Cox’s Bazar, Aug 19 (V7N) — The United Council of Rohingya (UCR), an organisation representing Rohingya refugees, has strongly rejected a recent statement by Myanmar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, accusing the government of distorting the history of the Rohingya crisis and attempting to evade responsibility for alleged state-sponsored abuses.

In a statement issued on Monday (August 17), the UCR responded point by point to Myanmar’s claims, alleging that the government was spreading misleading information about the origins and realities of the Rohingya crisis.

The organisation said Rohingyas are not “Bengali” but a distinct ethnic community historically associated with Rakhine State. It said denial of their ethnic identity has been a major factor behind decades of discrimination and persecution.

The UCR also rejected Myanmar’s description of the military operations in 2016 and 2017 as “counter-terrorism operations”. According to the organisation, the operations involved killings, sexual violence, the burning of villages and widespread persecution of Rohingyas. It said more than seven lakh Rohingyas fled to Bangladesh following the violence in 2017.

The organisation also raised concerns over Myanmar’s verification process for Rohingya repatriation. It alleged that Rohingyas were being required to register as “Bengali” as a condition for recognition of their identity, which it described as another attempt to deny their ethnic identity.

The UCR called for the verification process to be conducted independently under the leadership of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Myanmar recently said it was prepared to receive verified Rohingyas from Bangladesh but that repatriation could not begin until security conditions in Rakhine State had stabilised. Myanmar said 308,797 people out of a list of 828,824 submitted by Bangladesh had been verified as former residents of Rakhine State.

The UCR, however, said verification of identity alone was not sufficient to begin repatriation. It called for guarantees of citizenship, security, freedom of movement and property rights for Rohingyas.

Referring to the repatriation efforts of 1978 and 1992, the organisation said adequate security and basic rights had not been ensured at the time, undermining Rohingyas’ confidence in assurances from the Myanmar authorities.

The UCR said repatriation must be voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable, with international monitoring throughout the process.

The organisation also rejected the view that the Rohingya crisis should be treated solely as a bilateral issue between Bangladesh and Myanmar. It said the crisis involves allegations of crimes against humanity and genocide and therefore requires active engagement by the international community.

The UCR urged the Myanmar government to stop what it called misinformation and acknowledge the realities of the Rohingya crisis. It also called for greater international accountability through the United Nations Security Council and the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

The organisation said Rohingyas’ existence and identity cannot be erased and that they remain willing to return to their homeland if their security, identity and rights are guaranteed.

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