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Human Rights Commissioner calls for improvement of situation in Rakhine, Myanmar
Markus Löning, the German Government’s Commissioner for Human Rights Policy, issued the following statement today (8 May) in response to the publication of the Rakhine Investigation Commission’s final report:
This report by the Rakhine Investigation Commission provides the Myanmar Government with starting points for urgently needed action. The situation of the internally displaced has to be improved, the legal status of the Rohingyas needs clarification and the process of reconciliation must be set in motion.
There must be no repeat of the clashes of June and October 2012. I call on the Myanmar Government to put the Commission’s recommendations into practice with speed and determination.
It is especially essential that the humanitarian situation in the refugee camps be improved. There is not much time left to provide safe accommodation before the start of the rainy season.
Background:
Major unrest and clashes between Buddhist Rakhine and Muslim Rohingyas shook Myanmar’s Rakhine state in June and October 2012, resulting in the deaths of 192 people. Around 125,000 people had to flee their homes and are now living in camps, many under extremely difficult conditions. Up to 80% of these internally displaced persons are Rohingyas.
Myanmar’s rainy season is about to begin, and there are still not enough shelters in place that can withstand the weather. The Investigation Commission which President Thein Sein set up in August 2012 has now published its final report on the violence. It contains recommendations on improving the security situation in Rakhine state, examines humanitarian problems and calls for clarification in the difficult issue of citizenship. Up until now, Rohingyas have not had access to Myanmar citizenship. President Thein Sein has pledged help for the displaced in a televised address.
