China ambassador blames Rohingya insurgents for Myanmar crisis

The Chinese Ambassador in Dhaka Ma Mingqiang has suggested that the Rohingya Muslim insurgents are to blame for the crisis now brewing in the Rakhine State.

China is known as a longtime ally of Myanmar.

He spoke about China's stance on the issue when he took questions from the press after attending a programme at the Economic Relations Division at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar on Sunday.

An ongoing army operation on the insurgents in Myanmar's Rakhine State has forced 300,000 Rohingyas to flee to Bangladesh, where another 400,000 refugees have taken shelter over the past few decades of turmoil.

Ambassador Mingqiang noted that the recent violence in Rakhine started through attacks by the insurgents on police posts and an army base on Aug 25, pushing the Rohingya people across the border.

But he acknowledged that Bangladesh was suffering due to the situation developing across the border.

He said China was also suffering from the Rohingya crisis because it had investments in Myanmar and wanted to revive BCIM (Bangladesh, China, India, Myanmar) economic corridor plan.

The ambassador hoped the Rohingya crisis will end soon.

Myanmar's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi is under pressure from the international community over the Rohingya issue. Many have even called for stripping her of Nobel Peace Prize for not taking measures to stop persecution and killings of Rohingyas.

Myanmar on Wednesday announced that it is negotiating with China and Russia to ensure they block any UN Security Council censure over the violence that has forced those people to flee.

In a rare letter to the UN Security Council last Tuesday, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed concern that the violence could spiral into a 'humanitarian catastrophe'.

After being briefed by Foreign Secretary Shahidul Haque on the Rohingya issue on Saturday, Russian Ambassador Alexander Ignatov said he believed that the situation would come up in the upcoming UN General Assembly in New York.

But The Sunday Times newspaper reported last week that Suu Kyi’s security adviser said 'friendly countries' would prevent any criticism of Burma.

Earlier, China, backed by Russia, blocked a short UN Security Council statement on Myanmar in March this year, after the 15-member body met to discuss the situation in Rakhine State. 

Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali, after briefing Dhaka-based diplomats on Sunday, said Myanmar never responded to Bangladesh's proposals for a bilateral solution to the longstanding crisis.

Foreign Secretary Haque briefed Minqiang on the issue earlier this month.