Rohingya Crisis:

Context:

Following Myanmar’s Independence in 1948, the new state sought to create a national identity centred around the Bamar-Buddhist culture. The Rohingya, seen not only as outsiders but as those with a different belief, were systematically stripped of their right to citizenship in the new Myanmar. By 1982, with the institutionalization of this exclusion through the Citizenship Law, which officially omitted the inclusion of them as one of the 135 recognized ethnic groups in the country, the Rohingya became stateless (Hasnat & Ahmed, 2023; Alam, 2019; Islam, 2024). Besides the law, Buddhist nationalism played a central role in escalating tensions. To unify the Bamar, who make up the majority of the population, the military rulers of Myanmar began fostering anti-Muslim sentiments. For instance, influential figures like Ashin Wirathu made sure to stoke fears of Buddhist cultural dominance being threatened by a growing Rohingya population (Zahed, 2021; Sohel, 2017). These types of propaganda and policies, such as forced labour, land confiscation, mobility restrictions, and arbitrary taxation, led to an increase in violence and discrimination against the Rohingya, pushing them to escape the country. Although widespread forceful displacement of the Rohingya during 1978 and 1991-1992 received international backlash condemning ethnic cleansing (Hasnat & Ahmed, 2023; Simpson & Farrelly, 2021; Islam, 2024), much was not done. By framing the Rohingya as illegal immigrants and justifying state violence, the government paved the path for the 2017 Rohingya crisis (Hasnat & Ahmed, 2023; Sohel, 2017; Simpson & Farrelly, 2021). The refugees that the Rohingya people found in neighbouring Bangladesh and other ASEAN nations have not led the respite that they had hoped; trapped in a cycle of statelessness due to gaps in refugee policy, the Rohingya have found themselves to be as vulnerable to persecution as they were in Myanmar.

Problem Statement:

The influx of refugees in countries like Bangladesh has led to a surge in competition for scarce resources, specifically jobs, fostering hatred and resentment among local populations and creating hostile environments. Additionally, with international aid failing to meet the rising needs of refugees, the crisis is set to compound (Hasnat & Ahmed, 2023; Kader & Choudhury, 2019). The Rohingya crisis is one filled with extensive violations, including mass killings, sexual violence, and forced labour. According to Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, the actions of Myanmar against the Rohingya are genocidal, and those who do survive and arrive in a host country end up struggling with long-term psychological and social challenges (Hasnat & Ahmed, 2023; Alam, 2019). The potential of these social challenges being entrenched in policy necessitates extensive interrogation to determine whether the challenges that the Rohingya face can be mitigated through sustainable policy formulation and implementation.

Literature Review:

The literature review for this case study focused on illuminating the unique circumstances of the states where the Rohingya found refuge, specifically Bangladesh, Malaysia, Thailand, India, the United States of America, and Canada. By doing so, we can understand what existing asylum frameworks work in favour of the Rohingya and which ones are problematic. This line of inquiry refined the scope of our review. Utilizing the previously identified problems, we researched what enables such policies and how they impact the Rohingya population specifically. Finally, we examined literature reviewing the successful integration of the Rohingya population into host states, and what lessons can be learned for the future of Rohingya in states like Bangladesh and other ASEAN nations.

Analytical Framework:

The analytical framework employed for this study was a comparative lens. This lens allowed us to classify which states had a successful response to the Rohingya crisis and which states could stand to improve. By comparing and contrasting different nations' responses to the Rohingya refugee population, we can illustrate where there are existing gaps and provide recommendations on how those gaps can be filled.