news of Myanmar's Rakhaine State

The Population In 2014, the first official census since 1983 was conducted. It included nearly 98% of the population including populations and people who had never before been counted in an official census. There are 51,486,253 people living in Burma. This includes the 1,206,353 people who were not enumerated in the census.They come from areas within Rakhine, Kachin, and Karen States. Reasons for this include self-identifying as an ethnic group not recognized by the government (Rohingya Muslims) and living near areas with actual or potential armed conflict. Burma had over 135 nationally recognized ethnic groups making it one of the most diverse countries in Asia. Burmar make up almost ⅔ of the population, and other ethnic groups (including Shans, Karens, Mon, Arakan, Chin and Kachins) add up to some 30%. Ethnic minorities are dominant in border and mountainous areas including: Shan in the north and northeast (Thai and Laos borders), Karen in the southeast (Thai borde...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2017/09/06/how-burmas-rohingya-crisis-went-from-bad-to-worse/?tid=a_inl&utm_term=.90174b594999 Who are the Rohingya ? In a way, it depends on whom you ask — and that itself may be at the core of the conflict. To most of the world (and the minority themselves), the Rohingya are a Bengali-speaking and mostly-Muslim minority in Burma, the Buddhist -majority nation in Southeast Asia also known as Myanmar . But the Burmese government says the Rohingya do not exist. In fact, they object to the very use of the word “ Rohingya ” at all, instead arguing that they are Bengali and entered what is now Burma during the time of the British Empire or later as illegal immigrants after Bangladesh 's war for independence in 1971. More than 1 million Rohingya are estimated to live in the country, mostly in the northern part of Rakhine state along the border with Bangladesh and India , and almost as many live outside of it. Thou...

By Ishaan Tharoor September 6 Want smart analysis of the most important news in your inbox every weekday along with other global reads, interesting ideas and opinions to know? Sign up for the Today's WorldView newsletter . There's a population of around a million people living in fear right now, facing the likely wrath of an uncaring government that doesn't seem to recognize their claim to the country they have always called home.  The  crisis along the Burma-Bangladesh border has dramatically intensified  over the past week, with more than 125,000 Rohingya Muslims fleeing a Burmese military offensive in restive Rakhine state, according to aid organizations. Reports keep flooding in of mass killings carried out by Burmese security forces, as well as torture, rape and the systematic razing of Rohingya villages. Burmese authorities say they are carrying out “clearance operations” against extremist “Bengali” insurgents — “...