EU aid envoy decries Myanmar ‘deprivation’ The Gulf Today November 24, 2013 NAYPYIDAW: A European Union humanitarian envoy on Saturday voiced concern at the “dramatic deprivation” in Myanmar’s camps for tens of thousands of people, mainly Muslims, made homeless by deadly unrest in Rakhine State. After a visit to the area this week, Claus Sorensen, the head of the EU’s humanitarian aid department (ECHO), said in a statement he was disturbed by the “dramatic deprivation of the affected communities and disrespect of fundamental rights.” He also voiced alarm at threats by “extremist elements” against aid workers trying to deliver basic necessities to the camps, echoing growing international concern over the issue. Sorensen’s comments on the trip, which concludes on Saturday, come after Myanmar on Thursday said it would not grant citizenship to people identifying themselves as Rohingya, despite pressure from the United Nations. Myanmar sees the Rohingya in Rakhine as illegal Bangladeshi immigrants. Many in the Buddhist-majority nation view the group with hostility, referring to them as “Bengalis” — an often pejorative term. Sorensen said he recognised there was “sensitivity” over the word Rohingya, but urged the country to move beyond “labels.” “They are not all going to go on the boats and disappear in the ocean it’s a scandal,” Sorensen told reporters in Yangon, estimating there were at least 800,000 Rohingya in the region. “They will be still there. So we have to find the way to solve this issue so that it will not be a threat against the overall development of Myanmar.” Meanwhile, the EU said it is upping mainly food aid to Myanmar after clashes between state troops and ethnic Kachin rebels which trapped children in a remote area. The European Commission said it was earmarking $4 million on top of 45 million in humanitarian aid awarded over the past two years. The EU executive said the new funds would go essentially on food aid in Rakhine, Kachin and Northern Shan states. “Thousands of people have lost their homes and are living in dire conditions,” said Kristalina Georgieva, EU Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response.
Posted on: Sun, 24 Nov 2013 04:25:42 +0000
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