Myanmar junta rejects Jamaat’s call for Rohingya state

Myanmar's regime has rejected a proposal by Bangladesh's largest Islamist political party, Jamaat-e-Islami, for the creation of an independent Rohingya state in Rakhine State, report the Irrawaddy.

Jamaat made the proposal during a meeting with a Communist Party of China (CPC) delegation in Dhaka on April 27.

"We proposed an independent Arakan State [Rakhine State] in the Rohingya-majority area to ensure their repatriation and rehabilitation," said the Jamaat delegation's leader Nayeb-e-Ameer Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher.

He said Jamaat sought China's support because of Beijing's close ties with Myanmar's junta.

The proposal undermined Myanmar's sovereignty, the regime said, accusing Jamaat of contacting the CPC for political gain, the report added.

Myanmar has repeatedly articulated its stance on the repatriation of "Bengali" refugees, said the Myanmar regime.

"Bengali" is a term used by the military to refer to the Rohingya as interlopers from Bangladesh.

The Bangladeshi and junta deputy foreign ministers regularly met in Kunming to discuss the repatriation of Rohingya refugees, said the statement.

The regime said it had a policy of verifying and registering refugees prior to repatriation and had built enough accommodation for returnees.

It said the Jamaat's proposal was an attempt to exploit the issue for political gain while undermining Myanmar's sovereignty.