Biography of Ziaur Rahman

Taken at the premiere of Freedom Film Festival held at Petaling Jaya, Kuala Lumpur on 2 September 2017

Ziaur was born on 20 June 1993 at Mee Chang Zay, Buthidaung township in Arakan State, western part of Myanmar. In 1993, his family fled Myanmar to escape religious persecution and human rights abuses. The abuses include forced labour, land confiscation, arbitrary arrest, extortion, as well as restrictions on movement, marriage, education, and employment. Due to that his family and all Rohingyas were denied the rights of citizenship in Myanmar, they were subjected to human rights abuses with no recourse.  

His family sought refuge in Bangladesh before another tragedy hit them. Forced into a desperate situation, Ziaur’s father abandoned him and his mother when he was just two years old, making them dependants of his maternal grandmother’s family. They were moved from one camp to another several times as punishment by the government due to their activism. Ziaur himself was mainly raised in Nayapara and Kutupalong registered refugee camps.   

Situations worsened for them when his maternal uncle was arrested for refusing to return to Myanmar. While detained, his uncle was tortured by Bangladesh’s corrupted police and government officials. The first time he was in Bangladesh’s prison, he was only released after six years. 

Growing up, Ziaur studied and excelled in the refugee camp. He earned himself first prize for the annual examination as well as academic competition at its primary school.  

In 1999, the government of Bangladesh engaged in a forced repatriation campaign in the Nayapara and Kutupalong camps. Ziaur’s home was destroyed by the government of Bangladesh. In protest to their forced repatriation to Myanmar, Ziaur, his family and the entire Rohingya refugee community engaged in a hunger strike that lasted for 52 days. Officers from the United Nations (UN) and Bangladesh government attempted to give rations to the Rohingya refugees. 

Ziaur’s family were among those who refused the rations and demanded an end to the forced repatriation. As no refugee may be sent to prison following a hunger strike, his family and other protestors were spared from being detained. The hunger strike ended when the Bangladesh government agreed to the terms set by the Rohingyas, and the community started accepting food rations again.  

However, when his grandmother’s family started receiving rations again, the government reneged on their agreement and imprisoned his second maternal uncle. The mistreatment on his family continued when his mother was robbed and assaulted by local Bangladeshis when she went to visit his uncle in prison. Other members of their family were still fighting for the rights of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. Being dependants of the family, Ziaur and his mother were among those who were made targets of the Bangladesh government due to this. To date, his uncle continues to appear in a court in Cox’s Bazar. 

Even though the forced repatriation was ended, with basic human rights denied, Ziaur and the other Rohingya refugees were kept in a very low quality of life. The camp’s lack of infrastructure for hygiene and education exacerbated this situation.   

By 2003, life in the camp became unbearable when conditions deteriorated for all Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. Denied from going to government schools by the Bangladesh government, Ziaur pursued education on his own. As it was illegal for refugees to work or pursue higher education in Bangladesh, not only did Ziaur had no monetary support, he also had no way of earning money while he pursued his studies. He often had to borrow exercise books and pens from other classmates. Although being a refugee and very poor, Ziaur was a brilliant and hardworking student. He finished school despite the many challenges that came from lacking resources, to government policies that did not allow for refugees to attend universities that became a barrier for him to earn a tertiary education.  

Ziaur started activism at the age of 13 years old, fighting for his rights and that of his people. Unfortunately, his activism made him a target for the Bangladesh government. When he condemned or complained about the camp conditions in conversations with foreign delegations and media, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and camp staff took action against his family. Though that was the case with him in the refugee camp, Ziaur continued receiving multiple training and addressed social issues as ironically, he was also encouraged to empower youth and adolescents inside the refugee camps.  

In 2009, his family’s ration book was confiscated by the Camp in Charge (CiC) of Nayapara Refugee Camp. Ziaur continued to participate in many social activities during the 16 Days Activism campaign on behalf of all Scouts of Nayapara refugee camp.  

In 2010, Ziaur became involved in efforts to help teach women who were illiterate. He was a Scout Leader in the “16 days of Activism Against Violence” campaign, where he repaired roads and housing structures of the camp’s most vulnerable families. He also participated in awareness-raising for the prevention of disease, as well as counselling sessions to address issues of violence against women, child marriages, polygamy abuses and human smuggling.  His family was eventually selected for resettlement but the process was stopped by the Bangladesh government. This did not deter Ziaur from keeping up with his activism or getting involved with UNHCR supported programmes like the Annual Scout Campaign of TAI (Technical Assistant Incorporation, a non-governmental organisation [NGO]).  

In November 2011, he won an award for his leadership and service at the Annual Scout Campaign at Nayapara refugee camp. He wasn’t the only one in his family to make a mark in the camp. His mother was recognised for a woman who has taken the initiative to support herself and her family, and to develop skills for her own betterment with the “Standard Family” of the E-Block award in Nayapara refugee camp. She accomplished this while also being a single mother. 

Ziaur’s passion in community development propelled him to become a prominent leader for the Rohingya refugees. He was recognised for his work while when he served his community in the Bangladesh refugee camp. His was a voice that was rising in an overcrowded and polluted refugee camp in Bangladesh. Due to the threat of imprisonment and the continuous harassment, Ziaur eventually left the camp.  

The Bangladesh government and UNHCR checked the background of his family members because of his continued activism. Like him, they too remain to be targets of persecution. Outside of whatever safety the camp did provide, Ziaur remained under threat and discriminated by Bengali locals. The Bangladesh police often searched his home and placed him under arrest. For three months, he was ordered to be present at the CiC office every morning from 9.00 am to 10.00 am.  

On 28 August 2014, Ziaur was kidnapped by human traffickers from the UNHCR Kutupalong Camp in Cox's Bazar of Bangladesh. He was forced to get on a boat with more than 310 people, including women and children, some of whom were from Myanmar and also Bangladesh. He was beaten by the traffickers into submission and taken to Thailand. The traffickers hid him in a mangrove forest, where he had no food for five days. He was later moved to another forest, where he was among 134 people on a boat who were rescued by Thai authorities. They were brought to the police station in Ranong. There, Ziaur helped Thai authorities where he worked as an interpreter for international organisations. He was officially declared a victim of human trafficking by the government of Takupa district, Phang Nga, Thailand. Later, he was sent to a shelter ran by the Songkhla (UNHCR) in Thailand. However, the shelter’s staff turned out to be corrupted, so he escaped the place and was subsequently sold seven times by Thai police and other human traffickers before he eventually landed in Malaysia as a registered UNHCR refugee.  

He continued his activism in whatever manner he could despite facing more hardship than ever in his past life as a refugee. He received multiple trainings and addressed social issues to both the government as well as to private NGOs. After arriving in Malaysia, he applied to UNHCR for sponsorship to attend Open University. Unfortunately, his name was omitted because of his undocumented status in Malaysia. Be it as it may, he has been invited by many international conferences to present his speech regarding his country’s issues and share his life’s journey as a refugee in three countries. In this, he will never tire of telling his story for the chance that one day, it will make a positive change to the plight of his people.  

He has worked and contributed to the Rohingya community as a Volunteer/Interpreter for local and International NGOs in Bangladesh, Thailand and Malaysia for more than twelve years. Yet, despite all he has achieved, the experience of being a Rohingya refugee in three countries, Bangladesh, Thailand and Malaysia has made him feel unprotected and vulnerable even with his status as a registered refugee.  

He stands that however his activism may be viewed by certain parties, they were always non-partisan motivated. He knows both the pain and the gravity of the situation with his people. They would be the real cause that moves him to action and closest of all to his heart, is the fact that his mother is still residing in Bangladesh’s refugee camp.  

Having said that, it would be relevant to mention something about the reach of his activism. In March 2017, he was approached by two young filmmakers, who subsequently made a short documentary about his life to illustrate the plight of the Rohingya. It was called “Selfie with the Prime Minister”. It received an award in Freedom Film Festival 2017, and was also screened in different countries around the world. The documentary spoke of the challenging life of a refugee in Malaysia, his ongoing activism, and of his dream to take a selfie with the Malaysian Prime Minister. He made this wish because the then Malaysian Prime Minister was the first in ASEAN to speak for the Rohingya. In this documentary, he only spoke of his grievances as an individual and a refugee. It is notable to mention that his positive attitude towards Malaysia is also apparent throughout this film.  

Today, Ziaur face a lot of challenges here in Malaysia. Due to the absence of a permanent job, he can hardly afford to feed his family, pay the house rent or even pay for basic transport expenses.  


What he lacked in opportunity, he made up for in an indomitable spirit that pushed him to do better, achieve more, and be heard. His continued fight is all towards the betterment of his own people, for them to have a place in this world we share.  

Ziaur is a Human Rights Activist and Youth Representative with the Rohingya refugees in Malaysia. He is also a survivor of human trafficking. At the moment, he is writing a book telling his story and that of his people. On the internet, search for:  ‘Ziaur Rahman, Rohingya Victim of Human Trafficking’ to learn more.