Myanmar's government has issued a statement referring to Rohingya as "Bengalis from Rakhine," according to a BBC report published on Saturday. The statement also claims that the widely cited figure of one million Rohingya who entered Bangladesh is inaccurate, asserting that most of them are actually Bengali nationals.
The BBC reports that Myanmar's government has said it will take back 300,000 Rohingya from Bangladesh once the security situation in Rakhine state improves. This announcement comes as part of a broader effort by Myanmar to frame the Rohingya population in Bangladesh as migrants rather than refugees fleeing persecution.
According to The Daily Star and other outlets covering the same development, Myanmar has begun verifying the information of more than 300,000 Rohingya living in camps in Bangladesh. The verification process is a precondition for any potential repatriation, with Myanmar insisting that returns will only happen after conditions in Rakhine are deemed safe.
The News 24 outlet adds that Myanmar's statement directly challenges the narrative of mass displacement, arguing that the number of Rohingya who crossed into Bangladesh is not as high as one million. This position contradicts the accounts of international organizations and Bangladesh's government, which have documented the scale of the exodus since 2017.
The distinction matters because the term "Bengali" has historically been used by Myanmar to deny the Rohingya's indigenous status in Rakhine, implying they are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. The repatriation offer of 300,000 people is significantly lower than the total Rohingya population in Bangladesh, which is estimated to be over one million.
Observers will be watching whether Bangladesh accepts Myanmar's verification process and whether any actual returns take place despite the ongoing instability in Rakhine.
