The Stateless Rohingya Blog

PressTV: April 20, 2013 A political analyst says the international community and particularly the West has not pressured the government in Myanmar to stop the violence and to stop this genocide or ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya people. The comments came after the UN refugee agency warned of a “humanitarian catastrophe” in Myanmar as the country’s displaced Rohingya Muslims face the threat of monsoon floods. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on Friday said it is “seriously concerned about the risks facing over 60,000 displaced people in flood-prone areas and in makeshift shelters.” Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar account for about five percent of the country’s population of nearly 60 million. They have been persecuted and faced torture, neglect, and repression since the country's independence in 1948.  Press TV has conducted an interview with Kevin Barrett, from the Muslim-Christian-Jewish Alliance, to further discuss the issue. What follows is

Shelter is a vital need for displaced people in Myanmar's Rakhine state. UNHCR is concerned that everyone has a place to shelter during the coming rainy season. © UNHCR/P.Behan UNHCR April 19, 2013 MYANMAR, Yangon, April 19 (UNHCR) – The UN refugee agency on Friday called for urgent action and increased financial support to improve conditions for displaced people in Myanmar's Rakhine state and avert a humanitarian catastrophe when seasonal rains start in a few weeks time. "UNHCR is seriously concerned about the risks facing over 60,000 displaced people in flood-prone areas and in makeshift shelters," a spokesperson said. From May to September, the monsoon season is expected to unleash heavy rains and possible cyclones in Rakhine state, where more than 115,000 people remain uprooted after last year's inter-communal violence. The most critical sites are in Sittwe, Pauktaw and Myebon, where the displaced are living near the coast and are vulnerable