Dhaka concerned over Myanmar’s Rohingya numbers

Bangladesh conveyed its position to Myanmar through its envoy in Dhaka on Tuesday over a “factually incorrect” statement issued by Myanmar’s military-backed government recently concerning the Rohingyas sheltered in Bangladesh.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs DG (Myanmar) Md Toufiq-ur-Rahman conveyed Bangladesh’s concern when Myanmar Ambassador U Kyaw Soe Moe met him at his office at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said a statement issued by the ministry.

Referring to the latest press statement issued by the Myanmar Foreign Ministry on the Rohingya matter, dated August 15, the DG mentioned that many elements of the statement were based on erroneous statistics, including the number of the displaced Rohingya population. He said the data registered under the UN system reflects the accurate number.

The DG also requested the Ambassador to expedite the verification process of the displaced Rohingyas based on agreed bilateral instruments, including taking into account children born in the camps and new arrivals who were forced to leave Rakhine after 2017. Bangladesh is in the process of registering them, and information on Rohingyas beyond the caseload of 828,824 would be shared with the Myanmar authorities in due course.

The DG requested that this additional information be duly reflected in the verification exercise. He also pointed out that Rohingyas are not “Bengalis” as they have their own ethnic identity, which was accepted by the Myanmar authorities until recently.

Ambassador Soe Moe assured that he would convey Bangladesh’s concerns and observations to his capital and expressed his government’s commitment to expedite the verification process to begin the repatriation of verified Rohingyas.

The DG reiterated that the only sustainable solution to the crisis lies in the safe, dignified and voluntary repatriation of the Rohingyas to Rakhine.