Who are the Rohingyas ?

• The Rohingya are a stateless Muslim minority in Myanmar's Rakhine State, thought to number about 1 million people.

• Myanmar does not recognize them as citizens or one of the 135 recognized ethnic groups in the country.

• Myanmar regards them as illegal immigrants, a view rooted in their heritage in East Bengal, now called Bangladesh.

• Though many Rohingya have only known life in Myanmar, they are widely viewed as intruders from across the border.

• According to Human Rights Watch, laws discriminate against the Rohingya, infringing on their freedom of movement, education and employment.

• They are denied land and property rights and ownership, and the land on which they live can be taken away at any given time.