Myanmar government rejects use of term ‘Rohingya’ in CNA programme, says Rohingya ‘never existed’ as an ethnic identity

CNA stands by its reporting, which was based on attributable sources and presented with appropriate context, including the Myanmar government’s position.

A screenshot from the CNA documentary Insight 2026/2027 – Malaysia’s Rohingya Riddle.

This audio is generated by an AI tool.

SINGAPORE: The Myanmar military government has taken issue with a recent CNA current affairs programme which examined the plight of the Rohingya community in Malaysia - alleging that some information was “unsubstantiated by historical evidence” and allegations that could undermine Myanmar’s image.

In a statement dated Oct 22, which was put up on the website of Myanmar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Myanmar embassy in Singapore said: “Myanmar categorically rejects the nomenclature that falsely claims the so-called ‘Rohingya’ as an ethnic identity which has never existed in Myanmar. The term ‘Bengali’ has existed in Myanmar as proven by historical official records, including the censuses during the British colonial administration. Therefore, the remarks using such terminology are unacceptable.”

In response, CNA executive producer Daniel Heng pointed out that the use of the term “Rohingya” is consistent with established international usage and widely accepted journalistic practice.

The term Rohingya is used by major international organisations, including the United Nations, the United Nations Children's Fund, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the International Court of Justice, Doctors Without Borders and Oxfam, as well as international news organisations such as the BBC, CNN, Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse.

CNA Games Guess Word Crack the word, one row at a time Buzzword Create words using the given letters Mini Sudoku Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser Mini Crossword Small grid, big challenge Word Search Spot as many words as you can Show More Show Less “Given that the documentary examines the situation of the Rohingya community in Malaysia, it is also pertinent that the term Rohingya is used by the Malaysian government in parliamentary proceedings and public discourse and by Malaysian media such as the New Straits Times (NST),” said Mr Heng. The CNA weekly current affairs programme, Insight: Malaysia’s Rohingya Riddle, aired on Oct 15 and was uploaded the next day on CNA Insider's YouTube page. Insight is CNA’s international award-winning one-hour current affairs programme that aims to expose viewers to the political, social and economic realities facing today's societies. This episode explored Malaysia’s balance between humanitarian concerns and national interests, as Rohingya who had been offered refuge now face rising hostility and political pressure. It has been more than five years since Myanmar’s military seized power in a coup, ousting the elected government. In its statement, the Myanmar government included copies of Myanmar’s census reports from 1881, 1921 and 1931. It also said that it “prioritises provision of necessary assistance to Myanmar citizens facing difficulties abroad”. “Recently, following the verification process, 8,041 Myanmar nationals were repatriated to Myanmar by air on a weekly basis. Moreover, 1,476 verified Myanmar nationals who could not afford airfare were repatriated by Myanmar Navy vessels,” the statement said. “Myanmar firmly rejects politically motivated broadcasts intended to exert international pressure on the country. Such broadcasts must not link the repatriation of Myanmar nationals from Malaysia with the separate issue of Bengalis who have illegally entered Malaysia. These statements constitute fabricated propaganda aimed at inciting hatred against Myanmar and its people. Myanmar is a multi-ethnic and multi-religious country where people of different faiths have lived side by side in harmony.” The embassy’s Chargé d'Affaires Zaw Minn Aung also sent a letter of protest addressed to CNA’s editor-in-chief to express its “strong objection to the unverified information contained in the documentary that fails to accurately reflect the situation on the ground”. Mr Heng noted that the CNA programme did not overlook or misrepresent the Myanmar government’s position. It explicitly acknowledged this position, stating that “Myanmar authorities and nationalist groups have frequently rejected the term ‘Rohingya’ and instead described the community as ‘Bengali’, implying that they consist of relatively recent migrants from Bangladesh.” Regarding the reported agreement for Myanmar to accept 5,000 Rohingya refugees from Malaysia, the documentary drew on remarks made by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim during a speech, as reported by the NST in July 2026. "Now, because of our good relations with Myanmar, they have agreed to take back 5,000 from Malaysia," Mr Anwar was quoted by NST saying. NST also reported Mr Anwar saying his government would continue to act firmly against Rohingya refugees who disrupted public spaces and traffic, and that he has “instructed the police and border authorities that I do not want Rohingya disrupting roads or public places”. The CNA programme also expressly clarified that the approximately 1,500 Myanmar nationals recently repatriated from Malaysia did not include Rohingya. “CNA stands by its reporting, which was based on attributable sources and presented with appropriate context, including the Myanmar government’s position. We remain committed to accurate, balanced, and contextual journalism,” said Mr Heng.

“Given that the documentary examines the situation of the Rohingya community in Malaysia, it is also pertinent that the term Rohingya is used by the Malaysian government in parliamentary proceedings and public discourse and by Malaysian media such as the New Straits Times (NST),” said Mr Heng.

The CNA weekly current affairs programme, Insight: Malaysia’s Rohingya Riddle, aired on Oct 15 and was uploaded the next day on CNA Insider's YouTube page. Insight is CNA’s international award-winning one-hour current affairs programme that aims to expose viewers to the political, social and economic realities facing today's societies. This episode explored Malaysia’s balance between humanitarian concerns and national interests, as Rohingya who had been offered refuge now face rising hostility and political pressure.

It has been more than five years since Myanmar’s military seized power in a coup, ousting the elected government.

In its statement, the Myanmar government included copies of Myanmar’s census reports from 1881, 1921 and 1931. It also said that it “prioritises provision of necessary assistance to Myanmar citizens facing difficulties abroad”.

“Recently, following the verification process, 8,041 Myanmar nationals were repatriated to Myanmar by air on a weekly basis. Moreover, 1,476 verified Myanmar nationals who could not afford airfare were repatriated by Myanmar Navy vessels,” the statement said.

“Myanmar firmly rejects politically motivated broadcasts intended to exert international pressure on the country. Such broadcasts must not link the repatriation of Myanmar nationals from Malaysia with the separate issue of Bengalis who have illegally entered Malaysia. These statements constitute fabricated propaganda aimed at inciting hatred against Myanmar and its people. Myanmar is a multi-ethnic and multi-religious country where people of different faiths have lived side by side in harmony.” The embassy’s Chargé d'Affaires Zaw Minn Aung also sent a letter of protest addressed to CNA’s editor-in-chief to express its “strong objection to the unverified information contained in the documentary that fails to accurately reflect the situation on the ground”.

Mr Heng noted that the CNA programme did not overlook or misrepresent the Myanmar government’s position. It explicitly acknowledged this position, stating that “Myanmar authorities and nationalist groups have frequently rejected the term ‘Rohingya’ and instead described the community as ‘Bengali’, implying that they consist of relatively recent migrants from Bangladesh.”

Regarding the reported agreement for Myanmar to accept 5,000 Rohingya refugees from Malaysia, the documentary drew on remarks made by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim during a speech, as reported by the NST in July 2026.

"Now, because of our good relations with Myanmar, they have agreed to take back 5,000 from Malaysia," Mr Anwar was quoted by NST saying.

NST also reported Mr Anwar saying his government would continue to act firmly against Rohingya refugees who disrupted public spaces and traffic, and that he has “instructed the police and border authorities that I do not want Rohingya disrupting roads or public places”.

The CNA programme also expressly clarified that the approximately 1,500 Myanmar nationals recently repatriated from Malaysia did not include Rohingya.

“CNA stands by its reporting, which was based on attributable sources and presented with appropriate context, including the Myanmar government’s position. We remain committed to accurate, balanced, and contextual journalism,” said Mr Heng.

An automated curation of our top stories to start your day.

Get our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inbox

Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories

Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app

CNA坚持其报道，该报道基于可追溯的消息来源，并附有适当的背景信息，包括缅甸政府的立场。

来自 CNA 纪录片《洞察 2026/2027——马来西亚的罗兴亚之谜》的截图。

这段音频由人工智能工具生成。

新加坡：缅甸军政府对亚洲新闻台（CNA）最近一档探讨马来西亚罗兴亚人困境的时事节目提出异议，声称其中一些信息“缺乏历史证据支持”，并且某些指控可能会损害缅甸的形象。

缅甸驻新加坡大使馆于10月22日发表声明，该声明已发布在缅甸外交部网站上。声明称：“缅甸断然拒绝将所谓的‘罗兴亚人’错误地认定为缅甸从未存在过的民族身份。‘孟加拉人’一词在缅甸一直存在，这已由包括英国殖民统治时期人口普查在内的历史官方记录所证实。因此，使用此类术语的言论是不可接受的。”

对此，CNA执行制片人Daniel Heng指出，“罗兴亚人”一词的使用符合既定的国际惯例和广为接受的新闻实践。

“罗兴亚人”一词被包括联合国、联合国儿童基金会、联合国难民署、国际法院、无国界医生和乐施会在内的主要国际组织，以及英国广播公司 (BBC)、美国有线电视新闻网 (CNN)、美联社、路透社和法新社等国际新闻机构使用。

CNA游戏 猜词游戏 逐行破解单词 流行词游戏 用给定的字母组成单词 迷你数独 小谜题，脑力挑战 迷你填字游戏 小方格，大挑战 单词搜索 尽可能多地找出单词 显示更多 显示更少 “鉴于这部纪录片探讨了马来西亚罗兴亚社区的处境，马来西亚政府在议会程序和公共话语中使用‘罗兴亚’一词，以及马来西亚媒体（例如《新海峡时报》）使用‘罗兴亚’一词，也同样值得关注，”王瑞杰先生说道。 CNA每周时事节目《洞察：马来西亚的罗兴亚之谜》于10月15日播出，并于次日上传至CNA Insider的YouTube频道。《洞察》是CNA屡获国际奖项的一小时时事节目，旨在让观众了解当今社会面临的政治、社会和经济现实。本期节目探讨了马来西亚如何在人道主义关切与国家利益之间寻求平衡，因为曾获得庇护的罗兴亚人如今面临着日益加剧的敌意和政治压力。缅甸军方发动政变推翻民选政府已超过五年。缅甸政府在声明中附上了1881年、1921年和1931年的人口普查报告副本。声明还表示，“优先向在海外遭遇困境的缅甸公民提供必要援助”。声明称：“近期，经过核实程序，每周有8041名缅甸公民乘飞机返回缅甸。此外，还有1476名经核实身份但无力承担机票费用的缅甸公民由缅甸海军舰艇遣返回国。”缅甸坚决反对任何旨在对缅甸施加国际压力的政治宣传。此类宣传不应将缅甸公民从马来西亚遣返与非法入境马来西亚的孟加拉人问题混为一谈。这些言论系捏造的宣传，旨在煽动对缅甸及其人民的仇恨。缅甸是一个多民族、多宗教的国家，不同信仰的人们一直以来都和睦相处。缅甸驻马来西亚大使馆临时代办佐敏昂也致函亚洲新闻台（CNA）总编辑，表达了缅甸“对该纪录片中未经核实的信息的强烈反对，该信息未能准确反映当地实际情况”。王瑞杰先生指出，亚洲新闻台的节目并未忽视或歪曲缅甸政府的立场。该纪录片明确承认了这一立场，指出“缅甸当局和民族主义团体经常拒绝使用‘罗兴亚人’一词，而是将该群体描述为‘孟加拉人’，暗示他们是来自孟加拉国的近期移民。” 关于缅甸同意接收来自马来西亚的5000名罗兴亚难民的报道，该纪录片引用了马来西亚总理安瓦尔·易卜拉欣在2026年7月《新海峡时报》（NST）报道的一次演讲。安瓦尔先生在接受《新海峡时报》采访时表示：“现在，由于我们与缅甸的良好关系，他们同意从马来西亚接收5000人。” 《新海峡时报》还报道称，安瓦尔先生表示，他的政府将继续对扰乱公共场所和交通的罗兴亚难民采取强硬措施，并且他已“指示警方和边境当局，我不希望罗兴亚人扰乱道路或公共场所”。中央社节目也明确澄清，近期从马来西亚遣返的约1500名缅甸国民并不包括罗兴亚人。“中央社坚持其报道，该报道基于可靠消息来源，并提供了恰当的背景信息，包括缅甸政府的立场。我们将继续致力于提供准确、平衡和客观的新闻报道。”王瑞杰先生表示。

“鉴于这部纪录片探讨了马来西亚罗兴亚社区的状况，马来西亚政府在议会程序和公共话语中使用‘罗兴亚’一词，以及马来西亚媒体（如《新海峡时报》）使用‘罗兴亚’一词，也具有重要意义，”王瑞杰先生说。

马来西亚亚洲新闻台（CNA）每周时事节目《洞察：马来西亚的罗兴亚之谜》于10月15日播出，并于次日上传至CNA Insider的YouTube频道。《洞察》是CNA屡获国际奖项的一小时时事节目，旨在让观众了解当今社会面临的政治、社会和经济现实。本期节目探讨了马来西亚如何在人道主义关切和国家利益之间寻求平衡，因为曾获得庇护的罗兴亚人如今面临着日益加剧的敌意和政治压力。

缅甸军方发动政变夺取政权，推翻民选政府，至今已超过五年。

缅甸政府在声明中附上了1881年、1921年和1931年的人口普查报告副本。声明还表示，“优先向在海外面临困境的缅甸公民提供必要的援助”。

声明称：“近期，经过核实程序，每周有8041名缅甸公民乘飞机返回缅甸。此外，还有1476名经核实身份但无力承担机票费用的缅甸公民由缅甸海军舰艇遣返回国。”

缅甸坚决反对任何旨在对该国施加国际压力的政治宣传。此类宣传不应将缅甸公民从马来西亚遣返与非法入境马来西亚的孟加拉人问题混为一谈。这些言论系捏造的宣传，旨在煽动对缅甸及其人民的仇恨。缅甸是一个多民族、多宗教的国家，不同信仰的人们一直以来都和睦相处。缅甸驻马来西亚大使馆临时代办佐敏昂还致函亚洲新闻台（CNA）总编辑，表达了缅甸“对该纪录片中未经核实的信息的强烈反对，该信息未能准确反映当地实际情况”。

亨先生指出，亚洲新闻台的节目并没有忽视或歪曲缅甸政府的立场。节目明确承认了这一立场，并指出“缅甸当局和民族主义团体经常拒绝使用‘罗兴亚人’一词，而是将该群体描述为‘孟加拉人’，暗示他们是来自孟加拉国的相对较新的移民。”

关于缅甸同意接收来自马来西亚的 5,000 名罗兴亚难民的报道，该纪录片引用了马来西亚总理安瓦尔·易卜拉欣在一次演讲中的言论，该演讲于 2026 年 7 月由《新海峡时报》报道。

据《新海峡时报》报道，安华先生表示：“现在，由于我们与缅甸关系良好，他们已同意从马来西亚接回5000人。”

《新海峡时报》还报道称，安华表示，他的政府将继续对扰乱公共场所和交通的罗兴亚难民采取强硬措施，并且他已“指示警方和边境当局，我不希望罗兴亚人扰乱道路或公共场所”。

中央社节目还明确澄清，最近从马来西亚遣返的约 1500 名缅甸国民不包括罗兴亚人。

“中央社坚持其报道立场，该报道基于可靠消息来源，并提供了适当的背景信息，包括缅甸政府的立场。我们将继续致力于提供准确、平衡和客观的新闻报道。”王先生表示。

每天清晨，我们都会自动为您推送最热门的新闻资讯，助您开启美好的一天。

订阅我们的邮件，即可获取精选热点新闻和引人深思的文章。

订阅通知，第一时间获取突发新闻和精彩报道。

加入我们的频道，即可在您常用的聊天应用上获取当日热门文章。