ReliefWeb

By KHIN OO THAR / THE IRRAWADDY

The results of an official fact-finding mission to violence-stricken Arakan State will be released and submitted to President Thein Sein in late March.

“We will disclose the details of the report after we submit it to the president,” Khin Maung Shwe, a member of the Investigation Commission and chairman of the National Democratic Force, told The Irrawaddy.

The report will be the third to be released since last October investigating the communal violence that has swept the State.

As well as covering the background to the conflict between ethnic Arakanese Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims, the report will include methods of conflict resolution and reconciliation between the two groups.

Issues which are included in the report include corruption, citizenship, religious extremism and immigration.

“We have analyzed the situation from our last reports and field research and all our findings will be submitted to the president,” said Than Than Nu, a member of the investigation team and general secretary of the opposition Democratic Party (Myanmar).

The commission, made up of eight committees tasked with reporting on different areas in Arakan State, was established by President Thein Sein on Aug. 17, 2012, has 27 members, including politicians, academics, journalists, celebrities and civil society workers.

The investigation opened on Sept. 8, 2012, with visits to the state.

Since communal violence erupted in June last year, the government says more than 180 people have been killed and 112 injured. Official figures suggest 5,000 houses were burned down, along with 14 monasteries, 17 mosques and three schools.