Junta government protests proposal for independent state for Rohingya

A meeting between the Communist Party of China (CPC) in Bangladesh and the Jamaat-e-Islami party in Myanmar over the proposal to form an independent state for the Rohingya in Myanmar's Rakhine state has drawn strong international reactions. Myanmar's military junta government has protested the incident. They said that such a proposal by Jamaat-e-Islami challenged the country's sovereignty.

Thailand-based media outlet The Irrawaddy reported that a high-level meeting of Jamaat-e-Islami was held with CPC representatives in Dhaka's Gulshan on April 27. After the meeting, the party announced in a press briefing that Jamaat has proposed the formation of an independent state centered on the Rohingya majority area in Rakhine state.

Jamaat Naib Ameer Syed Abdullah Muhammad Taher said in a statement, “We have sought a respectful and permanent solution to the Rohingya problem. The proposal to form an independent Arakan state mentioned in the briefing is basically the idea of ​​a ‘safe zone’ for the safe repatriation of the Rohingya to their own land.”

He added, “Since China is a country that exerts influence on Myanmar, we hope they will inform their government about the matter and take appropriate initiatives.”

However, the military government of Myanmar has reacted strongly to Jamaat’s proposal. They said in a statement, “Jamaat Islami’s proposal amounts to interference in Myanmar’s internal affairs and violation of sovereignty. The party is contacting China in this way to gain political benefits.”

Referring to the Rohingya as ‘Bangladeshi infiltrators’ in the statement, the junta government said that their ‘verification and registration’ process is underway before their repatriation and that adequate housing is also ready for the returning refugees.

Since August 25, 2017, the Rohingya have been pouring into Bangladesh due to the repression of the Myanmar army. As a result, the world's largest refugee camp, Kutupalong, was established in Cox's Bazar. Currently, about 1.2 million Rohingya live there.

Although Myanmar initially agreed to the repatriation of the Rohingya under international pressure, the repatriation effort in 2019 failed due to the lack of trust of the Rohingya. Later, in 2021, the junta led by General Min Aung Hlaing overthrew Aung San Suu Kyi's government in a military coup. This further complicated the repatriation process.

Although trilateral talks began for some time under Chinese mediation, they did not progress effectively due to the increasing conflict between the military and the Arakan Army in Myanmar. As the conflict in Rakhine has resumed, there has been a fear of Rohingya infiltration into Bangladesh.

In this situation, the Jamaat-e-Islami's proposal has created new diplomatic tensions. China has not yet officially commented on the matter.