Bangladesh to convey strong position to Myanmar over Rohingya statement

Bangladesh will convey its position to Myanmar over what it described as a “factually incorrect” statement issued by Myanmar’s military-backed government regarding Rohingya refugees sheltered in Bangladesh.

Myanmar Ambassador to Bangladesh Kyaw Soe Moe is scheduled to meet a concerned Director General at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Dhaka on Tuesday afternoon, according to a foreign ministry source.

The meeting follows a statement issued by Myanmar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on August 15, in which Naypyidaw questioned the identity and origin of Rohingyas living in Bangladesh.

Myanmar said Bangladesh had submitted 828,824 names of internally displaced persons for verification. As of July 31, it claimed 426,545 names had been verified, including 308,797 people with evidence of having lived in Rakhine State.

The United Council of Rohingya has rejected Myanmar’s claims, calling the statement misleading and an attempt to deny the Rohingya people’s identity and evade accountability for past violence.

Myanmar has also disputed international estimates of the number of Rohingyas displaced from Rakhine, saying more than 540,000 crossed into Bangladesh following the 2017 violence, while more than 200,000 remained in northern Rakhine.

Bangladesh and Myanmar agreed in 2018 to begin a repatriation process, but repeated attempts to return the refugees have failed amid continued instability and conflict in Rakhine State. The renewed fighting between the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army has further complicated efforts to repatriate the refugees.