Myanmar receives Kofi Annan report on Rakhine situation
By Kyaw Ye Lynn
August 23, 2017
Former UN secretary general submits report on conflict between Buddhists, Muslims in western state
YANGON, Myanmar -- Former UN chief Kofi Annan on Wednesday submitted his final report on Rakhine state, where Rohingya Muslims have faced widespread abuses, to the government.
Annan, whose advisory commission was appointed by State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi a year ago, presented the report to President Htin Kyaw in capital Nay Pyi Taw, the commission said in a statement.
The former secretary general is due to met Suu Kyi on Wednesday or Thursday to discuss violence between the Rohingya and Buddhist communities in the western state.
Commission member Aye Lwin said earlier this month that the final report included recommendations for a solution to the conflict.
“But it will not include the recent alleged human rights violations in Rakhine's north,” he said in an email to Anadolu Agency.
A security clampdown launched in October last year in Maungdaw, where Rohingya form the majority, led to a UN report on human rights violations by security forces that indicated crimes against humanity.
The UN documented mass gang rape, killings, including of babies and children, brutal beatings and disappearances. Rohingya representatives have said approximately 400 people were slain during the operation.
The commission, which is set to hold a news conference in Yangon on Thursday, was briefed with exploring conflict prevention methods, ensuring humanitarian aid and promoting long-term development.
It has interviewed 1,000 people over the past 12 months, including politicians and a cross-section of the Buddhist and Muslim population.
Rakhine is a home to around 1.2 million stateless Rohingya, viewed by many Buddhists as illegal immigrants from neighboring Bangladesh, although they have lived in the area for generations.
