Watch the full video (above) of the discussion between Ambassador Shyam Saran and Nimmi Kurian, moderated by Srinath Raghavan, where they discuss the massive exodus of Rohingya Muslims from the Rakhine region of Myanmar, which has resulted in one of the largest humanitarian crises of recent times.

Historically regarded as stateless entities by the Government of Myanmar, nearly a million Rohingyas have left Rakhine and entered the neighbouring Bangladesh as well as Indonesia and Malaysia as refugees. India too faces the challenge of addressing over 40,000 refugees who have entered the country.

The ongoing debate on the Rohingya crisis tends to be focused on the charges of ethnic cleansing and concerns about extremism and terrorism emanating from Rakhine. Yet the underlying causes and the potential consequences of the crisis are dimly understood.

Through this discussion, the panellists attempt to delve deeper into the historical narrative, the complexities of the issue, the challenges it poses, and the possible solutions going forward.

Ambassador Shyam Saran is a senior fellow at CPR, a former foreign secretary and has served as the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy for Nuclear Affairs and Climate Change, as well as chairman of the National Security Advisory Board.

Nimmi Kurian is Associate Professor at CPR and Faculty Advisor at the India China Institute, The New School, New York.

Srinath Raghavan is a senior fellow at CPR. He is also a senior research fellow at the India Institute at King’s College, London.

The question and answer session that followed can be accessed here.