Statement by H. E. Mr. Hau Do Suan, Ambassador/Permanent Representative of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar to the United Nations at the United Nations Security Council Meeting on PRST on Myanmar

(New York, 6 November 2017)

Mr. President,

We are deeply concerned by the adoption of the PRST on the situation in Myanmar. We thank those delegations tried hard to balance the text and reflect the reality. However, it fails to give sufficient recognition to the government of Myanmar for its efforts to address the challenges in Rakhine State. It is also singling out a Member State based on accusations and falsely claimed evidence. We strongly reject the use of self-designated nomenclature in the PRST which will not help resolving the issue. The PRST will not help our efforts for solving the issue, but rather lead to further polarization and escalation of tensions among different religious communities in the country and beyond. It exerts undue political pressure on Myanmar. Some elements in the PRST infringe the work of the other organs of the United Nations. The same issue is under consideration in the Third Committee of the United Nations General Assembly and the Human Rights Council. At this time of many delegations including those in the Security Council pointing out to avoid duplication of work and stringent use of the budget of the United Nations, such duplication of work is unwarranted.

Mr. President,

Taking this opportunity, I would like to apprise you of the recent developments in Rakhine State. As you are aware, the 25 August terrorist attacks and following terrorist actions committed by the so-called Arkan Rohinya Salvation Army (ARSA) triggered one of the most tragic situations in Rakhine State. Innocent civilians from different communities had to flee their homes and villages out of fear. Thousands of ethnic Rakhine, Hindu and small minority groups such as Daing-net, Mro, Thet and 2 Mramagyi sought safe places in south of Rakhine, whereas the majority of Muslim community took refuge in Bangladesh side for various reasons. We feel deeply for the suffering of all the people who have been caught up in the conflict. Recognizing the unfolding humanitarian tragedy, the Government of Myanmar with good neighborly spirit has reached out to Bangladesh. There has been exchange of visits at ministerial level, most recently in October. On 24 October, two MoUs were also signed on the establishment of border liaison offices and on the security cooperation and dialogue. We have been working closely with Bangladesh on voluntary, safe and dignified return of displaced persons. We are currently working on the arrangement for repatriation. Once we finalized the arrangement, a joint working group will be set up and the repatriation process will start immediately.

I would like to highlight some of the measures taken by Myanmar towards solving the issues we face in the Rakhine State.

• A Ministerial-level committee has been set up and started its work for expeditious implementation of the recommendations the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State led by Dr. Kofi Annan.
• With regard to the current humanitarian situation in Rakhine State, the Union Enterprise for humanitarian Assistance, Resettlement and Development in Rakhine State was launched and It has begun its works. State Counsellor Daw Augn San Suu Kyi visited the areas in the northern Rakhine State on 2 November 2017.
• We are also working with the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Centre) and Red Cross Movement for providing humanitarian assistance to the people in need in accordance with humanitarian principles. Moreover, WFP and FAO are already working on the ground.
• We continue to maintain our cooperation with the United Nations. We are engaging with high-ranking officials from UN Secretariat, UN Fund, Programmes and Agencies. UN Under- Secretary-General for Political Affairs Mr. Jeffery Feltman, has recently visited Myanmar.

We are disappointed by failing to mention the attacks on 25 August 2017 as terrorist act in the PRST. Everyone in this room agrees with me that we cannot condone terrorism in any forms and manifestation. I hope this PRST will not help growing terrorism in the world. Allow me to draw your attention to the news article 3 contained in Look-east Magazine entitled “Foreign Militants in Rakhine”. The article says “Scores of foreign militants — mostly Pakistanis and Bangladeshis — are fighting besides rebels of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) since radical groups across the Islamic world called for ‘a jihad against Burmese colonialism’ in the Arakans (Rakhine). Indian intelligence officials say they have intercepted communication between some of the Pakistani militants fighting for ARSA when they called their principals and relatives in Pakistan. On the basis of the intercepts, the number of Pakistani militants fighting in Rakhine has been estimated around 30 to 40, but if such recruitment is a continuous process, these numbers may go up.”

Though we reject some elements contained in the PRST, we are determined to find sustainable solution for the issue of Rakhine State. We will continue to work with all stakeholders who are interested to be part of the solution in our quest to finding a sustainable answer to the protracted and tragic issue of Rakhine State. We are determined to work with international community including UN and interested parties towards sustainable peace and development for all in Rakhine State.

I thank you Mr. President. *