A member
of the Rakhine State Advisory Commission said that the commission would submit
an interim report to the union government in the next two months.
The commission will make its final report a year from now, but an interim report would be much anticipated because of the ongoing tensions in northern Rakhine State.
“We won’t decide on anything. We will just recommend the best measures that will benefit all people in the state. We don’t have any right to make decisions,” said Daw Saw Khin Tint, a member of the advisory commission and Chairperson of the Rakhine State Literature and Culture Association.
She added that the commission will submit its interim report between January and February of 2017.
Former UN Secretary-General and Chairman of Rakhine State Advisory Commission Mr Kofi Annan has been in Rakhine State to listen to the voices of residents and officials since 29th November. Yesterday morning, he travelled by military helicopter to Mrauk-U together with Chief Minister U Nyi Pu of Rakhine State and Deputy Minister Maj-Gen Than Htut.
His first stop in Mrauk-U was the Shitthaung Pagoda, the site of an ancient palace and an archaeological museum. U Nyein Lwin, the director of the Archaeological and National Museum, escorted the former UN secretary-general and commission members around the museum.
Later, Mr Kofi Annan and party met with six local ethnic people from Paungtote Village, led by U Tun Hlaing, in the meeting hall of the district general administration department and 21 members of the Muslim community from the same village, led by U Chit Maung, at the middle school of the village.
In the afternoon, the commission chairman met with the township administrator and officials of government departments in Myebon Township in the town meeting hall. At the meeting, district officers of the Mrauk-U District Immigration Department reported on the number of households in Rakhine State, the comparison of Buddhist and Muslim populations, background history, the citizenship scrutiny of Muslims, objectives, future plans, the formation of State/Region Citizenship Scrutiny Boards, issuance of National Verification Cards (NVCs) and difficulties to Mr Kofi Annan.
Questions raised by Mr Kofi Annan were answered by Rakhine State Security and Border Affairs Minister Col Htein Lin and officials.
Afterwards, Mr Kofi Annan and party visited the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Camp in Kanthahtwetwa Ward, where U Kyaw Thein, a resident of the camp, explained the issuance of NVC cards.
Mr Kofi Annan posed questions to residents of the camp including U Kyaw Thein, U Aung Lwin, Daw Khin Mar Cho and Daw Myint Myint Htay.
Yesterday evening, Mr Kofi Annan and party proceeded to Nay Pyi Taw. Concerning the visit of the advisory commission, Rakhine State Agriculture, Livestock and Fishery U Kyaw Lwin said that he believed that the advisory commission was formed by the State Counsellor’s Office with the aim of examining the situation on the ground without bias in accordance with law. However, he said he knew nothing about discussions between the residents and the former UN secretary-general as he was not involved in the matter but he was optimistic about the discussions because he believed the former UN secretary-general is a man of rationality.
Mr Kofi Annan said that the commission was not a UN commission but a national commission and they would submit recommendations and the union government would make decisions based on their reports. He said that he was glad to see peaceful demonstration against his visit to Rakhine State and negotiations between the two communities would lead to a solution.
Ye
Khaung Nyunt and Myint Maung Soe
Ref; The
Global New Light of Myanmar
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