Burma Human Rights Network’s report: “We also have dreams” 2016 2017 2012 1991 1992 1978 History of the Refugee Crisis There are currently over a million Rohingya refugees living in the refugee camps in Bangladesh near the Burmese border. While the majority of them arrived there following the Burmese military’s genocidal campaign of 2017, tens of thousands had been living in the camps long before that. Many of the young adults inside of the refugee camps were born there and don’t know any other life. While the government of Bangladesh has rightfully been praised for hosting such a large population, several serious issues persist regarding the human rights and quality of life for the refugee population. The first mass exodus of Rohingya from Burma into Bangladesh occurred after its independence, in 1978. The Burmese military launched “Operation Nagamin”, also called “Operation Dragon King”, which sought to “expel” supposed foreigners through military force from Rakhine State. With the independence of Bangladesh and growing waves of anti-South Asian sentiment in Burma, the Rohingya became a prime scapegoat for the military and over 200,000 fled to Bangladesh. Similar operations took place in 1991 and 1992, where over 250,000 more Rohingya were forced out of the country and into Bangladesh due to severe persecution by the military, including forced labor, murder, torture, and rape⁵ ⁶ . 5- “Summary.” Human Rights Watch, Burma/Bangladesh: Burmese Refugees In Bangladesh Summary, 2000, www.hrw.org/reports/2000/burma/burm005.htm. 6- “Timeline: A Visual History of the Rohingya Refugee Crisis.” Doctors Without Borders - USA, www.doctorswithoutborders.org/what-we-do/news-stories/news/timeline-visual-history-rohingyarefugee-crisis. www.bhrn.org.uk 8