Bangladesh on Tuesday protested Myanmar’s labeling of Rohingya as “Bengalis,” the main ethnic group in Bangladesh, and its recognition of only a portion of the persecuted community as eligible for possible future repatriation.
The Bangladesh Foreign Ministry raised the concerns in a statement, stressing that the “only sustainable solution of the crisis lies in safe, dignified, and voluntary repatriation of the Rohingya to Rakhine.”
More than 1.2 million Rohingya have been taking refuge in Bangladesh’s southeastern district of Cox’s Bazar since August 2017, when hundreds of thousands fled a brutal military crackdown in Myanmar, according to the UN refugee agency’s latest update through July.
Referring to the displaced people as “Bengalis,” Myanmar’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement Saturday that it had verified 308,975 displaced people as former residents of Rakhine state.
“Myanmar will receive the displaced persons who have been verified as former residents of Rakhine State when the security situation in Rakhine State becomes more stable,” the Myanmar junta government said.
The Bangladesh Foreign Ministry said Md. Toufiq-ur-Rahman, director general of its Myanmar wing, met Myanmar Ambassador U Kyaw Soe Moe in Dhaka following the statement.
Referring to the Myanmar Foreign Ministry’s remarks, Rahman said several elements were based on erroneous statistics, including the number of displaced Rohingya.
The Bangladeshi diplomat also stressed that the Rohingya are not “Bengalis,” saying they have their own ethnic identity that had been recognized by Myanmar authorities until recently.
Rahman said data on the Rohingya registered under the UN system reflected their actual numbers and urged Myanmar to expedite the verification process based on agreed bilateral instruments.
He also called on Myanmar to take into account children born in refugee camps and new arrivals who were forced to flee Rakhine state after 2017.
Ambassador Moe assured Bangladesh that he would convey Dhaka’s concerns to Myanmar authorities.
