Kofi Annan's visit to Myanmar

We, along with the rest of the world, have been witnessing the resurgence of violence against Rohingya in Myanmar recently that has led to the displacement of some 30,000 of them. Such persecution of Rohingya, we believe, is totally unacceptable on human rights grounds and is harmful to the stability of this region.

More than 120,000 Rohingya have been crammed up in displacement camps since sectarian violence in 2012 where they are denied citizenship, healthcare and education and have strict restrictions placed on their movement. Despite the government's continuing denial of carrying out ethnic cleansing of Rohingya, the UN's rights agency said on Tuesday that Rohingya in Myanmar may be victims of crimes against humanity. To investigate the ground reality, we presume, UN chief Kofi Annan is visiting Myanmar and will evaluate the plight of the Rohingya in northern Rakhine.

A similar visit by the former Secretary General, previously, had kindled hope of peace. Disappointingly, however, in contrast to others who had visited Sittwe and Aung Mingalar ghettoes and compared the sites with those of Nazi Germany's Jewish ghettoes, Mr. Annan had reportedly said to have not personally seen anything he would define as 'oppression'. Yet, reports and pictures of Rohingya persecution continue to come out. Testimonies of Rohingya fleeing to Bangladesh also suggest human rights violations of the worst kind, which is deeply disturbing.

We hope Mr. Annan's latest visit will finally reveal the truth of the situation and that his final observation on the matter will not be swayed by pressure exerted on him by the state of Myanmar. The UN and the international community must ensure that the rights of the Rohingya are protected.