THE special commission to help resolve ethnic strife in Burma’s (Myanmar) Rakhine state is not meant to investigate human rights, but to come up with recommendations to ease tensions between Buddhists and minority Muslims, said former U.N. secretary-general Kofi Annan.
Annan is a member of the independent commission set up last month by State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi’s government to help find solutions to communal conflict in the western state resulting from longstanding discrimination against Rohingya Muslims.
Sectarian violence, which erupted in 2012, has seen dozens of the minority Rohingyas killed by vigilante mobs comprising hardline Buddhist nationalist groups and followers, with 100,000 more displaced.
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Human rights groups have also documented widespread abuses against the Rohingya Muslims.
Annan said at a news conference Thursday after a two-day trip to Rakhine that his team’s mandate is, “not here to do a human rights investigation or to write a human rights report… I hope our recommendations will be helpful as we intend to reduce tension and support development.”
Annan was quoted in The Irrawaddy as explaining that the objective of the advisory commission is to provide recommendations for the Burmese government in line with international standards to facilitate a lasting solution to conflict in Arakan (Rakhine) state.
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Aiming to work “rigorously” and “impartially”, he said the commission will come up with recommendations that focus on conflict resolution, humanitarian assistance, reconciliation, and development.
Asked what he thought about being met with protest upon his arrival to Burma, Annan said he was not surprised as it was a common practice in a democratic society.
Every year, tens of thousands of Rohingya, who are known as among some of the most persecuted minorities in the world, flee Burma and make perilous journeys in rickety boats to seek refuge in other Southeast Asian countries. Many have perished in their pursuit of better lives, while others fall victim to human traffickers.
It was confirmed last month that Kofi Annan would lead the panel set up by Burma’s government to find “lasting solutions” to the conflict in the Rakhine state.
SEE ALSO: Burma: Former UN Sec-Gen Kofi Annan to help govt resolve Rohingya issue
A statement by the office of Suu Kyi said on Aug 23 that an agreement would be signed between her office and the Kofi Annan Foundation to set up a nine-member advisory commission to resolve “protracted issues in the region. The council is reportedly made up of six Burmese citizens and three foreigners.
Additional reporting from The Associated Press
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