-
TOPIC

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.
A wooden boat carrying suspected Rohingya migrants is detained in waters off the island of Langkawi, Malaysia, in 2020. Photo: Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency/AP
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.

videocam
Bangladesh

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

Myanmar

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

videocam
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.

videocam
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.

videocam
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.

videocam
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
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.

videocam
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.

Rohingya refugees wait for relief supplies during Ramadan at the refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh on March 16. Photo: Reuters
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.

videocam
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.

videocam
12
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.

videocam
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.

videocam
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.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
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.

videocam
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.

videocam
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.

Protesters gather outside the US embassy in Kuala Lumpur at a rally held in solidarity with the Palestinian people on April 5, 2024. Photo: EPA-EFE
Myanmar

In Asia’s forgotten war, reluctant rebels mark 4 years of bloody chaos

For thousands of guerilla fighters, the dream of a free Myanmar still burns bright – even after four years of ruinous civil war.

5
Anti-junta forces train at a clandestine forest base in northern Myanmar. Photo: AFP
Malaysia

Stateless no more? Rohingya in Malaysia turn to tech to fight erasure

The project aims to harness blockchain technology to create a ‘decentralised identity’ and preserve the Rohingya’s heritage and culture.

videocam
Malaysia

Malaysia turns away hundreds of Rohingya refugees after dozens landed on island

Authorities said on Saturday that they turned away two boats carrying nearly 300 people believed to be Rohingya refugees who entered the country illegally.

Myanmar

Myanmar releases thousands of prisoners to mark Independence Day

The ruling junta released more than 6,000 prisoners as part of a mass amnesty marking the 77th anniversary of independence from Britain.

videocam
Released prisoners, in a bus, are welcomed by family members and colleagues after they left Insein Prison, on Saturday, in Yangon, Myanmar. Photo: AP
Malaysia

Malaysia doubles patrols to find Myanmar migrant boats

The coastguard says 196 migrants, thought to be Rohingya refugees, were detained on Friday on the Malaysian resort island of Langkawi.

videocam
A group of people believed to be Rohingya refugees from Myanmar rest in a boat at a port in Sri Lanka last month. Around one million Rohingya have fled Myanmar since a military offensive was launched in 2017. Photo: AP
Thailand

LGBTQ rights, deepfake threats, falling fertility: Asia’s gender equality in 2024

In 2024, Asia’s gender equality landscape saw advancements in LGBTQ rights amid alarming rates of violence against women, highlighting ongoing challenges.

videocam
Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka rescues 102 refugees adrift on fishing boat

Fishermen spotted the group, believed to be Rohingya refugees from Myanmar and including 25 children, off Sri Lanka’s northern coast.

videocam
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.
SUPPORT NOW
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement