Delivered at the Regional Conference on the Protection for Refugees from Burma, Chiang Mai, 6 & 7 November 2003... "Bangladesh hosted one of the largest numbers of refugees in Asia when 250,000 Rohingya fled en masse from Burma in 1978 and again in 1991/92. However, like most countries in the region, Bangladesh has not acceded to the 1951 UN Refugee Convention, nor has it enacted any national refugee legislation. Refugees are dealt with on an ad-hoc basis. Bangladesh has allowed the UNHCR to assist and protect some Burmese refugees. Burmese refugees currently in Bangladesh can be divided into three categories: 1) About 20,000 Rohingya refugees sheltering in two camps: They remain from the mass exodus of 1991/92 and are recognised as "prima facie" refugees by the UNHCR (group recognition)... 2) Between 100,000 and 200,000[1] Rohingya refugees outside camps in South Bangladesh: They are not recognised as refugees and are often labelled as economic migrants... 3) A caseload of about 70 mostly Rakhine urban refugees in Dhaka: They have been granted "Person of Concern" status by the UNHCR (individual basis)... This paper will first examine the root causes of the Burmese refugee exodus to Bangladesh and then address the specific situation and protection issues of each category of refugees..."