UN official 'appalled' by Rohingya suffering
Envoy describes level of suffering as something she had 'never seen before' during visit to Rohingya camps.
By Joshua Carroll
YANGON, Myanmar
A top UN envoy has described a level of suffering she had “personally never seen before” during a visit to squalid camps for internally displaced Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar.
Speaking at a press conference in New York, the UN’s Deputy Humanitarian Chief Kyung-Wha Kang described conditions in camps she visited last week in western Rakhine state as “appalling.”
Around 140,000 Rohingya live in the camps on the outskirts of Sittwe, Rakhine’s capital, following sectarian violence in 2012 between Buddhists and Muslims.
“Many people have wholly inadequate access to basic health services including health, education, water and sanitation,” said Kang while addressing reporters.
Pierre Peron, public information officer for the UN's humanitarian affairs office in Myanmar, elaborated on Kang's comments Thursday.
"Despite the best efforts of the Ministry of Health, which has stepped up its operations with extra staff and mobile health units, there are still many people in camps and isolated villages in Rakhine who are simply not getting the level of healthcare that they need," he said.
The Rohingya have suffered decades of persecution from Buddhist extremists in Myanmar.
The internally displaced people now living in Sittwe are confined to a stretch of dusty land by armed guards and checkpoints, while local Buddhists are able to freely.
“Farmers can’t go to their fields, fishermen can’t go to the sea, and traders can’t go to the markets,” said Kang.
Humanitarian workers who help the Rohingya are also subject to attacks and intimidation from extremists, who label foreign NGOs operating in the area as biased.
In March rioting Buddhists tore through Sittwe attacking the homes, offices and warehouses of aid agency groups, leading to a mass evacuation of NGO workers, some of whom are yet to return.
Kang said that she reminded officials of “their responsibility to bring the perpetrators of the March attacks to justice” during a meeting in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar’s capital, before her visit to Sittwe.
Kang's previous trips have included visits to Kenya, to meet displaced people, and South Sudan to meet communities affected by conflict.
Anadolu Agency website contains only a portion of the news stories offered to subscribers in the AA News Broadcasting System (HAS), and in summarized form. Please contact us for subscription options.
