The Lived Dystopia of the Rohingya: Liminalisation, Demonisation, and Expulsion

Abstract

The prospect and willingness of the Rohingyas to repatriate are, by and large, conditioned by their past experience of living in Myanmar. Discussions on repatriating the Rohingyas are likely to fail not because they are unwilling to return but mainly because of the lack of reasonable initiatives to address the deep-rooted animosity against the minority group prevalent in the country they had to flee. This paper analyses the findings of the 50 in-depth interviews of the refugees encamped in Cox’s Bazar. It presents ten instances of injustice, nine examples of forced payments, and systemic discrimination against the Rohingyas in Myanmar. Twenty-eight per cent of the respondents reported that at least one family member or relative was killed during the atrocities in 2017. The study finds that not all Buddhists participated in the attack against the Rohingyas; some reportedly helped the victims find safe shelter. The Rohingyas in Bangladesh suffer from an insufficient supply of relief during the last days of a relief distribution cycle. To survive, they take loans and seek illegal ways for finding employment outside the camp. While awaiting the perpetrators to be brought to justice, some Rohingyas remain optimistic about a peaceful return to their home country. And others are scared of even thinking of going back to the places where they witnessed both their homes and hopes burnt into ashes. Besides proposing two short-term measures— “burden-sharing” and “internal flight alternative”—this paper underscores the need for a novel approach in finding a durable solution to the problem.