1978
Operation Nagamin
This period culminated in Operation Dragon King, or Nagamin, a military and immigration operation launched in February 1978. The official justification was to register citizens and identify “illegal immigrants” before a census in northern Arakan/Rakhine. In practice, it became a sweeping campaign against the Rohingya population.
There were mass arrests, raids, torture, rape, killings and the burning of villages and mosques. Soldiers and immigration officials confiscated documents, destroyed property and imposed forced labour. An estimated 200,000 to 250,000 Rohingya up to 300,000 according to the sources fled across the border into Bangladesh within a few months. This was the first major mass exodus of the modern era.
Refugees described systematic abuses, including summary executions and sexual violence. Bangladesh opened temporary camps where organisations such as Médecins Sans Frontières provided aid under extremely difficult conditions. Many later returned under pressure or pursuant to agreements, but the operation marked the beginning of a recurring cycle of displacement and statelessness.