ABSTRACT
The Rohingya population from Rakhine State in Burma, currently living near the city of Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh, on the Bay of Bengal just north of the Burmese border, are both stateless and refugees. The Rohingya people suffered from extreme persecution, their properties and land were confiscated, they were denied the right to citizenship and prohibited from military service and participation in the civil service. This chapter highlights problems inherent in the implementation of durable solutions for refugee communities. It illustrates the political contingencies intrinsic in the execution of international law, even when the interpretation of the law would appear to be straightforward. The chapter highlights the need for all countries to sign the Refugee Convention and Protocols, to adopt national refugee legislation that conforms to international law and standards and to adhere to the measures contained in the United Nation High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Convention Plus and the UNHCR Conclusions, which assist governments in interpretation of the convention.
