Many common people across the world become confused about the Rohingya refugees. It is because Rohingyas are ethnically minor and were not in the media coverage in the past i.e. before their last exodus. Moreover, the place of inhabitation of the Rohingyas was not well known to the world and also was not in the media before the 2017 Rohingya crackdown incident. Furthermore, the location of Arakan and Myanmar as well are in the Far East which is far away from the main transportation and communication route of Asia. Again, though located in South Asia, Bangladesh is quite known by the people of the world due to her economic growth, renowned people like Dr. Mohammad Yunus, her culture, cricket, labor market, and export of ready-made wearings in the Western world. Nevertheless, still, many common people are in hazy thoughts about whether Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshi refugees are the same or not! After all, many ordinary people do not have a clear understanding of the concept of refugees. Therefore, this issue should be well clarified. Now, let’s see who are Rohingyas and who are the Bangladeshi refugees: –
Recognized as refugees by the US, EU, and subsequently by the government of Bangladesh as FDMN1, the Rohingya refugees are those inhabitants and residents or denied unregistered citizens of Myanmar’s Arakan state who have fled to Bangladesh for the safeguarding of their lives from the imminent threat posed by the Myanmarese military Junta and his security forces.
On the other hand, Bangladeshi refugees are those Bangladeshi citizens who have fled from Bangladesh to a safe overseas country for protection from threats, intimidation, hazard, and or any security risk to their lives and after screening and assessing the Bangladeshi claimant’s substantial interviews, the claims have been recognized by the immigration or border authority of the country of arrival.
Footnote 1: Forcefully Displaced Myayanmar’s Nationals
