmar. but it's clear that not everyone agrees. in the middle of our conversation, a neighbor, klas ahmad, starts to yell at her. there's no future for us here, he says. and the place he would never move to, he told us, is that controversial island bashenchor. without seeking permission from the government we made our way to the bay of bengal. the island is so eye lated, it would be very difficult for the world to know what is happening to the rohingya. so should we try to walk ashore? the docks are guarded by the bangladesh navy. how many people are there? but we spotted some workers and joined them as they troubled through the water. >> now we're on the dry land. i think it's going to be about a half mile in there, maybe a half an hour. they are building canals to keep

out the water, and structures that the rohingya will eventually live in. the plan is for 100,000 rohingya refugees to be jammed in small rooms with two bunk beds. each one of these rooms apparently can hold four to five people. but this island facility has been largely denounced as an unsustainable living option by the u.n. and human rights groups. for one thing, each year as monsoon season comes, 60% of the island goes underwater. it is disappearing. is it a dangerous island? >> no, no. >> the possibility of flooding? >> i have to see. i have not been there yet. >> reporter: despite the fact he hasn't seep it for himself, bangladesh's foreign minister, abdul hasan mahmoud ali, still thinks the island is a viable option. what is the plan? they should have the right to leave if they want, to move around the island if they want. would that be the plan? >> i mean, it's not a prison or anything like that. so everybody will see. nothing there is -- nothing to

hide, you know? there is no hide-and-seek. >> is there a chance that some of the people here that are in the camps could move somewhere else? to the civilian world of bangladesh? or would they -- >> no, we don't want them to do that, you know? because then there will be problems. >> they'll encourage other refugees to come? >> no, not only that -- yes, yeah, that is one factor. >> reporter: for bangladesh, the island, the camps, are all temporary solutions until the rohingya can go back to myanmar. but investigations reveal some of the rohingya villages the myanmar military torched have already been resettled with buddhist residents. making it almost certain that even if the rohingya wanted to go back, there would be no homes to return to. for now the rohingya remain in purgatory. you can see the little kids over there. they're trying to get back to a normal life, but the dream for all of them is to return to

myanmar. they don't want to leave that country. the home that doesn't want them but is theirs all the same. >> our thanks to bob woodruff. taking a turn to a much lighter topic, the holiday hallmarks creating christmas movie eggs. how's your cough? i'm good. i took 12-hour mucinex and sent it far away. hey buddy, have you seen a nice woman with a cough? woahhh! mucinex dm releases fast and lasts 12-hours, not 4.

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for some the christmas movies on the hallmark channel are a seasonal staple. for those unfamiliar with this festive phenomenon, abc's marci gonzalez takes us inside the winning formula behind these made for tv movies that become

so addictive. >> i'm going to remember this for the rest of my life. >> how do you decide? >> you just know. >> we used to know each other a lifetime ago. >> reporter: it's become a beloved holiday tradition. girl meets boy while home for christmas. at a small-town bakery. >> it takes a little love to make something special. >> reporter: or on a train. >> you're next to me. >> reporter: of course they fall in love and live happily ever after. it is that time of year again. hallmark for the holidays. the wildly popular marathon of addictive christmas movies that have all the makings of a perfect guilty pleasure. >> that is beautiful. >> reporter: hometown hunks. holiday high jinks. and plenty of romance. >> i'm prince leopold. >> you're what? >> reporter: don't forget those hallmark channel holiday queens. actresses like lacy from "mean

girls." laurie lochlan of "full house." >> something big is coming. >> what is it? >> that i can't tell you. >> you girls are friends in real life? >> oh, yeah. we're all super good friends. we're not competitive with one another, we're all rooting each other on. >> oh my gosh, it smells so good! >> reporter: the network's undisputed queen bee is candace cameron beret of "fuller house" name. >> i love being in these movies because they make people feel good. a lot of them have a very special meaning to people, and that's what keeps me coming back. >> action! >> there are so many wonderful christmas traditions. tonight we'll begin in a town of santa claus, indiana. >> reporter: we caught up with bure on a shoot for the hallmark special "christmas across america." in the hallmark universe, movies are a dime a dozen. the gift that keeps on giving. >> there's a lot of very similar story lines but that's also another reason why the fans come

back. you know, there's the snowball fight. the almost kiss. the making gingerbread cookies. >> reporter: and while some might call them cheesy, and they are definitely predictable, fans cannot get enough. >> it is a phenomenon. we are on track to have 85 million people watch us this season. >> reporter: michelle vickery is in charge of programming for the network. >> this year we'll have produced 38 christmas movies. we start with the hallmark brand blends. emotional connections, traditions, celebrating the season. >> reporter: it's a winning formula. over the past five years, the hallmark holiday brand has skyrocketed. and it's not just women. men make up a good part of the hallmark holiday audience. >> hi, i'm brand and i love hallmark christmas movies. >> reporter: brandon gray and friends daniel handoff and daniel thompson. >> hey, i like hallmark christmas movies. >> i'm dan and i despise

hallmark christmas movies. >> reporter: the voices behind the hit podcast "deck the hallmark." >> this is the deck the hallmark podcast. >> the first time you meet me, let's go christmas caroling with my family. >> reporter: the men look like they might be better suited to be reviewing ipas at the local brewery. don't let that fool you. >> so i love these movies for a few years now, so i said what if we did a podcast where we review all the movies? they're like, we're in. >> we love the idea of love, small-town charm. >> here i am! >> there you go, willie. >> i despise the hallmark movies. they call me grumpy dan. for me it's filmmaking quality. some of the basics of what makes a good film go out the window with hallmark. >> they use the same establishing set twice, but that's has-been, we don't need to bring that up -- >> reporter: the podcast is a runaway hit. >> we're not necessarily the target demographic, we understand that. but one of the the things that

can appeal to men in these, fun stories that include a whole host of great themes. >> one, two, three, go! >> reporter: the warm, fuzzy feeling that keeps fans tuning in year after year. >> it's not just a movie, it is an environment, a place to feel a little bit better about your community, about the world in general. i had a man e-mail me after last year's christmas movie that -- he told me his wife had passed away, and he said one of the special things that they always did together was watch a hallmark channel christmas movie. so he wrote me and said, i was having a hard time during christmas this year, but i made it a point to sit down and watch one of your movies. and i felt like my wife was right there with me. i'm going to cry. >> me too. >> reporter: for "nightline," i'm marci gonzalez in los angeles. >> merry christmas, everyone!

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finally tonight, the nosey neighbor caught on camera. it was not your average bear in florida using his nose to ring the doorbell. the curious bear had already knocked over christmas decorations outside their front door. the family inside not having any of it. >> bear! go! bear, go away! bear, go away! >> well, hey, at least he listened. saved by the bell. that's "nightline." remember you can catch our full episodes on hulu. thanks for the company, america. good night.