Historical Background of Rohingya Crisis between Bangladesh and Myanmar

Abstract

The Rohingya refugee crisis is a controversial issue, which has imposed Burma-Bangladesh relations in late 1970s. The Rohingya crisis has created a crisis against Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine due to human rights violations of the military junta in Myanmar. Rendered stateless, Rohingya escaped from Bangladesh and other neighboring countries to take shelter. Discussion failed to solve the Rohingya refugee crisis year. This research note proposes the need for intense bilateral and multi-party negotiations, which is a possibility that can be easily available through the democratic process of Myanmar. The report is divided into four sections. The first three address human rights issues through a temporal framework – past, present, and future – designed to approach the issues in a holistic manner. They cover specific human rights concerns for Rohingya in both Myanmar and Bangladesh, beginning with atrocities committed in the context of the crackdown, moving onto protection concerns for refugees in Bangladesh and ongoing rights violations in Myanmar, and finally addressing potential future violations in the context of repatriation and medium- and long-term residency in Bangladesh. The final section discusses the role of ASEAN in working toward a resolution, which also formed a key component of APHR’s investigation. The report concludes with recommendations for the Myanmar government, the Bangladeshi government, and ASEAN and member state governments.