An estimated 745,000 Rohingyas were forced to flee to Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, after a deadly crackdown in Rakhine state, Myanmar in August 2017. Responding to this crisis, the Bangladesh government launched the relocation of Rohingyas from the dense camps in Cox's Bazar to Bhasan Char island in the Bay of Bengal in December 2020. This article argues that the refugees’ perceptions of their idealized “home”—their place of belonging—composed of complex needs with security tied to environmental stability, have not adequately been considered in their relocation to Bhasan Char island. Further, the physical threats of climate change on the island combine with a denial of the spatial and cultural dimensions of home, creating the threat of Rohingyas becoming “recycled refugees.” The findings are based on qualitative case study research conducted with Rohingya refugees residing in Cox's Bazar and with those recently relocated to Bhasan Char.
Communal conflicts that happened in Ambon, eastern part of Indonesia more than 20 years ago still reserve a lot of lessons to unveil. One of the least discussed issues is the roles of economic exchanges among diverse community members in bringing peace from below. This article tries to capture the interreligious interactions (Muslim and Christian) among buyers and sellers in areas considered as border space during the conflicts from 1999 to 2004. It showcases the intertwin of everyday peacebuilding efforts through trade and the spread of peace messages among those involved in the exchange practices. This research employed qualitative research methods using ethnographic strategy with in-depth interview, observation, and library study. Data was collected from 2016-2019 including 10-month intensive fieldwork. The article discusses that social networks and cultural ties embedded in the economic drivers of trade-related activities arguably set the foundation for everyday peacebuilding. In conclusion, economic transactions allowed interethnic, intervillage, and interreligious interactions to take place, eliminated distrust among the traders, and potentially extended peace message narratives at the micro level such as among family members.
After the outbreak of COVID-19, the Chinese government decided to close the border in Muse, a small town in Myanmar's northern Shan State. Inbound and outbound movements from both countries came to a halt. A chain of truck trailers lining up on the transnational route between China and Myanmar left only one side of the road for vehicles to pass by. The trucks were stuck there for months in a lose-lose situation -leaving meant losing the possibility of trading their goods, whereas staying put meant remaining stranded in a place of uncertainty. During our short visit to Muse in July 2020, it was agonising to see a dozen miles of hope and hard work falling apart. What the experience of the truck drivers, traders, farmers, and consumers in Muse offered was a glimpse of how COVID-19 impacted cross-border economic activities and movement of people in Myanmar's border areas.Myanmar, undergoing economic development and a tumultuous democratic transition, was prone to socio-economic impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic due to the uneven and underdeveloped provision of health services, a lack of accurate reporting, and low test-and-trace capabilities. The situation became worse in places where institutional and administrative regulations heavily relied on the security situation, such as border areas. The health crisis exacerbated already-uncertain terrain.This short analysis investigates the impact of COVID-19 on cross-border trade areas in Muse, emphasising how different actors engaged in or governed cross-border trade activities and the pandemic's implications for cross-border trade movement. The chapter aims to highlight specific organisational tinkering with cross-border trade in a conflict-prone area during the COVID-19 pandemic. It builds upon participatory observation during a short trip to Muse in
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