Arakan News Agency
The United Kingdom’s ambassador to the United Nations, Matthew Rycroft, has called for accountability for the tragedies in Myanmar’s Arakan province, while Myanmar’s army has said it has launched an investigation into charges of abuses against the Rohingya.
Rycroft said violence must stop, that aid must be committed and refugees allowed to return, and those responsible should be held accountable.
He added that Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi had talked about how to build the long-term future in Arakan. “We are closely watching these words turn into actions,” he said.
Former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who chairs a committee set up by Suu Kyi to find solutions to Arakan’s mandate, said the problem of Rohingya Muslims should be “addressed before they rot and carry serious consequences.”
Annan briefed the UN Security Council and other key countries on developments at an informal closed-door meeting on Friday.
Annan expressed the hope that the Myanmar authorities would provide the conditions that allow refugees to return “fortified in safety,” noting that the international community is ready to push the Myanmar government into a “common road map” to address outstanding problems.
Internal investigation
On the other hand, the Myanmar army said it had launched an internal investigation into the practices of its soldiers in attacks that displaced more than half a million Muslim Rohingya to Bangladesh. Displaced people confirm that they witnessed the killing, rape and burning of army forces.
Myanmar has refused to allow a UN commission charged with investigating allegations of violations of the Rohingya.
Thousands of refugees have fled to Bangladesh over the past few days through the Naf River, which separates them from Arakan. Relief agencies estimate that 536,000 refugees have reached the Cox-Bazar region, placing enormous pressure on the resources of relief groups and communities.
Interior Minister Asad al-Zaman Khan announced on Thursday that he would visit Myanmar on October 23 for talks on the crisis caused by the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Rohingyas.
