Bangladesh has strongly rejected Myanmar’s recent submissions to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), saying references to the Rohingya as “Bengalis” distort history, undermine the community’s identity and seek to justify atrocities committed during the violence of 2016–17.
In a statement issued on Friday evening, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Myanmar’s characterisation of the Rohingya before the world court was misleading and aimed at reinforcing a false narrative that portrays the community as illegal migrants and a security threat.
“The Government of Bangladesh calls upon Myanmar and others having authority over Rakhine to demonstrate a genuine commitment to the recognition of Rohingya as an integral part of their society and state and facilitate their return by creating a conducive atmosphere in Rakhine and their reintegration with equal rights, in safety and with dignity,” the statement said.
Bangladesh said Myanmar’s submissions to the ICJ were designed to divert attention from what it described as atrocity crimes committed against the Rohingya during military operations in Rakhine State.
The statement said the Rohingya are a distinct ethnic group with deep historical roots in Arakan, predating modern borders and the region’s incorporation into the Burmese Kingdom in 1785. Their presence, it added, is documented in historical records, colonial-era demographic accounts and independent academic research.
According to the foreign ministry, the term “Rohingya” evolved historically from the name of the old Arakan capital, Mro-Haung or Rohang, and was later adopted by the community for self-identification amid long-standing marginalisation in Myanmar.
Bangladesh said attempts to portray the Rohingya as foreigners or recent migrants were inconsistent with historical facts and denied their inherent right to self-identify.
The statement noted that the Rohingya were an integral part of Myanmar’s political and social life until the introduction of the 1982 Citizenship Law, which excluded them from citizenship on ethno-religious grounds. Despite prolonged marginalisation, the community retained voting rights until they were fully disenfranchised during Myanmar’s 2015 general elections.
Bangladesh said the denial of constitutional guarantees to the Rohingya culminated in their mass expulsion from Rakhine State during the 2016–17 violence, rendering them stateless as part of what it described as a planned process to destroy the community.
The foreign ministry said the systematic labelling of the Rohingya as “Bengalis” had been used to justify exclusion, persecution and ethnic cleansing. It added that Myanmar had previously recognised the Rohingya as “lawful residents of Burma” in the 1978 bilateral repatriation agreement with Bangladesh and had reaffirmed their reintegration in subsequent accords.
Bangladesh said Myanmar’s continued failure for more than eight years to create a safe and conducive environment in Rakhine for the voluntary, dignified return of the Rohingya violated bilateral arrangements signed in 2017 and 2018 and raised concerns about long-term intent.
The statement also recalled Bangladesh’s formal protest on 18 July 2023 against Myanmar’s claim that half a million Bangladeshis had taken refuge in Rakhine during Bangladesh’s 1971 Liberation War, noting that no documentary or demographic evidence supported the assertion.
