Impact on the 2017 Rohingya Refugee Influx Report

Fellow of The Cairns Institute and PhD Candidate at the College of Arts and Social Sciences (CASE), James Cook University (JCU), Nitol Chakma is under supervision of JCU's Dr. Ju-han Zoe Wang and Dr. Kearrin Sim, JCU CASE Adjunct. His PhD research aims to explore the ongoing identity crisis and the process of ‘unpeopling’ the ethnic communities in Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) in Bangladesh.

It investigates the historical and political processes that have contributed to the ethnic communities marginalization, displacement, and cultural erosion—collectively referred to here as the "unpeopling" process to the ethnic communities in CHT. The project promises to generate new knowledge on how the ethnic communities shapes their identity and strategies of resistance within a conflict situation. The outcome of this research includes exploring the generational shifts of identity, contributing to the identity formation and the political and social implication of ethnic communities in CHT, Bangladesh. His research interests include nationalism, ethnic identity, ethnic conflict and resolution, inequalities and everyday struggle of ethnic communities.

Recently, Nitol collaborated as a co-researcher and author with Deakin University's Associate Professor Anthony Ware and Senior Lecturer Vicki-Ann Ware, and Associate Professor Fatema Begum Popy at Noakhali Science and Technology University, Bangladesh. They published ‘Impact on the 2017 Rohingya Refugee Influx on ‘Social Cohesion Between Host Community Groups in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh’. This research was completed and published under funding provided by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade AHP Bangladesh Multi-Year Program, as a sub-deed with Plan International Australia.

Nitol explained they examined the arrival of a total 1,006,670 Rohingya refugees and ongoing presence of the refugee community has further weakened the socio-political power and increasing the vulnerability of indigenous minorities within Cox’s Bazar society and polity. The research investigated the impacts on the indigenous minorities’ perceptions of their safety, vulnerability, livelihoods and social relations, and collect positive stories of everyday peace formation helping to stabilise their situation.

Key challenges to social cohesion between hosts and refugees in Cox’s Bazar, identified in the literature, are:

• Economic impact—Cox’s Bazar was already among the most socioeconomically disadvantaged sub-districts of Bangladesh, and the arrival of the refugees has led to intense competition over scarce resources, opportunities and services.
• Perception of inequitable access and distribution
• Insecurity and fear of both intra and inter-group violence, crime, armed gangs and insurgent groups, and so on. The fact refugees outnumber hosts by almost 2:1 exacerbates fears.
• Perception of incompatible moralities and values.
• Disruption of social lives and other unintended consequences

Nonetheless, the fact that many Rohingya who arrived prior to 2017 remain fairly well-integrated and accepted, shows there is positive potential for strong social cohesion.

More information on the research, including recommendations can be found here. https://adi.deakin.edu.au/project/everyday-peace-and-rohingya-refugees/

Issued April 2025