Last week, during a meeting with the Chinese Communist Party, Bangladesh’s Jamaat-e-Islami proposed the creation of a separate state for the Rohingya community in Myanmar’s Rakhine state. The party reportedly sought support from China for this initiative. However, Jamaat’s Nayeb-e-Ameer Dr. Syed Abdullah later distanced himself from the statement.
In response, Myanmar’s military junta strongly condemned the proposal, stating that it undermines the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. The junta accused Jamaat of engaging with China for political leverage.
The Myanmar military continues to refer to the Rohingya as “Bengali refugees,” asserting that they are originally from Bangladesh—despite the fact that the Rohingya community has lived in Rakhine for generations.
The junta further stated that regular meetings are held between Bangladeshi and Myanmar defense ministers in China’s Kunming regarding the repatriation of Muslim refugees. They emphasized that any return would require verification and registration of the individuals, and that housing arrangements are being planned for them.
The junta labeled Jamaat’s proposal as an attempt to exploit the Rohingya crisis for political gain and reiterated that such moves threaten Myanmar’s unity.