March 12, 2013
Discrimination against Rohingyas in Myanmar must be addressed, said Tomás Ojea Quintana, the UN’s special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar, speaking in Geneva on March 11.
The [Myanmar] Government must establish the truth about what happened in Rakhine state during the two waves of communal violence last June and October, and hold those responsible for human rights violations to account,” said Quintana in a report presented to the United Nations Human Rights Council.
Following a visit to Myanmar last month, Quintana said that nearly 120,000 people are now living in camps in Rakhine State with a lack of adequate healthcare, and noted that conditions were worse in camps sheltering Rohingyas and other Muslims.
“The situation in this area is extreme,” he warned on Monday.
Quintana cautioned the government to ease restrictions on freedom of movement for the people who remain in camps before the start of the rainy season, which will flood many camps.
He also expressed concern for the 40,000 displaced people in Kachin State and urged the government to allow humanitarian aid to these areas.