Former United Nations chief Kofi Annan will meet with representatives from local governments and nongovernmental organizations in western Myanmar’s troubled Rakhine state next Tuesday to discuss the role of a special commission that will look into the state’s human rights situation, a Rakhine government official said Friday.
Kofi Annan, who was appointed chairman of the government’s new Rakhine state advisory commission last week by de facto national leader Aung San Suu Kyi, will be in Rakhine with the commission’s other eight members on Sept. 6 and 7, said state government spokesman Min Aung.
The commission is tasked with reviewing humanitarian and development issues, access to basic services, the assurance of basic rights, and the security of those who live in Rakhine.
Among its other members are two international representatives, two Myanmar government representatives, and four Buddhists and Muslims from Myanmar.
“He [Annan] will explain to local people about the [commission’s] year-long agenda and how it will conduct its investigation,” he said. “It will be possible for local people to ask him questions about what they want to know. He will also meet with civil society organizations and Buddhist monks at state government offices.”
Annan is also expected to meet with representatives from the Arakan National Party (ANP), the state's largest political party, the online journal The Irrawaddy reported.
The party has criticized the inclusion of Annan and two other foreign nationals on the panel, arguing that Rakhine's situation should be handled domestically.
The ANP has also taken an uncompromising approach to the stateless Rohingya Muslim minority group which bore the brunt of anti-Muslim communal violence in 2012 that left more than 200 dead and displaced tens of thousands who were later forced to live in camps where they remain today.
Many in Myanmar consider the Rohingya illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, though some have lived in Myanmar for generations. As a result, the Rohingya have been denied citizenship, freedom of movement, and access to basics services such as health care and education.
Reported by Min Thein Aung for RFA’s Myanmar Service. Translated by Khet Mar. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.