Myanmar’s regime has rejected a proposal by Bangladesh’s largest Islamist political party, Jamaat-e-Islami, for the creation of an independent Rohingya state in Rakhine State.
Jamaat made the proposal during a meeting with a Communist Party of China (CPC) delegation in Dhaka on Sunday. China has not responded.
The Jamaat delegation’s leader Nayeb-e-Ameer Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher told reporters that around 1.2 million Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh were enduring “inhumane conditions” and humanitarian aid was not a solution.
“We proposed an independent Arakan State [Rakhine State] in the Rohingya-majority area to ensure their repatriation and rehabilitation,” Taher said.
He said Jamaat sought China’s support because of Beijing’s close ties with Myanmar’s junta. Taher said the CPC representatives would relay his message to the Chinese authorities.
The proposal undermined Myanmar’s sovereignty, the regime said, accusing Jamaat of contacting the CPC for political gain.
Myanmar has repeatedly articulated its stance on the repatriation of “Bengali” refugees, said the regime. “Bengali” is a term used by the military to refer to the Rohingya as interlopers from Bangladesh.
The Bangladeshi and junta deputy foreign ministers regularly met in Kunming to discuss the repatriation of Muslim refugees, said the statement.
The regime said it had a policy of verifying and registering refugees prior to repatriation and had built enough accommodation for returnees.
It said Jamaat’s proposal was an attempt to exploit the issue for political gain while undermining Myanmar’s sovereignty.
An Argentine court this year issued a warrant for the arrest of junta leader Min Aung Hlaing and 23 other military officers for alleged genocide against the Rohingya in 2017. The International Criminal Court’s prosecutor has filed a request with the court for an arrest warrant for Min Aung Hlaing.
In March, a Mizoram state MP in India visited the Chinland Council, an anti-regime group in Chin State, and called on border areas under its control to join India, citing their shared ethnic identity.
Another MP from neighboring Manipur state addressed India’s Lower House to propose the reclamation of the Kabaw valley in Sagaing Region, urging New Delhi to assess the feasibility of its return or enforce compensation from Myanmar.
Junta spokesman Major General Zaw Min Tun in response warned foreign politicians to refrain from “self-interest” that could harm bilateral relations. He urged respect for Myanmar’s sovereignty.
Since the 2001 coup, the regime has lost control of its border with Bangladesh to the Arakan Army and borders in Chin State and Sagaing Region are controlled by anti-regime groups.
The Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army controls some of the Chinese border and the Karen National Union has seized much of the Thai frontier.
