Burma junta denies Rohingya identity despite decades of persecution
Military regime rejects Muslim minority's ethnic identity, repeating claims used for decades to deny Rohingya citizenship and fundamental rights
YANGON, Burma (MNTV) — Burma’s military junta has once again denied the existence of the Rohingya as a distinct ethnic community, repeating a longstanding position used to justify the exclusion and persecution of the Muslim minority, which has endured decades of systematic discrimination, mass displacement and ethnic cleansing.
The junta’s latest rejection came in a statement issued by its embassy in Singapore in response to a documentary by Singapore-based broadcaster Channel News Asia (CNA), which examined rising xenophobic attacks against Rohingya refugees in Malaysia.
In its statement, the embassy claimed that the Rohingya had never existed as a distinct ethnic group in Burma and insisted they should instead be identified as Bengalis, a designation historically used by Burmese authorities to portray the community as foreigners from neighboring Bangladesh.
“ Myanmar categorically rejects the nomenclature that falsely claims the so-called ‘Rohingya’ as an ethnic identity which has never existed in Myanmar,” the embassy said, according to CNA.
The statement cited colonial-era census records to defend its position, dismissing the Rohingya identity despite the community’s longstanding historical presence in Arakan, a region in western Burma officially known as Rakhine State.
CNA rejected the junta’s objection, maintaining that the term Rohingya is widely recognized and used by international organizations and news outlets.
The broadcaster’s Oct. 15 documentary, aired under its Insight program, examined growing hostility toward Rohingya refugees in Malaysia, including xenophobic campaigns amplified through automated accounts and fake social media profiles.
The documentary highlighted attacks by vigilante groups targeting Rohingya refugees and raised concerns about the apparent failure of Malaysian authorities to prevent such violence.
The junta’s response reflects decades of policies aimed at denying the Rohingya recognition as an indigenous ethnic community.
Burma’s 1982 citizenship law effectively rendered most Rohingya stateless, depriving them of citizenship and exposing them to severe restrictions on movement, education, healthcare and employment.
Successive military governments, alongside extremist Buddhist nationalist movements, have promoted narratives portraying Rohingya Muslims as illegal immigrants despite their historical roots in Arakan.
These discriminatory policies culminated in the military’s brutal 2017 genocidal crackdown, which drove more than 700,000 Rohingya into neighboring Bangladesh amid widespread killings, sexual violence and the destruction of Muslim villages.
The latest controversy comes as Burma’s military continues operations in Arakan, where recent airstrikes have killed civilians and deepened the humanitarian crisis.
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