Bill Richardson, a veteran US diplomat, resigned from the Myanmar panel on the Rohingya crisis and said that Aung San Suu Kyi lacks moral leadership.
Richardson, a former cabinet member of the Clinton administration, resigned when the 10-member advisory board made its first visit to Rakhine State, where nearly 700,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled in recent months.
“The main reason I am resigning is that this advisory board is a whitewash,” Richardson told Reuters in an interview, adding he did not want to be part of “a cheerleading squad for the government”.
Richardson said he had an argument with Suu Kyi during a meeting on Monday with other members of the board, while he brought up the case of two Reuters reporters who are on trial accused of breaching the country’s secrets act.
He said that Suu Kyi’s response was “furious”, saying that the case of journalists “was not part of the work of the advisory council”. The discussion continued at a dinner later that night, said the former governor of New Mexico.
Neither Suu Kyi nor her spokesman Zaw Htay, who is also the government spokesman, responded to requests for comment.
> Shiuly Akter
US Diplomat Richardson Quits Rohingya Crisis Panel
Will You Support Our Work?
People turns to WhatsOn to understand what's goingOn? We have been empowering through hope & understanding for the last forty years. We’re an independent social enterprise & our journalism is powered by our supporters. Financial contributions from our readers allows us to keep our journalism free for all & to change the world for better. Please support us, with your donation - no matter how small. Your donation makes a real difference, it empowers our activist & academy, and engages wider community groups, & universities - connecting more people. WhatsOn is a change maker, let’s get our future back together!
