Bangladesh to Myanmar Envoy: Rohingyas Are Not ‘Bengalis’
Bangladesh has rejected Myanmar’s recent description of Rohingyas sheltered in Bangladesh as “Bengalis.”
At a meeting with Myanmar Ambassador U Kyaw Soe Moe in Dhaka on Tuesday, Foreign Ministry Director General Toufiq-ur-Rahman said Myanmar’s August 15 statement contained inaccurate information, particularly about the number of displaced Rohingyas.
Bangladesh said UN-registered data reflects the actual number of Rohingyas in the country and urged Myanmar to expedite the verification process under existing bilateral agreements. It also said Rohingyas displaced from Rakhine after 2017 and children born in the camps must be included in the process.
Bangladesh currently has records of 828,824 Rohingyas and will provide Myanmar with information on additional registered people in due course.
It also stressed that Rohingyas have their own ethnic identity and should not be described as “Bengalis.” The Myanmar ambassador assured Bangladesh that its concerns would be conveyed to his government and said Myanmar remained committed to speeding up verification and beginning repatriation.
Bangladesh reiterated that the sustainable solution to the crisis is the safe, dignified and voluntary repatriation of Rohingyas to Rakhine.
