Myanmar’s President has pledged to consider new rights for the stateless Rohingya minority ahead of a landmark visit by President Barack Obama, but stopped short of a full commitment that citizenship and other new freedoms would be granted.
In a letter sent to the United Nations on Friday, President Thein Sein made conciliatory remarks that condemned the “senseless violence” in western Rakhine state between Rakhine Buddhists and Muslim Rohingya.
Almost 200 people have died and more than 100,000 have been displaced since June in fighting between the two communities, an eruption of longstanding hatred that highlights the fragility of Myanmar’s transition toward democracy.
Thein Sein made no promises in his letter and offered no timeline for resolving the tensions, but it marked an overture to the international community and to Mr Obama, who arrives on Monday for the first visit to Myanmar by a U.S. President.
The White House has urged Myanmar to take urgent action to end the strife and has said Mr Obama will press the matter with Thein Sein, along with demands to free political prisoners as the Southeast Asian country transitions to democracy after a half—century of military rule.
In his letter, Thein Sein said his government was prepared to address contentious issues “ranging from resettlement of displaced populations to granting of citizenship,” according to a statement from the spokesperson for U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki—moon that contained excerpts from the letter.
