Bangladesh expresses concern over Myanmar’s statement on Rohingya issue

Bangladesh has expressed concern over a recent statement by Myanmar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the Rohingya issue, saying several of the information and statistics presented in the statement were inaccurate.

Director General of the Bangladesh Foreign Ministry’s Myanmar Department Md Taufiq-ur-Rahman voiced the concern during a meeting with Myanmar Ambassador to Bangladesh Kyaw Soe Moe on Tuesday (August 18).

Referring to Myanmar’s foreign ministry statement issued on August 15, Taufiq-ur-Rahman said many of the figures and information in the statement were based on incorrect statistics, particularly regarding the number of Rohingya refugees currently staying in Bangladesh.

He said the actual number of Rohingya refugees is reflected in the United Nations system.

At the meeting, Taufiq-ur-Rahman also sought the Myanmar ambassador’s assistance in expediting the verification of Rohingya lists under the procedures agreed upon bilaterally.

He requested that the verification process include children born in refugee camps in Bangladesh and Rohingyas who entered the country after fleeing Myanmar following 2017.

He said Bangladesh is currently registering these Rohingyas.

Taufiq-ur-Rahman also said Bangladesh would soon hand over to Myanmar the information on Rohingyas from the remaining list of 828,824 people.

He reiterated that the Rohingyas are not Bangalee, saying they have their own nationality, which has also been acknowledged by the Myanmar authorities.

The Myanmar ambassador assured Taufiq-ur-Rahman that he would convey Bangladesh’s concerns to his government.

He also reaffirmed Myanmar’s commitment to begin the repatriation of Rohingyas after expediting the verification of their lists.