Row over Rohingya stalls AIPA

Row over Rohingya stalls AIPA

Kiat: Disagreement was 'expected'.
Kiat: Disagreement was 'expected'.

The chairman of the Asean Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) meeting did not approve of the Indonesian committee's proposal to include the Rohingya issue on the agenda, which resulted in a fiasco over the adoption of resolutions from the meeting, which concluded on Thursday.

Kiat Sittheeamorn, the MP and chairman of the committee on political matters, said Thailand was anticipating a row over the Rohingya issue and attempted to manage the problem through bilateral discussions with Indonesia and Myanmar.

"However, the Indonesian committee is inflexible in their demand. Although AIPA has adopted a consensus policy, there should not be a case in which a member country will not endorse other remaining items if its major proposal is not accepted. It prevents us from moving forward," Mr Kiat told the media.

The 41st AIPA will be held on Aug 25-30 next year in Halong, Vietnam. The other items on the agenda include the parliamentary promotion of diplomacy, counter-terrorism and violence, and anti-corruption.

"I think the Indonesian committee is motivated by its internal affairs. They have raised the Rohingya issue, but the situation has improved over three years. The Myanmar government allows observers to assess the situation," said Mr Kiat. According to the joint communique of foreign ministers, Mr Kiat said progress on the Rohingya issue can be seen in the repatriation plan and the identification of origins of the displaced Rohingya.

"All of these are under observation. Moreover, Thailand has donated around US$4 million to Rakhine state for construction projects to accommodate the return of the displaced Rohingya," he said.

Chuan Leekpai, the parliament president and president of AIPA, said the meeting could not pass resolutions because of the disagreement over the Rohingya issue.

"I asked whether they would approve the other seven items. All of them nodded in agreement, except Indonesia. Accordingly, we could not reach a consensus. However, I respect every country's decision. The AIPA has proceeded with few problems so far," he said.

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