The Host Country Narrative – The Burdensome, Economic Migrant Rohingya

Bangladesh is the primary proponent of the host country narrative which Malaysia, Thailand and other countries also buy into. It holds that the Rohingya are both victim and opportunist and always a burden and a security threat. This narrative recognises that the Rohingya face discrimination – even persecution inside Burma, but also labels those who have fled persecution as opportunistic economic migrants who impose undue pressures on job markets and social structures. This is a narrative of convenience which empathises with the suffering of the Rohingya as long as they remain inside Burma but vilifies those very same Rohingya who seek refuge on their shores. Its contradictions have led to confused and conflicting attitudes and policies. In Bangladesh, a small number (less than 30,000) of Rohingya are recognised as refugees, a much larger group (over 300,000) who share the same characteristics are viewed as economic migrants. Both groups are seen as burdens to already stretched state resources and as threats to national security. In Malaysia, the UNHCR is allowed to register the Rohingya but not to protect them as refugees.