The portrayal of the Rohingya genocide and refugee crisis in the age of post-truth politics
| Published date | 01 June 2020 |
| DOI | 10.1177/2057891119864454 |
| Author | Md. Ali Siddiquee |
| Date | 01 June 2020 |
| Subject Matter | Research articles |
Research article
The portrayal of the Rohingya
genocide and refugee crisis in
the age of post-truth politics
Md. Ali Siddiquee
University of Dhaka, Bangladesh
Abstract
The systematic persecution and ethnic cleansing of the Rohingyas by Myanmar which resulted from
populist hatred can be traced back to the Second World War when the Rohingyas sided with the
British. Xenophobia has taken a permanent shape in the practice of power, the motive force behind
the actions and reactions of successive Myanmar states and political elites. The colonial legacy has
been used as the rationale for isolation and the use of violence against the Rohingyas. The socio-
historical constructed and imposed identity throughout the colonial and post-colonial years has
been used by the majority Buddhists to dehumanize the Rohingyas. The article argues that the
historical identity creation and imposition by the majority Buddhists have facilitated the recent
refugee crisis. The article aims to identify whether the tactics of post-truth politics have been used
to fuel populist anti-Rohingya feelings among the majority Buddhists.
Keywords
Bangladesh, Myanmar, post-truth politics, refugee, Rohingya
Introduction
The stateless Rohingyas have been facing systematic persecution and ethnic cleansing by the state
of Myanmar since the 1970s. The most recent spate of violence by the Myanmar military which
started in August 2017 has forced more than 700,000 Rohingya to leave their homeland and take
refuge in Bangladesh. This humanitarian disaster is not a new one and has a recurrent nature. One
of the prominent reasons of this crisis is the general prevalence of anti-Rohingya populist feeling
among the majority Buddhists. The populist hatred can be traced back to the Second World War
when the Rohingyas sided with the British. Burmese nationalism and xenophobia remain core tools
in Myanmar’s foreign policy. Xenophobia has taken a permanent shape in the practice of power,
the motive force behind the actions and reactions of successive Myanmar states and political elites.
Corresponding author:
Md. Ali Siddiquee, Lecturer, Department of International Relations, University of Dhaka, Dhaka, 1000, Bangladesh.
Emails: ali.ir.du@gmail.com; ali.ir@du.ac.bd
Asian Journal of Comparative Politics
2020, Vol. 5(2) 89–103
ªThe Author(s) 2019
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DOI: 10.1177/2057891119864454
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