Myanmar's Rohingyas

Myanmar's Rohingyas are an ethnic minority group persecuted in Myanmar and living as refugees, primarily in Bangladesh, Malaysia, and Pakistan. Rohingya people believe they have inhabited the Arakan, now Rakhine, state of Myanmar since the 7th Century, and are descendants of Arab traders who stopped and established settlements there. While there is no historical evidence to prove this early claim, it is certain that Rohingyas are descendant of Persians who migrated to the area after the fall of the Mongol Empire in the 13th Century. Since 1978, the Rohingyas in Myanmar have, according to Amnesty International reports, experienced continuous human rights abuses under the military junta that rules the country. As a result, more than 250,000 Rohingya have fled Myanmar, most of them settling in refugee camps in Bangladesh. Despite United Nations mediation, no solution allowing return of refugees has been reached.

• 1858-1947: Though present before, Rohingya migration to Myanmar increased under British Rule

• 1962: A military coup leads to the Burmese Way to Socialism movement

• 1978: First documented cases of human rights violations against the Rohingya

• 1978: Increasing persecution leads to the first wave of Rohingya refugees to Bangladesh

• 1989: May 31, The State Law and Order Restoration Council takes control of Burma

• 1989: SLORC changes the name of Burma to Myanmar

• 1991-92: Another wave of Rohingya refugees enter Bangladesh, fleeing forced labor

• 2005: the UNHCR begins efforts to repatriate Rohingya, mostly without success

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