| Former New Mexico governor Bill Richardson pauses during an interview with Reuters as a member of an international advisory board on the crisis of Rakhine state in Yangon, Myanmar |
Veteran US diplomat Bill Richardson was pursuing “his own agenda” and should no longer participate on Myanmar‘s international advisory board on the Rohingya crisis, a statement from the government said on Thursday.
Richardson said in an interview with Reuters on Wednesday that he was resigning from the board because it was conducting a “whitewash” and accused Myanmar‘s leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, of lacking “moral leadership”.
Richardson, a former Clinton administration cabinet member, quit as the 10-member advisory board was making its first visit to western Rakhine State, from which nearly 700,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled in recent months.
Thursday’s statement from Suu Kyi’s office said it became evident in discussions on Jan 22 that Richardson’s intent was not to provide advice “but to pursue his own agenda”.
“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 added.