Big challenges remain in Rakhine: UN official

Big challenges remain in Rakhine: UN official

Published on Friday, 07 December 2012 21:22

A top UN humanitarian official said communities across the Rakhine State are in dire need of assistance.

UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Valerie Amos in a press conference on December 5 said many challenges remain in addressing the situation in the restive region, and that the Rakhine government plays a key role in handling the crisis.

Amos travelled to northwestern Myanmar together with Minister for Border Affairs Lieutenant General Thein Htay and visited the refugee camps at Myebon, Pauktaw, and Maungdaw townships.

Amos said the communities are in need of healthcare services, schools, water supply, houses or tents, resettlement sites and livelihood.

"I found out that many fishermen could not go out fishing. Some houses are overcrowded. Thousands are still in need of humanitarian assistance. These are the challenges for the government. Some people received full assistance and some had not," she said.

Amos added that the big challenge for UN agencies doing humanitarian work in Rakhine State is how aid, especially food, can reach the refugees. She said since the government leads efforts to provide humanitarian assistance, the UN will provide assistance only for tasks related to the government's plan. The UN has on its website the list of its activities.

During the visit, Amos said she used the name "Rohingya" for Bengalis in Rakhine as they named themselves as "Rohingyas" and she did not mean to use it against the government.

Amos will also be visiting the Kachin State, where the human rights situation is just as worse due to the ongoing conflict between the government troops and the Kachin Independence Army.

The UN official is on a four-day visit to Myanmar to assess the human rights situation and the humanitarian aid needed in the northwest region.

 

 

 

Source: http://www.news.myanmaronlinecentre.com/2012/12/08/big-challenges-remain-in-rakhine-un-official/