findings i: movement restrictions in bangladesh 30 Reason for Restrictions The majority of respondents reported that the stated government rationale for restrictions was to protect Rohingya by increasing control of the camps, therefore decreasing crime. However, the vast majority of respondents did not believe this securitisation narrative to be genuine. Respondents reasoned that the severe nature of restrictions prevents Rohingya from meeting their most basic needs. They believed that if the government cared for the wellbeing of refugees, they would be able to secure the camps without violating their rights. Respondents also argued that restrictions are actually counter-productive to the goal “I think the government has imposed these restrictions and violence to make our life so miserable that we return to our country the same way we fled here” of securitisation: If the government was trying to reduce radicalisation, why was it locking the Rohingya in a small area, removing any opportunity for work, education, travel, cultural events, or contact with family in other camps? Multiple respondents reported they believed that the impact of these restrictions will only increase crime, radicalisation, and violence in the camps. Reason for Restrictions: Forced Relocation/Refoulement The seemingly disingenuous government approach has left Rohingya to judge the motivations of the government based on their lived experiences in the camps. The vast majority of respondents from all areas of the camps believed that the primary goal of the government imposing such restrictions was to create a level of suffering that would render the camps unlivable; therefore, Rohingya could be coerced into “choosing” to either relocate to Bhasan Char or return to Myanmar. To this end, some respondents believed that police were allowing, or even collaborating with, armed groups in addition to implementing restrictions. Survey respondents were asked if they believed the restrictions were in place to attempt to displace Rohingya from the camps; 72 percent said ‘yes.’ 55, 56 “I believe they are torturing us,” said Nur, a 43-year-old Rohingya man. “[They are] causing various difficulties in our daily lives in an effort to get us to leave this location and seek refuge elsewhere. The reason the authorities are doing these things is so we will leave on our own and they can claim publicly that they did not order us to leave. That explains why they subject so many people to torture every day so that they will leave this place. If their only aim was to stop the crimes here, they would not torture us daily like they are doing. They are persecuting us so that we leave this place. In my understanding, their plan is to make us leave the camp without telling anyone.” 57 55 56 57 Although this was seen as a leading question by the Rohingya research team, they were aware from their experiences living in the camps that this was a common sentiment that they thought would be important to capture in the quantitative survey. Interview C8WM UNHCR has documented a “steep increase” in the number of Rohingya in Myanmar and Bangladesh risking their lives on dangerous boat journeys in attempts to access refuge in other countries. See: UNHCR. Steep Increase in Deadly Boat Journeys Reflects Rohingyas’ Desperation. 2023.