March 25, 2016

UN urges NLD to take action in Rakhine

The United Nations yesterday called on Myanmar’s new government to “stabilise” Rakhine State for all residents in an effort to stem the outflow of migrants and refugees.

Speaking in Indonesia at the Bali Process ministerial meeting, a senior UN official suggested that the “drivers and root causes of displacement” could be resolved by the new administration in Myanmar, where a preponderance of the region’s refugees originate.

“Unlike other regions in the world, there is hope in Southeast Asia that one country that has generated refugee flows in the past will now create the conditions for safe and dignified return for most of its citizens and long-term residents,” said Volker Türk, assistant high commissioner for protection at the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). “There are huge expectations for the new government in Myanmar.”

Mr Türk urged the government to recognise “an appropriate legal status” for all inhabitants of Rakhine State, to promote civil registration and access to identity documents, and to remove restrictions on basic freedoms. (Courtesy of Myanmar Times)

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