Chief Minister of Arakan State, Maung Maung Ohn, recently criticised UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon for his use of the term Rohingya at a press conference the day before at the 25th ASEAN Summit in Nay Pyi Taw.

“While I can understand your intentional and desire to promote the rights of the minorities, lending the stature of your office to this highly volatile debate in such a public manner can have lasting detrimental impact on our ability to do the work needed on the ground to bring the communities together,” he warned Ban in a letter. “I am concerned that your statement yesterday could further inflame local sentiment and undo previous gains we have achieved, which is very unfortunate given the timing and opportunities presented to us,” he said.