America
India urges dropping annual human rights resolution on Myanmar
United Nations, April 25
India has asked UN
members to drop the annual ritual of passing a resolution on Myanmar's
human rights situation saying that the gesture would encourage the
reforms underway there.
Speaking Friday at a meeting of the
Partnership Group for Peace, Development and Democracy in Myanmar,
Permanent Representative Asoke Kumar Mukerji noted that in Rakhine
State, the Myanmar government "has taken steps towards restoration of
law and order and has expressed readiness to cooperate with UN and other
humanitarian agencies regarding rehabilitation of those affected by
violence."
"We urged member states to agree to the
discontinuation of annual resolutions on the human rights situation in
Myanmar," Mukerji said. "In our view, this would convey the world
community's strong support and encouragement for the reform measures
that are already underway in Myanmar."
The last resolution on
human rights in Myanmar was adopted by the UN General Assembly in
December. Noting the "scale of the reform effort undertaken" there, the
resolution welcomed "the continued positive developments in Myanmar
towards political and economic reform, democratization and national
reconciliation and the promotion and protection of human rights."
Rakhine
State in western Myamar is recovering from the ethnic riots in 2012
between the Buddhist Rakhines and the Muslim Rohingyas.
Mukerji
said India has provided aid to help Rakhine State recover from the
riots. New Delhi gave $240,000 for the rehabilitation effort after the
riots first broke out and $1 million for constructing 10 schools for
both communities in the affected areas, he said.
Development aid
to Rakhine State includes $300 million earmarked for the state from the
total development assistance of $1.75 billion to Myanmar, and lines of
credit totaling $85 million for electricity transmission and road
construction in the state, he added.
The meeting was attended by a
high level delegation from Government of Myanmar including Soe Thane,
Minister in the Office of President, Immigration Minister Khin Yi,
Attorney General Tun Shin, and Rakhine State Chief Minister Muang Muang
Ohn.
Myanmar has emerged from nearly 40 years of military rule
after the military council was dissolved in 2011 following the 2010
elections. With democratic reforms underway, general elections are
scheduled for later this year.
Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, who
chaired the meeting, praised Myanmar's "exemplary resolve in striving
to achieve peace and stability in the country."
"The reform
process initiated by the Government of President U Thein Sein continues
to progress steadily," he said. "The country has taken visible strides
in many areas of socioeconomic development, national reconciliation and
democratization."
Myamar has also made big strides in trying to
end more than 60 years of ethnic insurgencies around the country. The
the government's Union Peace Making Work Committee (UPWC) and the ethnic
armed groups Nationwide Ceasefire Coordination Team (NCCT) agreed on a
ceasefire agreement on March 31. Mukerji said India welcomed the accord.
Ban
thanked thanked his Special Adviser, Vijay Nambiar of India, for his
role in the peace process. "The quiet support that he and his team
provided helped build confidence in the process," he said.
(Arul Louis can be contacted at [email protected])