“Rohingya of Myanmar: Decades of Survival, Displacement, and the Struggle for Justice Across South and Southeast Asia”

• A comprehensive regional analysis of the Myanmar’s Indigenous Rohingya people’s ongoing displacement, examining survival strategies, legal challenges, and pathways to justice across eight host countries.

Overview

This analysis highlights how the Rohingya are surviving across South and Southeast Asia under extremely challenging conditions. In Bangladesh, over 1.13 million UNHCR-registered refugees, along with ~150,000 new arrivals since 2023, rely on humanitarian aid, community schools, and volunteer networks, yet overcrowding, mobility restrictions, and funding shortfalls create daily hardships. In India, 40,000–50,000 Rohingya, both UNHCR-registered and undocumented, face arbitrary detention, limited livelihoods, and lack of legal protection. Malaysia hosts ~205,000 Rohingya, both UNHCR-registered and undocumented, mostly working informally without legal recognition. In Indonesia, ~12,000 Rohingya rely on humanitarian aid but lack long-term integration. In Thailand, over 6,000 are treated as “illegal migrants,” restricted from work, education, and healthcare. In Nepal, over 3,000 survive through UNHCR support and community aid. In Pakistan, more than 400,000 face urban poverty and limited rights. In Sri Lanka, a small group (~250, including the December 2024 arrivals) remain in detention or under temporary protection, with limited freedom and slow processing for registration. Across all these contexts, Rohingya demonstrate resilience through education, community solidarity, informal work, and advocacy despite systemic exclusion, shrinking aid, and ongoing threats to their identity, safety, and future.

Protection Gaps and Mobility Restrictions

Bangladesh is not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention and has no national asylum framework. India restricts mobility and risks deportation. Malaysia and Thailand enforce strict migration controls, often detaining Rohingya. Indonesia and Nepal offer temporary shelter without long-term status. Pakistan allows partial urban integration with limited formal rights. In Sri Lanka, recent arrivals remain in detention despite UNHCR’s calls for registration and release, while earlier arrivals (since 2008) live with basic services but without durable solutions.

Commemoration of 25 August 2025: Demands for Justice and Return

On 25 August 2025, marking eight years since the 2017 atrocities, Rohingya in Bangladesh, India, Malaysia, Pakistan, Nepal, Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and diaspora communities held peaceful events demanding:

• Safe, voluntary, and dignified return to Myanmar with citizenship restoration.
• Accountability for war crimes and crimes against humanity by the Myanmar military.
• Increased international pressure to end ongoing persecution in Rakhine State.
• Events included candlelight vigils, testimony-sharing, and youth-led advocacy.

Regional Overview of Rohingya Populations and Survival Strategies

Narratives from Cox’s Bazar Rohingya Refugee Camp Teachers

– Insights from teachers across Cox’s Bazar and Bhasan Char camps reveal the human dimensions of survival and identity formation among Rohingya children.

1. Scarcity vs. Stability– “When food rations are cut, students’ concentration is the first to suffer.” Teachers link attendance and learning outcomes directly to food security. Ration cuts in 2025 (dropping to US$6/person/month) coincided with a 17% rise in absenteeism among adolescents (Education Sector Monitoring, 2025).

2. Curriculum and Identity-The phased rollout of the Myanmar Curriculum enables children to learn in their native language and study their history. “It reminds them who we are and where we come from,” a Rohingya teacher said. However, certification remains uncertain beyond Grade 10–12, creating frustration among high-performing students.

3. Safety and Mobility-Movement restrictions, camp insecurity, and gender-based risks hinder both evening study programs and teacher professional development, particularly for women educators. Teachers advocate for increased camp safety patrols and mobile learning centers.

Rohingya Food Security Challenges and Humanitarian Gaps Across South and Southeast Asia (2025)

Conclusion and Path Forward

The Rohingya’s journey, from historical roots to the present, reflects decades of statelessness, systematic persecution, and enduring humanitarian neglect. Their resilience is evident in the communities, schools, and networks they have built across South and Southeast Asia.

Achieving durable solutions requires a multi-faceted approach:

• Restore essential aid: Ensure full food rations, education funding, and access to healthcare for refugees across all host countries.
• Establish regional protection frameworks: Harmonized standards are needed to prevent forced returns and safeguard rights in transit and host countries.
• Create conditions for safe repatriation: Myanmar must provide an environment for voluntary, dignified return, including recognition of citizenship, security guarantees, and access to livelihoods.
• Empower Rohingya educators and leaders: Teachers, researchers, and educated community figures are pivotal in preserving culture, documenting history, and advocating for justice, sustaining hope and identity despite prolonged displacement.

Through coordinated humanitarian support, regional cooperation, and empowerment of Rohingya voices, the path forward can transform survival into sustainable resilience and recognition.

References

• Bangladesh – New Arrivals
  UNHCR reports that Bangladesh has welcomed approximately 150,000 new Rohingya refugees over the past 18 months (as of July 2025), with over 121,000 biometrically identified.
  UNHCR
• Flash Appeal for New Arrivals
  A Flash Appeal estimates US$84 million urgently needed to support the 150,000 new arrivals, most of whom exceed previous planning projections.
  UNHCR Operational Data Portal
• Dangerous Sea Journeys
  In 2024, over 7,800 Rohingya attempted to flee by boat, an 80% increase from 2023 with more than 650 reported dead or missing at sea.
  UNHCR
• Global Trends & Disembarkations
  The UNHCR 2024 Global Trends Report notes 780 Rohingya disembarked in Indonesia and nearly 120 reached Sri Lanka, highlighting the perilous journeys.
  UNHCR
• Sri Lanka Situation
  • December 2024 Arrivals: A group of 116 Rohingya arrived, currently detained in Mullaitivu with limited processing.
    UNHCR
  • Longer-term Context: Since 2008 around 300 Rohingya were in Sri Lanka, but many resettled elsewhere; currently, around 100 remain, with recent arrivals detained.
    Groundviews – Journalism for Citizens
  • Protection Status: Sri Lanka is not party to the 1951 Refugee Convention; UNHCR’s local office has closed, replaced by a liaison. Asylum seekers face restrictions and potential deportation.
    Groundviews – Journalism for Citizens
• Broader Myanmar Emergency
  UNHCR’s operational data outlines over 11,300 Rohingya undertaking dangerous land/sea journeys in 2024, with internal displacement and inter-country protection pressures rising.
  UNHCR
• Funding Crisis & Service Collapse
  A Reuters report warns that critical services in Cox’s Bazar are collapsing—health provision expected to cease by September and food aid by December—due to only 35% funding of the US$255 million appeal.
  Reuters
  Another article highlights that school closures have impacted nearly 227,500 Rohingya children, increasing child marriage and labor.
  Reuters
• Statistical Dashboards
  UNHCR’s Operational Data Portal offers up-to-date dashboards on refugee populations and needs.
  UNHCR Operational Data Portal

About Author

Mr Kaisayr Husein, both his Ph.D. in Education and International Relations and MA in Political Science and Public Administration research focused on the Rohingya identity, refugee crises, migration, legal rights, and citizenship issues. His research explores the longtime process of democracy development in Myanmar, conflict analysis, genocide studies, ethnic minority rights, religious discrimination, statelessness, and forced displacement, with particular case studies on the Rohingya crises in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. Mr Kaisayr’s academic contributions extend to international refugee law (IRL), migration policy, legal status, and the historical context of Arakan.