The Myanmar government said yesterday that it decided to fire US diplomat Bill Richardson from its advisory board on the Rohingya crisis over a “difference of opinion” between him and State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi. The announcement came nearly a day after Richardson publicly resigned from the panel, calling it a “whitewash” and accusing Suu Kyi of an “absence of moral leadership.”
The advisory board was formed last year to implement the recommendations of a team led by former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan. The recommendations include restoring citizenship to more than a million stateless Rohingya.
Richardson, a former US ambassador to the UN and governor of New Mexico, issued his strongly worded resignation letter early Thursday morning, following it up with a series of public statements describing the Suu Kyi’s “furious” and “quivering” reaction to his desire to discuss the detainment of two Reuters journalists.
He also described the advisory board’s lack of commitment to long-term solutions to the Rohingya refugee crisis, Suu Kyi’s refusal to discuss Myanmar’s detention of journalists, and Myanmar officials’ constant disparagement of the media, human rights organizations, and the UN.
Government spokesman Zaw Htay responded by accusing Richardson of lobbing a “personal attack” against the state counsellor, but he did not deny that the diplomat had resigned.
Then, more than 18 hours after Richardson’s resignation, the Office of the State Counsellor posted a statement on Facebook saying in Burmese that it had decided to “terminate” his membership on the board.
The English version of the statement said that Richardson was using his position on the board to pursue his own agenda rather than to provide advice on how to implement the recommendations of the Annan Commission.
“In view of the difference of opinion that developed, the government decided that his continued participation on the board would not be in the best interest of all concerned,” the statement said.
Richardson’s departure came as the remaining members of the board travelled to Rakhine State to meet officials working on the implementation of Annan’s recommendations. Upon their return, shortly after the release of the state counsellor’s statement, the board held a press conference in Yangon saying Richardson “had to be asked to leave.”
They also said Richardson’s criticism of the board and their Myanmar interlocutors “lacks complete legitimacy.”
South African board member Roelof Petrus Meyer told reporters: “Bill Richardson was making his comments too early, and it’s very unfortunate from that angle.”
A spokesman for Richardson has said that the claim that he was fired was “not true.”
