No access to Rakhine for int’l community in 8 months

Almost eight months into the recent Rohingya crisis, which is described as one of the fastest growing one, the international community including the United Nations is yet get access to Rakhine to assess what has happened and to assist almost four lakh Rohingyas (400,000) still living in a very desperate situation, according to diplomatic sources in Dhaka, Yangon and the UN headquarters in New York.

And, there is no indication that the Myanmar authorities will grant such vital life-saving access to the international community soon, they said. The UN Security Council (UNSC), the most powerful organ of the global body, has ‘utterly failed’ to protect the Rohingyas, said the sources, adding that there is no sign that the UNSC will do anything soon to help make things better for the world’s most persecuted people.

“Ursula Mueller, UN assistant secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and deputy emergency relief coordinator  of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), has just returned from a six-day visit to Myanmar. Over there, she met Myanmar state counsellor and de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi and ministers  for defence and some other ministries. She also held meetings with several ministers of Rakhine State,” said a senior diplomat.

“In all these meetings, the senior UN officials asked for unfettered access for the international community. But, apparently, she did not get any positive response from the Myanmar side,” he said.

“When Mueller raised this issue with Suu Kyi, the state counsellor replied that her number one goal is ‘social reconciliation and development of Rakhine, one of the poorest states of Myanmar’. No mention or assurance of access was made,” said another senior diplomat.

The UN official was, however, allowed to visit some places in Rakhine she wanted to, he said, adding that she saw burnt villages, bulldozed houses, and the internally-displaced camp where 1.3 lakh (130,000) Rohingyas living in a deplorable condition for six years.

The UN assistant secretary also spoke to Rohingyas, who are still living in Rakhine in a restricted manner and talked to them to listen to their plight, said the diplomat.

She also found that the Myanmar

authorities are yet to create conducive conditions for the return of the Rohingyas, he said, adding that Mueller repeatedly placed great emphasis on

implementing the recommendations of the Annan commission holistically and genuinely to address the problem.

About the role of the UNSC, the diplomats appeared more frustrated than ever before about the inaction of the most powerful body of the world.

“A single resolution can mitigate the suffering of a whole community living on both sides of the border. But, it is not getting possible due to the objection of China and Russia,” said another diplomat familiar with the UN process. “And, there is no sign of any consensus among the P-5 of the UNSC in regards to the crisis. Only God knows, what it will take for the UNSC to act to protect these helpless persecuted people,” he said. According to UN news centre website, Mueller said that although the massive outflow of Rohingyas from Myanmar to Bangladesh grabbed worldwide headlines, the international community must not forget that more than 400,000 of the minority group are living in dire situations at home.

“There is a humanitarian crisis on both sides of the Bangladesh-Myanmar border that is affecting the world’s largest group of stateless people,” she said.

“The unfolding tragedy in the refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar [Bangladesh] rightly captured the world’s attention, but we cannot, and must not, forget the plight of over 400,000 Muslim people still living in Rakhine State who continue to face a life of hardship and  marginalisation due to movement restrictions,” she added.

These restrictions severely compromise their rights and obstruct their access to health, livelihoods, protection, education, and other essential services, said the official.

No access to Rakhine for intl community in 8 months

Almost eight months into the recent Rohingya crisis, which is described as one of the fastest growing one, the international community including the United Nations is yet get access to Rakhine to assess what has happened and to assist almost four lakh Rohingyas (400,000) still living in a very desperate situation, according to diplomatic sources in Dhaka, Yangon and the UN headquarters in New York. And, there is no indication that the Myanmar authorities will grant such vital life-saving access to the international community soon, they said. The UN Security Council (UNSC), the most powerful organ of the global body, has utterly failed to protect the Rohingyas, said the sources, adding that there is no sign that the UNSC will do anything soon to help make things better for the worlds most persecuted people. Ursula Mueller, UN assistant secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and deputy emergency relief coordinator of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), has just returned from a six-day visit to Myanmar. Over there, she met Myanmar state counsellor and de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi and ministers for defence and some other ministries. She also held meetings with several ministers of Rakhine State, said a senior diplomat. In all these meetings, the senior UN officials asked for unfettered access for the international community. But, apparently, she did not get any positive response from the Myanmar side, he said. When Mueller raised this issue with Suu Kyi, the state counsellor replied that her number one goal is social reconciliation and development of Rakhine, one of the poorest states of Myanmar. No mention or assurance of access was made, said another senior diplomat. The UN official was, however, allowed to visit some places in Rakhine she wanted to, he said, adding that she saw burnt villages, bulldozed houses, and the internally-displaced camp where 1.3 lakh (130,000) Rohingyas living in a deplorable condition for six years. The UN assistant secretary also spoke to Rohingyas, who are still living in Rakhine in a restricted manner and talked to them to listen to their plight, said the diplomat. She also found that the Myanmar authorities are yet to create conducive conditions for the return of the Rohingyas, he said, adding that Mueller repeatedly placed great emphasis on implementing the recommendations of the Annan commission holistically and genuinely to address the problem. About the role of the UNSC, the diplomats appeared more frustrated than ever before about the inaction of the most powerful body of the world. A single resolution can mitigate the suffering of a whole community living on both sides of the border. But, it is not getting possible due to the objection of China and Russia, said another diplomat familiar with the UN process. And, there is no sign of any consensus among the P-5 of the UNSC in regards to the crisis. Only God knows, what it will take for the UNSC to act to protect these helpless persecuted people, he said. According to UN news centre website, Mueller said that although the massive outflow of Rohingyas from Myanmar to Bangladesh grabbed worldwide headlines, the international community must not forget that more than 400,000 of the minority group are living in dire situations at home. There is a humanitarian crisis on both sides of the Bangladesh-Myanmar border that is affecting the worlds largest group of stateless people, she said. The unfolding tragedy in the refugee camps in Coxs Bazar [Bangladesh] rightly captured the worlds attention, but we cannot, and must not, forget the plight of over 400,000 Muslim people still living in Rakhine State who continue to face a life of hardship and marginalisation due to movement restrictions, she added. These restrictions severely compromise their rights and obstruct their access to health, livelihoods, protection, education, and other essential services, said the official.