Understanding Bangladesh’s Historical Perspectives Through the 2017 Rohingya Crisis

Abstract

Bangladesh, an independent country since 1971, has been called a country built on its refugee past (Dasgupta, 2016, pp. 161, 166, 177). In this thesis, I will examine the country’s historical refugee experiences in order to explain its response to the Rohingya crisis of 2017. My basic proposition is that the government’s readiness to welcome the large number of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar in 2017, drew upon its own experiences during the independence struggle in 1971. The independence struggle had led to an exodus of approximately 10 million people who sought refuge in neighboring India. When the government of Myanmar launched an offensive against the Rohingya minority, they inevitably turned to Bangladesh, and the Bangladesh government welcomed them and offered them sanctuary and safety. Through an in-depth examination of the Rohingya crisis, we can gain a better appreciation of the complex historical forces that have shaped Bangladesh’s response to the refugee crisis.