03 December 2016•Update: 08 December 2016
By Kyaw Ye Lynn
YANGON, Myanmar
Former United Nations chief Kofi Annan visited people displaced by ongoing conflict in an area near Myanmar's border with Bangladesh Saturday as head of a commission tasked with finding solutions to issues which have raised widespread international ire.
A senior official in Rakhine State's regional government told Anadolu Agency that the Advisory Commission on Rakhine had arrived in a northern part of the state where the army is accused of violence against members of the Rohingya Muslim minority.
“The commission is visiting displaced people in villages in Maungdaw and Buthidaung townships today,” Min Aung said by phone.
The state-initiated body arrived in the region Friday, Annan's second visit as commission head to the region to help the government resolve conflicts between Rakhine Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims.
His first occurred in early September, five years after a series of incidents of communal violence took place in Rakhine between ethnic Buddhists and Rohingya, which left around 100 people dead and some 100,000 displaced in camps -- mostly members of the Rohingya minority.
This weekend's visit comes on the back of Oct. 9 attacks, during which nine police officers were killed by armed individuals near the Bangladesh border. Since the deaths, soldiers have been accused of numerous human rights violations -- including sexual assaults -- in the area as they conduct clearance operations to find those responsible.
Rohingya advocacy groups claim around 400 Rohingya were subsequently killed in the military operations in the north of the state, while Myanmar says just 91 -- 17 soldiers and 74 alleged "attackers" -- have been killed.
The State Counselor Office Information Committee said in a statement Saturday that four of the 74 died during interrogation.
In response to growing concerns from the international community, Myanmar's government has begun investigations into the allegations.
On Friday, the president's office announced that the 13-member investigation commission would probe the background to the attacks that occurred Oct. 9 and also Nov. 12-13 in Maungdaw and gain the truth of what had actually happened.
It is to "investigate whether existing laws, rules and regulations were observed in taking measures to avoid similar incidents in the future before making recommendations", a statement from the president's office says.
"The investigation commission shall find out the truth for the following incidents and make recommendations and advice for stability of the area," it adds.
The European Union swiftly welcomed the move.
“Its work must be objective and help prevent similar events in the future, including by ensuring accountability for all perpetrators of violence and hatred,” it said in a statement Friday.
It highlighted the "limited" re-opening of humanitarian access to northern Rakhine since Nov. 6 -- one month after aid deliveries to the area were blocked by military operations -- as a step in the right direction.
“We look forward to the swift improvement in access so that life-saving assistance can quickly and effectively reach all those in need.”
On Saturday, the State Counselor's Office Information Committee said that 61 people were detained Nov. 30 attempting to illegally travel across the Naf River, which separates Myanmar and Bangladesh.
Rohingya group and humanitarian organizations have claimed that Rohingya have been fleeing into Bangladesh in fear of their lives during the army operations.
The latest arrests bring the total number of detainees to 528 since the Oct. 9. attacks on police stations in Maungdaw and Yathaydaung townships in Rakhine.
Out of the 528, 48 have been sentenced, nine released, one has been released on bail and 466 are still being questioned, a statement said without providing any further details.
The Committee also said that four people had died during interrogations, and 70 people suspected to have been involved in attacks had been killed in the area as of Dec. 3.
