I hope someone translates this to Burmese language in order to educate the people about the history of Rakhine. In this post, I want to point out that after the 1st Anglo-Burmese war (1824-1826 AD), lower Burma (Mawlamyine and surrounding area; excluding Yangon), Tanintharyi Region, Rakhine Region fell into the British hand. Just 100 years earlier, in 1874, Bodawpaya invaded Rakhine successfully. Bodawpaya made the lives of Muslims in Rakhine miserable. (Background Note: In ancient time, Rakhine Region was a part of Bengal region and was a part of Maurya Empire. Rakhine region is separated from Burma by Rakhine Yoma, also known as the Arakan Mountains. Wesali Kingdom also spelled Vaisali Kingdom was founded by Hindu Chandra Dynasty. Before 8th century AD, North Arkansas had been the seat of Hindu dynasties whose were upholders of Buddhism and they built many pagodas. In 788 AD, a new dynasty, also known as the Chandras, founded the city of Wesali. Anyway, the city of Wesali became a noted trade port to which as many as a thousand ships came every year. In 10th century AD, a Burman tribe settled in Rakhine region. Earlier inhabitants of Rakhine were people who were similar to the population in Bengal. These inhabitants were Hindus, Buddhists, and Muslims.) So, in 1784 AD, when Bodawpaya invaded Rakhine and made the lives of Muslims in Rakhine miserable, causing many of the Muslims fto flee to Chittagong. When Rakhine region fell to the British after the 1st Anglo-Burmese in 1826, these Muslims (the children of them) came back to their birth places in Rakhine. To refer to them as Bengalis foreigners because they came (actually came back) to Rakhine region during British Era is inaccurate historically.
