UN Human Rights envoy doesn’t meet Rohingya in Maungdaw district

(AP Photo/Khin Maung Win)

By KPN

July 19, 2014

Maungdaw, Arakan State: The United Nations new human rights envoy to Burma, Ms. Yanghee Lee, didn’t meet Rohingya from Maungdaw district, said Halim, a Human Rights Watchdog from Maungdaw.

Ms. Lee arrived Maungdaw at 11:41 am, from Buthidaung by helicopter, officers from all departments welcomed her from the helicopter, Halim said.

The Human Rights envoy’s first visit to Maungdaw Police station’s custody to see the Rohingya and Rakhine detainees. But, she met only one Rohingya –Mawgyi Ullah, a person of government- pretending as detainee and Rakhine detainees in the custody, said a closed aide from Maungdaw police station, who denied to be named.

All Rohingya detainees were shifted to three miles Hluntin Headquarters from police custody, he added.

The envoy moved from police station to Daywanadi at jetty road and discussed with officers of all departments, he more added.

Besides, the envoy arrived Buthidaung from Akyab (Sittwe) in the morning by helicopter and visited to the Buthidaung Jail. There also she didn’t able to meet the Rohingya prisoners and also not able to meet the local Rohingya community in Buthidaung, according to an elder from Buthidaung.

We keep the two groups -Rakhine and Muslim- separately to control not to happen again conflict. We will check the Muslim under the 1982 citizenship law and whoever get the citizenship will be allowed to go all over the country, said Rakhine state Chief Minister, when he met the UN Human Rights envoy in Akyab.

“The situation is going like this in Rakhine state, the peace process and moving towards democracy by the government will not reach to the target,” said the envoy while she met the Rakhine state government.

When Kaladan Press Network asked to a local from Akyab about the statement of deputy minister Kyaw Kyaw Win, “If they themselves identify as Bengali and request to check their citizenship status, then we will process under the 1982 citizenship law,” published Yangon Times Journal, Vol. 10, number 27. The local Rohingya said, “If we accept the Bengali, it was finished when the government started the collecting of census. We don’t accept “Bengali” so far and we want “Rohingya” only.

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