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1. Introduction
The global refugee crisis is an ongoing concern, with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reporting a sharp increase in forcibly displaced populations from 59.5 million in 2014 to 65.3 million in 2015 [1]. Under international law, a refugee is defined as someone who lives outside his or her country of nationality or usual residence, who is able to show a well-founded fear of persecution on specific grounds, and who lacks protection from their country [2]. The definition of displaced individuals as a result of persecution overlaps considerably with that of stateless persons, who are described as individuals not considered as a national by any state [3]. Accessing basic rights such as healthcare, employment, education and freedom of movement is often impossible for stateless people [4]. Lack, denial or loss of nationality underlies the exclusion of affected individuals from membership in the community, to the point of instigating discrimination and oppression in certain cases. There are approximately 10 million stateless people [4], and approximately 1.5 million people who are refugees in addition to being stateless [5].
Rohingya in Myanmar are one of the most persecuted minorities in the world. The majority are not considered to be citizens by the Myanmar Government, and live in a condition of statelessness. Rohingya are a Muslim ethnic minority situated primarily in Myanmar’s western Rakhine State and are estimated at 1 million people [6]. They have been fleeing Myanmar in large numbers, often to nearby developing countries-particularly Bangladesh, Malaysia and Thailand-to avoid conflict and persecution [7]. Correspondingly, the refugee crisis in Bangladesh has reached critical levels, with the number of unregistered Rohingya refugees estimated to range from 200,000 to 500,000 people [8].
The plight of the Rohingya dates back two centuries. Rohingyas’ history can be described in three categories: precolonial, colonial and postcolonial. In precolonial times, the independent kingdom of Arakan (currently known as the Rakhine state), was populated by Muslim Arabic sailors from 788 to 810 AD, and afterwards by Bengalis from the fifteenth to the seventeenth centuries [9]. During precolonial times, the Rohingyas and Arakanese (the remainder of the population in Arakan) lived in harmony. This changed after colonization by the British following the first Anglo-Burmese war in 1825. The rift deepened during the...