In recent years Australia has started to shift its focus westward. While the Pacific Ocean and Southeast Asia have been deemed primary areas of interest for the country, the Indo-Pacific construct has led Australia to take its Indian Ocean opportunities more seriously. Mostly this has led to greater cooperation with India as the region’s primary … Read more
Rows and rows of neatly set blocks of two-roomed tenements line the eastern corner of Bhasan Char, a 40-square kilometer sand-bar island off the coast of Bangladesh on the Bay of Bengal within Bangladesh’s territorial waters. Women cradle their babies in the narrow and cramped balconies of this sprawling mass of concrete while the men … Read more
On February 6, 264 members of Myanmar’s border and security forces took shelter in Bangladesh to escape heavy fighting between Myanmar’s army and the Arakan Army. They were disarmed by the members of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and taken to a safe shelter. Those who sustained critical injuries were given treatment at local hospitals. It … Read more
Since October 27, 2023, Rakhine State has witnessed intense fighting between the Myanmar Armed Forces and ethnic Rakhine insurgents, as part of the broader Operation 1027. The war has created a humanitarian disaster for Rakhine civilians and generated new political, economic, humanitarian and security concerns for neighboring Bangladesh. Bangladesh has already faced several problems owing … Read more
More than 500 Rohingya civilians came ashore in Aceh province in western Indonesia yesterday after weeks at sea, the latest in a wave of new Rohingya arrivals from southeastern Bangladesh. According to reports by Reuters and BenarNews, which cited local officials and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), three vessels containing up to … Read more
Advertisement There’s an old joke about a patient who went to see a doctor about back pain. The physician advised the patient that he should not remain sitting, neither should he stand, nor lie down. “Otherwise,” the physician warned, “your back could deteriorate permanently.” The patient, extremely confused and annoyed, asked the doctor, “Shall I … Read more
Beyond the Indus | Society | South Asia Beyond the Indus podcast hosts Joe Wallen and Tushar Shetty speak to survivors of the Rohingya genocide, currently living in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, as well as Matthew Smith, CEO of Fortify Rights. Advertisement In this week’s episode of Beyond the Indus, Joe and Tush speak to survivors of an ongoing genocide … Read more
Advertisement In August 2017, the Myanmar military launched a genocidal campaign against the Rohingya community, triggering a severe humanitarian crisis. I was one of those who fled, making an 11-day journey by foot from northern Rakhine State in Myanmar, where my family and I were from, to the Cox’s Bazar refugee camps in southeastern Bangladesh. … Read more
Advertisement On December 1, 2022, a boat carrying around 180 Rohingya refugees set out from Bangladesh, bound for Indonesia. On board were babies, pregnant women, and children fleeing surging violence in Bangladesh’s refugee camps. One week later, the boat vanished. The Associated Press has reconstructed the passengers’ journey based on dozens of interviews, audio recordings … Read more
Advertisement In early May, 20 Rohingya Muslims and government officials from Bangladesh recently visited Myanmar’s Rakhine State in an effort to urge their voluntary homecoming, which can be regarded as a major development in terms of the long-stalled Rohingya repatriation. The Rohingya delegation traveled across the transboundary Naf River to visit a community in Rakhine … Read more