No entry for investigating officer in Myanmar; delays UN mission

UN mission to investigate Rohingya violence seeks more time, as Myanmar does not permit investigating officer to enter. Chairperson Marzuki Darusman’s told the Geneva-based council the time left until his current March 2018 deadline was ‘utterly insufficient’ and asked for a six-month extension.

“Now facing an escalating situation in northern Rakhine that is increasing our workload exponentially, we are deeply concerned about our ability to verify the facts necessary to produce a report of the depth and quality that is expected of us by March.”

Darusman said he was hopeful there would be progress in his request to enter Myanmar, following an address by its leader Aung San Suu Kyi from which he said two main points emerged.

“One, the categorical readiness of the government of Myanmar to receive back returnees at any time on the basis of a procedure that will have to be discussed at some point. And secondly, the readiness of the government to undertake be globally scrutinised by the international community. These two points bode well.”