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Rohingya Muslims

Rohingya Muslims
Rohingya Muslims are an ethnic group who practice Islam and speak a language related to Bengali. The origin of this group of people is disputed with some saying they are indigenous to the state of Rakhine in Myanmar while others contend they are migrants who came from Bengal (now Bangladesh), to Myanmar during the period of British colonial rule. According to the United Nations, Rohingyas are one of the most persecuted minorities in the world. Many have fled Myanmar to refugee camps in Bangladesh and areas along the Thai-Myanmar border.
Rohingya refugees wait to be rescued from the hull of their capsized boat in waters off west Aceh in 2024. Photo: AFP
Malaysia

‘Some make it, some die’: why more Rohingya risk sea escapes to Malaysia

Dwindling food aid and growing desperation force thousands of refugees in Bangladesh to undertake perilous sea crossings to Southeast Asia.

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Bangladesh

Video | Hundreds missing after Rohingya boat sinks

Indonesia

Indonesian activists target Myanmar’s president in genocide case against him

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Myanmar

Video | Myanmar’s junta chief set to continue rule as civilian president

With the military controlling parliament, Min Aung Hlaing is widely expected to be elected president.

epa12859710 A handout picture made available by the Myanmar military information team shows outgoing Myanmar military Commander-in-Chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing (R) greeting as he leaves after a ceremony to transfer the duties of the Myanmar military Commander-in-Chief in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, 30 March 2026. Myanmar's military chief Min Aung Hlaing was nominated for the presidency on 29 March, as parliament convened after a general election that excluded the country's largest opposition parties. EPA/MYANMAR MILITARY INFORMATION TEAM HANDOUT HANDOUT EDITORIAL USE ONLY/NO SALES
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Myanmar

Myanmar paves way for junta chief to be civilian president

Min Aung Hlaing has ruled Myanmar since 2021 when he ordered a coup toppling the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi.

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Malaysia

‘I’ve never held my son’: the Rohingya families Malaysia keeps apart

More than 5,000 Rohingya languish in detention in Malaysia, leaving fathers like Farouk to watch their children grow through a screen.

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United States

Near-blind Rohingya refugee found dead after US officers release him out in cold

Buffalo Mayor Sean Rhyan blamed Shah Alam’s death on ‘unprofessional and inhumane’ decision making by federal immigration officials.

A member of the US Border Patrol confronts the driver of a car n Minneapolis on January 29. Photo: Getty Images/TNS
Malaysia

Rohingya refugees at risk of removal as Malaysia begins biometric documentation

Rohingya are often undocumented as Myanmar’s authorities refuse to recognise them as a legitimate community.

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Bangladesh

Asian Angle | Bangladesh needs ‘structural’ change, but how will it get there?

As Bangladesh heads into elections next year, it must tread the challenge of political transition with more care and thoughtfulness.

Myanmar

Stay or go? Rohingya see no way out of predicament as Myanmar heads to poll

Myanmar’s phased election, set to start on Sunday, is likely to be steered by the same leaders responsible for driving the Rohingya out.

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A boat with Rohingya refugees attempts to enter Malaysia from Langkawi in this photo released on January 4. Photo: Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency/AP
Malaysia

Malaysia court charges 11 shipwreck survivors with illegal entry

Rescued after their boat capsized, the Myanmar and Bangladeshi migrants face jail or caning, but did not understand the charges read in court.

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Rescuers approached a Langkawi jetty earlier this month after saving Rohingya migrant Iman Shorif (left). His boat, carrying migrants from Myanmar, had capsized days earlier near the Malaysia-Thailand border. Photo: AFP
Malaysia

Malaysia boat tragedy reignites concern over rising toll of Rohingya sea exodus

The UN has warned that Southeast Asia risks “another humanitarian disaster” if sea crossings by desperate refugees continue unchecked.

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Malaysia

7 dead, hundreds missing after Myanmar migrant boat sinks

At least 13 survivors have been found and more could be discovered, authorities say, with the search due to restart on Monday.

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Myanmar

Opinion | Why China should lead commission for a phased Rohingya repatriation

Given its Rakhine interests and diplomatic clout, Beijing could oversee a plan for return, ensuring security, rights and economic reintegration.

A security officer attempts to control Rohingya refugees waiting to receive aid in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, on September 21, 2017. The persecution of the Rohingya Muslims that year forced more than a million of them to flee and seek refuge in other countries. Photo: Reuters
Bangladesh

Will Bangladesh’s Asean dream become a reality?

The path to joining the bloc is long and complex, requiring sustained political will and a resolution to the ongoing Rohingya crisis.

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Demonstrators wave Bangladesh’s national flag during a rally in Dhaka last September marking one month since the ousting of the country’s former prime minister Sheikh Hasina. Photo: AFP
India

India expels Muslims to Bangladesh before state polls

Bengali Muslim evictions reveal rising anti-immigrant sentiment, criticised as politically motivated and discriminatory.

Human rights

Letters | The world must deliver justice for the Rohingya

Readers discuss action on the Rohingya crisis, better governance for better climate outcomes in Asia, and why investors might have to reassess their emerging market exposures.

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Myanmar

Over 600 evacuated as Myanmar military fights anti-coup forces

Myanmar has been fighting a many-sided civil war since the military snatched power in a 2021 coup, leaving more than 3.5 million people displaced.

Members of the Kayan National Army (KNA) going to the front line during the conflict with Myanmar’s military, at Moe Bye in Pekon Township, on the border of Karen and Shan states, on December 3 last year. Photo: AFP
India

‘Outrageous’: Indian navy reportedly forces Rohingya refugees into the sea

At least 40 refugees, including children and old folks, were given life jackets, then cast adrift near the India-Myanmar border, UNHCR says.

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Malaysia

Malaysia urged to act on labour trafficking before ending migrant worker freeze

‘Thousands’ of Bangladeshis are stranded without jobs in Malaysia after a hiring freeze forced them to overstay illegally, activists say.

Diplomacy

Opinion | How China can help Bangladesh escape India’s foreign policy grip

The 15 years of Hasina government saw Bangladesh draw closer to India but for the next stage of greater regional integration, it needs China.

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A train is pictured during a trial run along the newly-constructed Belt and Road Initiative rail line via the China-built Padma Bridge in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on September 7, 2023. Photo: Xinhua
Bangladesh

Trump’s US aid cuts to add to Rohingya refugees’ misery as food rations bite

UN World Food Program said that without additional funds, it would have to cut food rations to US$6 a month from US$12.50 in Cox’s Bazar.

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Rohingya refugees wait for relief supplies during Ramadan at the Rohingya refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh on Sunday. Photo: Reuters
Myanmar

Asian Angle | Trump’s aid freeze will hit Myanmar hard

The loss of US funding will affect aid access to vulnerable communities and remote regions, and make it difficult for others to fill the gap.

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Myanmar

Myanmar junta criticises Argentina arrest warrant

An Argentine court earlier this week issued warrants for military and civilian officials, including junta leader Min Aung Hlaing.

Malaysia

Malaysian restaurants call for Rohingya refugees to fill 25,000 job vacancies

Malaysian Indian business owners are urging the government to lift a ban on the hiring of new foreign workers amid a staffing crisis.

A boat carrying suspected ethnic Rohingya migrants in Malaysian territorial waters. Photo: Reuters
Asean

US aid freeze threatens Bangladesh’s fragile economy and political stability

The suspension of funds from USAID threatens to undermine vital social welfare and governance initiatives, analysts say.

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Activists and supporters of Shiv Sena Taksali, a right-wing organisation, burn an effigy of Muhammad Yunus, chief adviser of Bangladesh, in Amritsar on December 27, during a protest against the recent attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh. Photo: AFP
Malaysia

Stateless to strong: Rohingya refugee chases bodybuilding dreams in Malaysia

Shot and exiled from his homeland by Myanmar’s military, Faruk Arian was tired of feeling powerless – until he turned his trauma into triumph.

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Malaysia

Asian Angle | Malaysia’s support for Palestinians was unconditional … until it wasn’t

Public support for Palestinian refugees has waned after viral videos showing protests at a holding facility fuelled anti-migrant sentiment.

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