Myanmar's delegate to talks in Bangkok on Southeast Asia's migrant crisis on Friday rebuked the UN's refugee agency for calling on the country to recognise the Muslim Rohingya minority as citizens to stem their exodus from its shores.

On "this issue of illegal migration of boat people, you cannot single out my country," Myanmar delegation, Foreign Ministry Director-General Htin Lynn said in stern response to a UNHCR plea to address the "root causes" of the ongoing migration crisis including the statelessness issue.