A–Z index
The 1978 Exodus: More Than 200,000 Rohingya Flee to Bangladesh
An examination of the mass Rohingya exodus produced during Operation Nagamin in 1978, when more than 200,000 people fled Arakan for Bangladesh. The article traces the flight across the frontier, loss of homes and property, creation of refugee camps, competing explanations for the exodus and its significance in the longer history of Rohingya persecution.
The 1982 Citizenship Law and Institutionalized Statelessness - Part VI:Land, Property and the Economic Consequences of Statelessness
Land, Property and the Economic Consequences of StatelessnessThe removal of secure citizenship did not affect the Rohingya only in the political and legal sphere. It also weakened…
The 1982 Citizenship Law and Institutionalized Statelessness - Part VII:Conclusion: From Citizenship Exclusion to Genocidal Vulnerability
Conclusion: From Citizenship Exclusion to Genocidal VulnerabilityThe historical importance of the 1982 Citizenship Law cannot be understood by reading the legislation in isolation…
The 1982 Citizenship Law and Institutionalized Statelessness | Part II. The 1982 Citizenship Law: The Legal Foundation of Rohingya Statelessness
The 1982 Citizenship Law and Institutionalized StatelessnessPart II. The 1982 Citizenship Law: The Legal Foundation of Rohingya StatelessnessWhen Burma promulgated a new Citizensh…
The 1982 Citizenship Law and Institutionalized Statelessness | Part III. The 1983 Census and the Exclusion of Rohingya Identity
The 1982 Citizenship Law and Institutionalized StatelessnessPart III. The 1983 Census and the Exclusion of Rohingya IdentityOne year after the enactment of the 1982 Citizenship La…
The 1982 Citizenship Law and Institutionalized Statelessness. Part IV: From NRCs to Weaker Documentation: The Progressive Destruction of Rohingya Legal Identity
From NRCs to Weaker Documentation: The Progressive Destruction of Rohingya Legal IdentityThe exclusion of Rohingya identity from official recognition was followed by another proce…
The 1982 Citizenship Law and Institutionalized Statelessness. Part I: Introduction
An examination from the Rohingya perspective of Burma's 1982 Citizenship Law and its role in transforming decades of political exclusion into a more durable system of legal statelessness. The article examines the national-races framework, the 1823 ancestry threshold, citizenship categories, Rohingya NRC documentation, Ne Win's justification for the law and the consequences for a community that had previously participated in Burma's parliament, government and public institutions.
The 1982 Citizenship Law and Institutionalized Statelessness. Part V: Statelessness in Practice: Restrictions on Movement, Marriage, Education and Livelihood
Statelessness in Practice: Restrictions on Movement, Marriage, Education and LivelihoodThe progressive destruction of Rohingya citizenship and legal identity did not remain confin…
The 2006 Closure and Destruction of Rohingya Mosques in Northern Arakan
In 2006, NaSaKa authorities intensified restrictions on Rohingya religious institutions across northern Arakan. Mosques, madrassas and Qur'an-recitation centres were ordered closed, while documented cases in Buthidaung and Maungdaw involved Rohingya congregations being compelled to destroy their own mosques after authorities demanded operating permits.
The 2009 Rohingya Boat-People Crisis: Persecution, Pushbacks and Deaths at Sea
During the 2008–2009 sailing season, thousands of Rohingya fled persecution, statelessness and severe restrictions in Myanmar by taking dangerous sea routes toward Thailand and Malaysia. The crisis drew international attention after survivors alleged that Thai security forces detained Rohingya passengers and pushed boats back to sea, where many died or disappeared before survivors reached India and Indonesia. The episode exposed the regional consequences of Rohingya persecution and statelessness.
The 2015 Rohingya Maritime Refugee Crisis - Introduction
The 2015 Rohingya Maritime Refugee CrisisIntroductionIn 2015, the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea became the setting of a regional emergency involving Rohingya refugees and Banglade…
The Burning of Buthidaung and Mass Displacement of Rohingya, April–May 2024
The burning of Buthidaung and mass displacement of Rohingya in April and May 2024 was one of the largest episodes of destruction and forced displacement affecting the Rohingya dur…
The Collapse of British Rule and the Beginning of the 1942 Massacres
Part II — The 1942 Massacres and the Transformation of ArakanPart II-B: The Collapse of British Rule and the Beginning of the 1942 MassacresFor the Rohingya, the catastrophe of 19…
The Destruction of Kyaukphyu's Muslim Quarter and Flight by Sea
On 23–24 October 2012, Kyaukphyu's predominantly Kaman Muslim waterfront quarter was devastated during the second wave of violence across Arakan. Human Rights Watch satellite analysis documented a concentrated 35-acre destruction zone containing 811 destroyed structures, including 633 buildings and 178 houseboats and floating barges. Thousands of Muslims fled toward the sea as their homes, businesses and community infrastructure burned. The destruction of a predominantly Kaman community whose members were recognized citizens, demonstrated that the October violence had developed beyond the Rohingya citizenship question into a broader anti-Muslim campaign.
The Destruction of Muslim Communities in Central Arakan:
Part II — The 1942 Massacres and the Transformation of ArakanPart II-C: The Destruction of Muslim Communities in Central ArakanFrom a Rohingya historical perspective, one of the m…
The Hoyyar Siri (Htan Shauk Khan) Massacre of 2 May 2024
The Hoyyar Siri massacre, also known as the Htan Shauk Khan massacre, refers to the mass killing of Rohingya civilians on 2 May 2024 in Hoyyar Siri village in Buthidaung Township,…
The January 2005 Communal Violence in Kyaukphyu
In January 2005, several days of Muslim-Buddhist communal violence occurred in Kyaukphyu, central Arakan. Contemporary reporting documented the deaths of two Muslims and severe injury of a Buddhist monk, against a wider background of anti-Muslim discrimination, movement restrictions and expanding administrative controls in Arakan.
The Kofi Annan Commission: Rohingya Rights, Unfulfilled Recommendations and the Failure of Protection
An examination of the Kofi Annan-led Advisory Commission on Rakhine State, its recommendations on citizenship, freedom of movement and displacement, and its limitations concerning Rohingya representation and accountability. The article considers the failure to translate these recommendations into protection before the mass violence and expulsion of 2017.
The Legacy of 1942 in Rohingya Political Consciousness: From Massacre to a Long History of Persecution
Part II — The 1942 Massacres and the Transformation of ArakanPart II-H: The Legacy of 1942 in Rohingya Political ConsciousnessThe violence of 1942 ended neither with the destructi…
The Legacy of Nagamin: From Mass Expulsion Toward Legal Exclusion
The concluding article of the 1978 Operation Nagamin series examines its lasting consequences for the Rohingya: mass expulsion, weakened citizenship security, documentary vulnerability, the survival of the illegal-immigrant narrative and repatriation without restoration of political rights. It traces how Nagamin created precedents that would shape later persecution and lead toward deeper legal exclusion.
The Operation Reaches Arakan: Arrests, Violence and Terror — A Rohingya Perspective
An examination of the implementation of Operation Nagamin in Rohingya communities of northern Arakan in 1978, including citizenship inspections, arrests, intimidation, reported killings and sexual violence, document-related abuses and the spreading fear that drove large numbers of Rohingya toward Bangladesh.
The Rohingyas of Arakan: Their Quest for Justice
A book by A. F. K. Jilani examining Rohingya history, identity and the struggle for justice in Arakan.