• Burmese
Saturday, July 19, 2025
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
The Irrawaddy
28 °c
Yangon
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
No Result
View All Result
The Irrawaddy
No Result
View All Result
Home News Burma

Kofi Annan: Commission Will Not Do ‘Human Rights Investigation’ in Arakan State

Moe Myint by Moe Myint
September 8, 2016
in Burma
Reading Time: 3 mins read
0 0
A A
Arakan Advisory Commission Chairman Kofi Annan speaks to the media during a press conference in Rangoon on Thursday at the end of his recent Burma trip. / JPaing / The Irrawaddy

Arakan Advisory Commission Chairman Kofi Annan speaks to the media during a press conference in Rangoon on Thursday at the end of his recent Burma trip. / JPaing / The Irrawaddy

5k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

RANGOON — Kofi Annan, chair of the Arakan State Advisory Commission, told media in a Thursday press conference in Rangoon that the commission’s purpose is not to investigate rights abuses, but to write an “impartial report.”

“We are 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,” said Mr. Annan.

The former UN general secretary explained that the objective of the advisory commission is to provide recommendations for the Burmese government in accordance with international standards, to facilitate a lasting solution to conflict in Arakan State.

RelatedPosts

Kofi Annan is pictured before a meeting of the Rakhine State Advisory Commission at the National Reconciliation and Peace Center in Yangon in 2016. / Myo Min Soe / The Irrawaddy

Former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan Dies Aged 80

August 18, 2018
4.1k
Kofi Annan, center, at a press conference to mark the Rakhine State Advisory commission’s final report launch in Aug in Yangon. / Thet Htun Naing / The Irrawaddy

Analysis: Still Hope Kofi Annan Recommendations will Bring Stability to Rakhine

October 19, 2017
5.4k
Implementation Committee for Recommendations on Rakhine State chief U Win Myat Aye delivered relief to displaced persons in Maungdaw, Rakhine State on Aug. 28. / Win Myat Aye / Facebook

Govt to Implement Recommendations on Rakhine Issue ‘Without Delay’

September 13, 2017
7.2k

The commission will work “rigorously” and “impartially” to create these recommendations. The focus will be on conflict resolution, humanitarian assistance, reconciliation and development, Mr. Annan added. Since the outbreak of anti-Muslim violence in 2012, which led to the displacement of 140,000, the region has received international attention.

Questions at Thursday’s press conference were limited, with only ten questions accepted from among hundreds of reporters from both local and international media houses.

A reporter asked Mr. Annan how he planned to work successfully without the support and collaboration of many local Buddhist Arakanese; his arrival and departure in Arakan State were both met with protests, and an Arakanese political party—the Arakan National Party—proposed in Parliament that Kofi Annan and other international representatives be removed from the commission, a move which was voted down on Tuesday.

Mr. Annan replied that demonstrations represented a type of communication and he was not surprised by it, as protests are not a strange occurrence in a democratic society.

On Thursday, Kofi Annan also met with both Burma’s President U Htin Kyaw and the Burma Army commander-in-chief, Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing. Both figures, along with the Union Parliament, gave a green light to the commission to pursue their work.

“I can assure you the commission is independent,” he said, adding that the group would “consider the interests” of all groups in Arakan State.

On his first trip to the state, from Sept. 6-7, Mr. Annan met with the speaker of the regional parliament, the chief minister, community leaders, civil society organizations and religious leaders. He visited both Buddhist Arakanese and Rohingya Muslim displaced people’s camps. The trip, he said, was “productive.”

Annan recalled being asked by locals for improved access to education and employment, and greater freedom of movement. Understanding the history of the region, he said, will be useful for the commission to understand the situation on the ground.

One participant in the press conference questioned Mr. Annan about whether he had witnessed any oppression of the Muslim community during his time in Arakan State.

“Personally, I did not see it there,” he said.

The Arakan State government had planned the busy agenda for the visit, commission member Al Haj Aye Lwin explained, and more time was needed in order to accurately comment on whether such anti-Muslim repression was taking place.

In his opening speech, Mr. Annan used the term “Rohingya” to refer one of the Muslim communities in Arakan State. While it is the name with which the group self-identifies, local Arakanese and large sections of the wider Burmese public, reject the term “Rohingya” and instead call the group “Bengali,” suggesting that they are migrants from Bangladesh; in addition, the Rohingya are not included among the 135 ethnic groups officially recognized by the Burmese government.

Earlier this year, Burma’s State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi asked her international counterparts to avoid using the term “Rohingya,” saying that it contributes to instability in the state. A reporter asked Mr. Annan if there had been any further pledge from the State Counselor to avoid using the term; he replied that she had not instructed him on which terminology to use.

“The words ‘Rohingya’ and ‘Bengali’ are both emotive,” he said.

Issues regarding the Arakan State-Bangladesh border will need to be looked into by the commission in order to make recommendations, Annan also said. Both Burma and Bangladesh will need to collaboarate, he added, suggesting that he hoped that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees would likely be involved in the process.

Your Thoughts …
Tags: Kofi Annan
Moe Myint

Moe Myint

The Irrawaddy

Similar Picks:

Former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan will chair a nine-member advisory commission to find solutions to the unrest in Arakan State. / Reuters
Burma

ANP Demands Cancellation of Kofi Annan-Led Arakan State Commission

by Moe Myint
August 25, 2016
4.6k

The Arakan National Party calls on the govt to cancel the new Arakan State Advisory Commission due to the presence...

Read moreDetails
Kofi Annan takes questions from journalists at Sule Shangri-La hotel in Yangon on Thursday. / Thet Htun Naing / The Irrawaddy
Burma

Kofi Annan: Don’t Leave Citizenship Issues ‘To Fester’

by Moe Myint
August 24, 2017
9k

Advisory Commission’s final report recommends Muslim children born in Rakhine State be granted citizenship, so as to prevent further statelessness.

Read moreDetails
Former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan arrives at Sittwe airport, Rakhine State, Myanmar, as he visits in his capacity as the Myanmar government-appointed Chairman of the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State, December 2, 2016. / Reuters
Burma

Analysis: Did Advisory Commission Remedy Rakhine State’s Conflict?

by Moe Myint
August 19, 2017
7.1k

As the mandate of the Kofi Annan-led delegation comes to an end, The Irrawaddy looks back on its recommendations and...

Read moreDetails
Kofi Annan talks to the media during a press conference on Tuesday about the Arakan State Advisory Commission’s recent trip to Arakan State. / Hein Htet / The Irrawaddy
Burma

Kofi Annan: Charge of ‘Genocide’ Should Not Be Used ‘Loosely’ in Arakan State

by Moe Myint
December 6, 2016
7.5k

Genocide, advisory commission chairman Mr. Annan says, ‘is a very serious charge that requires legal review and judicial determination.’

Read moreDetails
Maungdaw Township residents rally against a visit by Kofi Annan-led Arakan State Advisory Commission. / Than Htun
Burma

Locals Protest Kofi Annan’s Maungdaw Visit

by Moe Myint
December 5, 2016
6.7k

Protests accusing ‘interference’ greet the commission’s first trip to northern Arakan State.

Read moreDetails
Former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan talks to reporters as Myanmar government-appointed Chairman of the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State, during his news conference in government guest house, Rakhine State, on December 2, 2016. / Soe Zayar Tun / Reuters
Guest Column

Losing Sight of Solutions in Rakhine

by Mon Mon Myat
August 31, 2017
8.5k

Failure to act on the advice of Kofi Annan’s Advisory Commission on Rakhine State will only lead to more violence,...

Read moreDetails
Load More
Next Post
A well-wisher holds a picture of Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej at the Siriraj hospital. / Athit Perawongmetha / Reuters

Thai Palace: King’s Kidneys Still Not Functioning Properly

Yawnghwe Cultural Museum. / Ko Soe / The Irrawaddy

Residence of Burma’s First President to Become Heritage Site

No Result
View All Result

Recommended

What the ‘Snake Charmer’ Analogy Gets Wrong About Myanmar

What the ‘Snake Charmer’ Analogy Gets Wrong About Myanmar

4 days ago
1.5k
Chinese Investment Reshapes Myanmar’s N. Shan as MNDAA Consolidates Power

Chinese Investment Reshapes Myanmar’s N. Shan as MNDAA Consolidates Power

1 week ago
3.5k

Most Read

  • Myanmar Junta Airstrikes Protecting Irrawaddy Flotilla Kill 20

    Myanmar Junta Airstrikes Protecting Irrawaddy Flotilla Kill 20

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • More Than 20,000 Displaced As Myanmar Junta Burns Homes Around World Heritage Site

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Junta Using Conscripts as Cannon Fodder, Defectors Say

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Crisis Spells Opportunity for U.S.-India Cooperation

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Junta’s Recapture of Nawnghkio Shows Strategic Missteps by TNLA

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Newsletter

Get The Irrawaddy’s latest news, analyses and opinion pieces on Myanmar in your inbox.

Subscribe here for daily updates.

Contents

  • News
  • Politics
  • War Against the Junta
  • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
  • Conflicts In Numbers
  • Junta Crony
  • Ethnic Issues
  • Asia
  • World
  • Business
  • Economy
  • Election 2020
  • Elections in History
  • Cartoons
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Commentary
  • Guest Column
  • Analysis
  • Letters
  • In Person
  • Interview
  • Profile
  • Dateline
  • Specials
  • Myanmar Diary
  • Women & Gender
  • Places in History
  • On This Day
  • From the Archive
  • Myanmar & COVID-19
  • Intelligence
  • Myanmar-China Watch
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Food
  • Fashion & Design
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • Photo Essay
  • Donation

About The Irrawaddy

Founded in 1993 by a group of Myanmar journalists living in exile in Thailand, The Irrawaddy is a leading source of reliable news, information, and analysis on Burma/Myanmar and the Southeast Asian region. From its inception, The Irrawaddy has been an independent news media group, unaffiliated with any political party, organization or government. We believe that media must be free and independent and we strive to preserve press freedom.

  • Copyright
  • Code of Ethics
  • Privacy Policy
  • Team
  • About Us
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • Burmese

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Business Roundup
  • Books
  • Donation

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.