Rohingyas have struggled for decades to legitimize their presence in the country, and their fight looks to be anything but over... "Burma?s contentious Arakan State has long been a sore spot for the country?s ruling military dictatorship. Physical brutality and draconian measures to stifle the region?s Muslim Rohingya population have produced waves of refugees over the western border to Bangladesh (formerly eastern Bengal) since the 1970s. Some historians suggest that Muslims in northern Arakan State—predominantly ethnic Rohingya—can trace their lineage back to Muslim merchants of the 8th and 9th centuries who made their living as tradesmen in coastal ports. Never ones to let historical facts get in their way, the generals in Rangoon tell quite another story..."