Govt urged to ease tensions

On Thursday, Samantha Power, the US ambassador to UN, urged the government to intervene to stop communal violence and protect humanitarian workers. 

“We continue to support Burma’s reforms, but are greatly concerned that without effective government intervention violence in Rakhine could worsen, lives will be lost, and the critically needed humanitarian presence will not be sustainable,” AFP quoted Samantha Power as saying.

“The government must take urgent steps to avoid more violence and to prevent setbacks on the journey to democracy and prosperity.”

She spoke after the UN special adviser on Myanmar, Vijay Nambiar, updated the UN Security Council on the situation in the country’s west.

Power’s remark followed United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s expression of concerns after the attacks against the UN and international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) during March 26-27 in Sittwe. On March 30, after a telephone conversation with President Thein Sein, he stressed that impunity cannot be tolerated in the context of Myanmar’s reform process and called for the protection of all civilians and the full respect for the rule of law.

The deadly unrest was reportedly triggered by reports that a foreign aid worker had treated a Buddhist flag disrespectfully.

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the violence, during which UN and NGO offices, living quarters, and warehouses were seriously damaged or looted, was the culmination of months of increasing intimidation and harassment of humanitarian staff and local suppliers by a vocal minority of the Rakhine community. The violence forced humanitarian workers to flee Rakhine earlier this month.

Their departure has aggravated the already critical health situation for hundreds of thousands of Muslims dependent on international medical assistance, including 140,000 displaced people living in camps and more than 700,000 living in isolated villages.

President Thien Sein reacted by establishing the Investigation Commission earlier this month, to be chaired by the Deputy Minister of Border Affairs. 

The commission's report released on April 9 concluded that Yvonne Dunton of Malteser International did not intend to disrespect a Buddhist flag by removing it from her house. "The foreign aid worker arrived in Myanmar in 1993. She wants to serve the interests of Myanmar citizens. She has been studying Buddhism for 20 years and has no wish to disgrace the flag or Buddhist values," the report said.

"I welcome the response of the Government [Myanmar] to the attacks against the UN and INGO premises in Sittwe," said Renata Dessallien, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Myanmar, in a press release applauding the rapid action, "and the recognition that the incident which sparked the attacks was purely unintentional."

 "I welcome the government's commitment that the perpetrators of violence will be brought to justice," she stressed in the release dated April 11. 

 

Expressing concern over the impact that the disruption of critical life-saving services is having on the displaced and other vulnerable communities, Dessallien hailed "the Investigation Commission's assurances to facilitate an immediate return of humanitarian workers to Rakhine state."

She also stressed the UN preparation to help build Myanmar’s capacity in providing further humanitarian assistance, if requested. 

“It is important that the government take more responsibility for the provision and management of the humanitarian operation," said Dessallien.

"If we are perceived as being culturally insensitive, we need to build back better with more cultural and conflict sensitivity. If we are perceived as not transparent, we need to find ways to be more transparent without hampering vital humanitarian services. If we are perceived as being biased, we need to explain better what we do and why, both in our humanitarian and development work, and we must increase our development assistance to Rakhine communities."

Last week, Tom