Board ‘failing Rohingya’

Next month, the government in Nay Pyi Taw and many agencies involved in the crisis will come under intense pressure, he warned. The anniversary of a multi-recommendation report on the Rohingya by the former UN secretary-general that preceded the escalation of violence will draw the world’s focus.
Kobsak quit his position nearly two weeks ago as a senior consultant to the international advisory board tasked with making recommendations after alleged military actions against the Rohingya Muslim minority in the nation drew widespread condemnation.
Kobsak said he quit the post because he saw the board potentially becoming a part of the problem related to the crisis.
The existence of boards and committees could give the false impression that “we have done something to deal with the problems but in fact, we have not”, Kobsak told The Nation. “It’s a kind of self-delusion.”
International organisations working, funding and writing reports on the Rohingya issue were asking about the progress of the work, he said.
“How many have returned safely from refugee camps? Have their homes been rebuilt? Where are the schools for the children and what about public health service for them? These are among the questions that had no firm answers,” Kobsak said.

Kobsak is with Rohingya refugees in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh
August 24 and 25 will mark the anniversary of the recommendation report by former UN chief Kofi Annan, and the militant attack on Myanmar security outposts. That attack prompted an overwhelming response by the Myanmar military, killing thousands of minority civilians and forcing 700,000 people to flee across the border into Bangladesh.
During the anniversary, extremists would be able to exploit the lack of progress on the work of the committee to radicalise the people and destabilise the region, Kobsak said.
The UN General Assembly and the Security Council would raise the Rohingya issue during the September meetings, he said. The European Union has imposed sanctions and the United States might soon follow suit, he said.
Hundreds of thousands of refugees living on steep muddy slopes are facing a very high risk of natural disaster during the monsoon season, he warned.
“We can neither play for time nor hope that time could solve the problem. Time is of the essence in this matter, and in fact it could worsen the situation,” he said.
Kobsak said his resignation was not a protest but rather a message to all concerned parties as he has a lot of sympathy for Myanmar’s people given the complexity of the issues.
“I’m nobody, but I had the honour to work on this tough issue. I blame nobody but speak with good intention from what I have seen,” he said.
Myanmar’s de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi picked former Thai foreign minister Surakiart Sathirathai to lead an advisory board for the implementation of the Annan’s 88 recommendations. The board, made up of foreign experts but also with local members, would complete its mandate by the end of this year.
“The solution is already there, but we cannot just set up committees and committees to oversee the recommendations,” Kobsak said.
Kobsak’s resignation was regarded as another setback for Surakiart’s advisory board after the withdrawal in January of former US ambassador to the UN, Bill Richardson. Richardson had accused the board of “whitewashing” or “cheerleading” Aung San Suu Kyi over the Royingya crisis. Kobsak said Richardson’s pullout was premature. 
The Nation could reach neither the Myanmar government nor Surakiart for comment yesterday. Surakiart, however, told Bangkokinsight website that Myanmar has already implemented 60 out of 88 of Annan’s recommendations. The government has also signed a memorandum of understanding with the UN Human Rights Council and UN Development Programme to prepare for the return of refugees, he said. 
Rohingya political activist Khin Maung Myint said the Rohingya community in Myanmar had never seen any of the outcomes of the implementation, and the board and the authority have never listened to their opinion.
Rohingya met with Annan’s board twice but not with Surakiart’s team, he said.
“What they [Surakiart’s board] do is fly to the capital and have a lavish dinner, but don’t really tough out the solution about how to implement Annan’s recommendations,” said the activist, who is also known as Sam Naeem. “They cannot solve the problem by setting up commissions.”
Kobsak suggested that Myanmar’s authorities, notably the military, as well as the international community need to work with the new UN special envoy Christine Schraner Burgener. The former Swiss ambassador to Thailand and Myanmar knows the country very well, said Kobsak.