Rohingya crisis
Genocide or not, unacceptable no doubt, says UK envoy
UNB
The British, Canadian and Australian high commissioners in Dhaka have been left shaken by harrowing tales of violence and suffering they heard from Rohingya refugees in a registered camp in Kutupalong of Coxs Bazar, UNB reports. The long-suffering Rohingya, once anointed the most persecuted people in the world by Amnesty International, urged the diplomats and their friends in the international community to deliver a lasting political solution to their plight, that would restore their full human rights and dignity, and even offer hope for a brighter future.
But the Rohingya want to go home and they would not be able to do that until they could do so in safety and security and with their identity fully recognized, said British High Commissioner in Dhaka Alison Blake in a statement yesterday. The High Commissioner recognised and paid tribute to the efforts of the Bangladesh government, as well as the many local and international relief agencies, including (IOM, WFP, UNHCR, UNICEF) to deliver immediate humanitarian support.
While expressing her pride in the British governments aid agency UK Aid supporting their work, she did still note that the scale of the need is enormous, and the UK will be looking at what more can be done. In particular she mentioned the importance of ensuring that all allegations of human rights abuses are investigated, so that those responsible can be held to account.
Blake said she was horrified and moved by the stories she heard from the men and women she met on what they had seen or experienced.
They (Rohingyas) described terrible violence and crimes, like those recorded in the recent report from the UN Refugee office (UNHCR), according to the statement, stressing the people the High Commissioner met had suffered terribly and bore physical and psychological scars. However the statement did walk back on reports that what she learned about the Burmese troops crackdown in Rakhine state was tantamount to genocide.
