16th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest People
stateless

The Rohingya is a minor Muslim ethnic group who lived in Myanmar for centuries. However, due to the racism and many other socio-political issues among the majority in Myanmar, they were declared as a stateless Bengali community who migrated to Myanmar from Bangladesh. Over one million Rohingyas live in Myanmar and they are the most persecuted people in the world who are deprived from their own land, human rights and citizenship. In recent times, the Myanmar Army started a silent genocide to forcefully evacuate them out of the country. Moreover, the system has been encouraging the Rohingya to enter Bangladesh illegally for a long time. The Myanmar Army have though covered it as a religious riot between Buddhists and Muslims but the true underlying cause is a business benefit as the land has natural resources which will be leased to the powerful countries who are friends of Myanmar. The recent wave of violence in 2017 has pushed nearly a million Rohingyas to cross the border of Myanmar in search for a safe refuge in Bangladesh. Many families have lost their beloved ones as many of them were murdered, raped, tortured due to the invasion of Myanmar Army.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 09.2017
Date Uploaded: 11.2018
Photo Location: Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark III
Copyright: © zakir hossain chowdhury