During a meeting in Copenhagen on Jun 8, Myanmar's Social Welfare Minister Win Myat Aye informed a group of diplomats, analysts, and members of a commission led by former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan that eight of the recommendations, including one urging authorities to amend the 1982 law, were challenging to implement in the current political environment and could not be immediately carried out. An individual present at the meeting stated that Win Myat Aye emphasized that citizenship reform was not feasible. The sources requested anonymity as Myanmar had asked for the discussions to remain confidential. Win Myat Aye and government spokesperson Zaw Htay did not respond to inquiries for comment. The amendment of the law, which restricts citizenship mostly to members of the "national races," the 135 ethnic groups recognized by the state as indigenous, was a critical recommendation of the Annan commission. The Rohingya, who are not recognized as an indigenous ethnic group in Buddhist-majority Myanmar and are instead referred to as "Bengalis", reject this label as it implies they are outsiders from Bangladesh, despite having a long history in the country. The Annan commission, established by Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi in 2016, aimed to address deep-rooted ethnic and religious divisions in Rakhine. Following the release of the commission's report in August 2017, Rohingya insurgents launched attacks on security forces, leading to a military crackdown that the UN has condemned as ethnic cleansing. Win Myat Aye, responsible for reconstruction efforts in violence-stricken Rakhine state, has admitted to doubts about the feasibility of repatriating the approximately 700,000 Rohingya currently living in crowded refugee camps in Bangladesh. Many Rohingya leaders insist on guarantees of citizenship before considering returning to Myanmar. However, Thaung Tun, Myanmar's National Security Adviser, stated that the government is working to implement the recommendations of the Annan commission as quickly and comprehensively as possible. He mentioned that over 80 recommendations have already been implemented in less than 10 months, with those remaining also under consideration. Questions regarding the recommendations not yet implemented were directed to the Myanmar government. Reports from refugees have described violence such as killings, burnings, looting, and rape by Myanmar security forces and Buddhist vigilantes in Rakhine. Myanmar has denied accusations of ethnic cleansing and disregarded most reports of atrocities. A deal was signed in January between Myanmar and Bangladesh to repatriate the refugees within two years, but disagreements have delayed the plan's implementation. Numerous Rohingya refugees insist they will not return unless the 1982 law is modified. Those who identified as Rohingya were left out of Myanmar's last countrywide census in 2014 and many had their identification documents confiscated or invalidated, preventing them from voting in the significant 2015 election. Suu Kyi, who previously stated that the government should have the "courage" to review the law, is now encouraging Rohingya to accept the National Verification Card, a residency document that does not grant full citizenship. Many Rohingya individuals are unwilling to accept the document, as they believe it unfairly labels long-time residents as newcomers and restricts their freedom to travel. The military, in collaboration with Suu Kyi, adamantly denies Rohingya requests for citizenship. Senior General Min Aung Hlaing stated in a speech that Rohingya lack common characteristics or culture with Myanmar's ethnic groups and blamed the conflict on the Bengalis demanding citizenship. During a meeting in Copenhagen, it was revealed that Myanmar had only implemented 80 out of the 88 recommendations from a commission due to political and practical disagreements with the remaining eight. Win Myat Aye then mentioned the recommendations that Myanmar was having difficulty implementing, such as creating an independent body to address citizenship verification complaints, empowering community leaders and civil society, and establishing a feedback mechanism on government performance. The second source interpreted this as a rejection, as in diplomatic language, describing something as difficult often implies refusal. Let's revisit this topic after the break.