New Delhi (Mizzima) – The Burmese consulate in Hong Kong has denied that the Rohingya people are part of Burma's ethnic groups, saying that Burma does not have Rohingya ethnics.

In a letter to diplomats and heads of missions to Hong Kong on February 9, Burmese consular General Ye Myint Aung said Rohingya people were "neither Myanmar [Burmese] People nor Myanmar's [Burmese] ethnic group."

They are "dark brown" in complexion and do not resemble the Burmese people, who are "Fair and soft, good looking as well," the Burmese consular said.

Ye Myint Aung's letter came even as recent news surfaced regarding Rohingya boatpeople, who are stranded in Thailand, Indonesia and India.

In his letter, he urged his fellow diplomats not to be fooled by the news, which suggests Rohingya are an ethnic group belonging to Burma.

Ye Myint Aung's letter is in line with Burma's military government's announcement in its mouthpiece New Light of Myanmar newspaper, which denied the presence of Rohingya people in Burma.

However, the Rohingya migrants, who were rescued from India, Thailand and Indonesia, said they had come from the northwestern region of Burma's Arakan state.

A Rohingya activist in the United Kingdom told Mizzima that they had lived in areas of Maungdaw and Buthidaung in northwestern Arakan state, for centuries, but are denied citizenship rights.