TERRORISM DILEMMAS AND DEMOCRACY // the Rohingya as an impediment to Bangladeshi prosperity // Rohingya as victims // intruders of Bangladeshi sovereignty The Rohingya as an impediment to Bangladeshi prosperity The Rohingya discourse in The Daily Star during the time period analysed, was framed within Bangladesh’s renewed relations with the new Myanmar government, and the otherness of the Rohingya is manifest this coverage. The inductive analysis of the ‘impediment to prosperity’ frameset suggests the existence of three subsets; // the Rohingya as an impediment to Bangladeshi prosperity /// impediment to economic growth and undeserving of benefiting from it Because: ///Rohingya as economic migrants ///charity as limited by availability of economic surplus Impediment to economic growth and undeserving of benefiting from it: The framing of the Rohingya as an impediment to economic growth and undeserving of benefiting from such growth appears as two interrelated frames in the newspaper narrative. ‘Bangladesh’s future development hinges on some critical projects in Chittagong and the hill tracts areas, such as the Chittagong port, special economic zones and deep-sea ports, which are very close to Myanmar,’ the newspaper wrote on 21 September 2017, citing a report produced by a Dhaka-based think-tank. It quoted the report as saying, ‘A possible conflict with Myanmar can hamper Bangladesh’s efforts for integration with Southeast Asian countries.’ (The Daily Star, September 21, 2017). The narrative, while embracing regional co-operation, views the Rohingya as a barrier preventing Bangladeshi citizens from reaping economic benefits, which then justifies excluding Rohingya refugees from the benefits of growth. Bangladesh-Myanmar relations are framed in a positive and optimistic light of regional co-operation, portraying a transition from military rule to civilian democracy, and with it and end to a 20-year isolationist policy. The transition is presented as positive in that it opens up the possibility of greater co-operation between Bangladesh and Myanmar, paving the way for ‘energy cooperation... trade and connectivity’ (The Daily Star, December 5, 2011, p. 1); and geographical connectivity though “direct road and air links between the two countries” (The Daily Star, December 3, 2011). The Rohingya are framed as a ‘problem’ with a single solution—repatriation to Myanmar. The coverage however, is not explicit on how the Rohingya 266 PACIFIC JOURNALISM REVIEW 25 (1 & 2) 2019