Faye Journal of International Humanitarian Action (2021) 6:13 At the west coast of Myanmar is the Rakhine state, one of the poorest regions of the country with an area size of 14,200 sq. mi. According to Mohajan (2018), there are 3.8 million people in Rahkine, where an estimate of 59.7% are Buddhist, 35.6% are Muslim (Rohingya) and the rest from the remaining religious groups (Mohajan 2018). The Rohingyas originated from different ethnic groups which include Arabs, Moghuls and Bengalis. The divide and rule in Arakan by the British resulted in many of the Arakanese Buddhist developing hatred against the Rohingyas and treated them as foreigners. This hatred against the Rohingya Muslim can be viewed as a result of British imperialism. However, the same policy was later adopted by the military junta of Burma. Notwithstanding, it is important to note that the Rohingyas did not suddenly appear in Arakan, but evidence has shown that they were descendants of Arabs who arrived 1200 years back (Tha 2007). Since after independence, the Rohingya Muslims suffer numerous human rights abuses such as mass killings, rape, and torture, and this has continued till today. These have created a chronic refugee crisis in neighbouring Bangladesh. As of late, thousands of Rohingyas remain displaced depending on humanitarian aid for survival, while some also undergo brutal repression by the Myanmar border guard (Abdelkader 2013). The 1982 Citizenship Act codified the legal omission of the Rohingya, making human rights and humanitarian condition of the Rohingya worse. The Act officially identifies 135 national races that qualify for citizenship. The Rohingya exclusion denied the full benefits of citizenship in what is described as “nonindigenous ancestry”. Under this Act, the Rohingya can only possess Foreign Registration Cards, which are rejected by many schools and employees. The Rohingyas are denied their right to own property, marry and freedom of movement. These rights are guaranteed under international law (Abdelkader 2013). Moreover, Rohingya’s crisis is not only religiously founded, it comprises both economic- and politicalrelated issues. The Rohingyas were viewed as economically developed by the Buddhists of Myanmar who thought that their culture is under siege than that of the Rohingya. This coupled with the deeply entrenched Islamaphobia in Rakhine and Myanmar being surrounded by Islamic countries, like Indonesia, Malaysia and Bangladesh. The Buddhists also fear that the Rohingya might turn against Myanmar if they happen to enter a war with any Islamic country. For this reason, the Rohingyas are culturally discriminated, exploited and side-lined from politics (Mohajan 2018). The sectarian battle focuses on Muslim regions that are in the northern part of Rakhine state: Maungdaw, Rathedaung and Bathidaung Township. The past decades saw that the Rohingya ethnic group suffers from Page 2 of 7 massive violence in Rakhine resulting in ethnic cleansing and genocide (Mohajan 2018). The human rights violation in Myanmar suffered by the Rohingya agonises several forms of human rights violations, ranging from land confiscation, destruction of mosques, torture, forced labour and extrajudicial executions (Mohajan 2018). Understanding forced migration in Myanmar The term forced migration has been debated internationally because of the prevalent recognition that a continuum of agency exists rather than a voluntary/ forced dichotomy. The term forced migration has been used to describe the movements of refugees, displaced person and, in some instances, victims of trafficking (IOM 2019). According to the IOM, forced migration can be defined as “A migratory movement which, although the drivers can be diverse, involves force, compulsion, or coercion” (IOM 2019, P77). South et al. argued that there are three kinds of forced migration operated in Myanmar. Firstly, armed clashes between Rakhine Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims leading to the successive displacement. Secondly, the military occupation of this border state leading to displacement. Thirdly, is the vulnerability of livelihoods which caused internal as well as external migration (Mehebub Sahana 2019; Jolliffe 2015). Forced migration from Myanmar to Bangladesh and beyond The systematic violation of human rights of the Rohingya by Myanmar’s military junta has forced thousands of Rohingya to flee the country. Subsequently, compelling thousands to live as a refugee, mainly in Bangladesh, while others flee to countries like Malaysia, Singapore and the Middle East. For many, taking refuge in Bangladesh was something that has never been expected. However, seeking refuge to Bangladesh did remove them from their suffering (Parnini 2013). Some of the migrants have been denied access to refugee camps, and they often survive in extreme poverty in villages or slums near Cox’s Bazar and Teknaf. They are invisible and at times labelled as economic migrants by the authorities in Bangladesh (Ullah 2011; Holloway and Fan 2018). Myanmar and Bangladesh share a 168 km border, but security and political issues occasionally disturb the bilateral relationship between the two countries. For example, the Rohingya refugees who cross the border temporarily and continue to live in camps in bordering Cox’s Bazaar district of Bangladesh. The government of Myanmar has shown excessive hesitation to accept these Rohingyas as citizens, and in short, they consider them as foreigners (Parnini 2013; Ullah 2011). Moreover, Rohingyas in Bangladesh are unhappy to be sent back to