Key Facts about Rohingyas and the Rohingya Issue

Rohingyas are the ethnic minority in Rakhine state of Myanmar. These people follow Islam religion. Rohingya are termed as one of the most persecuted minority in the world by UN (United Nation). Their numbers is around 800,000 in Myanmar. Around 1 Lakh of these are living in refugee camps for internally displaced people, forbidden by authorities from leaving. Linguistically they are related to Indo- Aryans of India and Bangladesh, as opposed to the mainly Sino-Tibetan languages of Myanmar. Rakhine state, which is a coastal state, is shown below in the map.

The mains points regarding this issue are mentioned below:

Their origin is disputed with some saying they are indigenous people of Rakhine state, while others call them Muslim migrants from present day Bangladesh.

• Myanmar was ruled by military for more than 50 years and during its rule it heavily discriminated against minorities like the Rohingyas, Chinese people like Kotang people, Panthay (Chinese Muslim). Successive Myanmar governments have been accused of provoking riots against the minorities. Between World War II and 1962 military coup in Myanmar, Rohingyas demanded a separate nation for them. Later when military came to power there were crackdowns upon Rohingyas.
• Burmese Citizenship Law of 1982 was an important landmark in the history of Rohingya, when these people were officially excluded from the citizenship rights of Myanmar. This law sought to deny citizenship to people of Indian and Chinese descent and also targeted the Rohingyas. Myanmar government calls them as ”stateless Bengalis” and does not give them citizenship rights.
• 2012 riots in Rakhine state: Violence erupted between ethnic Rakhine Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims in the state of Rakhine which led large scale displacement (around 140,000) and killings of Rohingyas in hundreds. Emergency was imposed in the Rakhine state which allowed military and police to directly control administration, which have been accused of targeting Rohingyas with arbitrary arrest and violence. With this event Rohingyas got international attention.
• Recent census (1^st since 1983) backed by UNFPA (United nation population fund): Myanmar government has asked Rohingyas to register themselves as ”Bengalis” and not as Rohingyas in the census. It is said that terming them Bengalis would help in targeting and denying them citizenship rights as these would be called as Bengali migrants. But recently various nations, UN (United Nations) have urged Myanmar to give citizenship rights to Rohingyas.

Rohingyas in India: Rohingyas influx into Bangladesh from nearby Rakhine state of Myanmar is further continuing into India via Bangladesh. It is estimated that there are thousands of Rohingyas in India. Since 2013 Bangladesh has closed its door for Rohingyas, now they are entering India via North East; causing internal security concerns. The refugees detained under Foreigners Act, 1946 are now supposed to be sent to Tihar jail in Delhi as the UNHCR (United Nation High Commission for refugee) has only jurisdiction in Tihar. And once these are recognised as refugee they will be sent to only refugee camp in India in Jammu. Rohingyas are entering into other neighbouring nations of Myanmar including Thailand, Bangladesh etc.