September 14, 2017 / LAST MODIFIED: 04:33 AM, September 14, 2017
Come up with help 'regardless of politics'
UN seeks 'massive' aid boost for Rohingyas
Diplomatic Correspondent
As the Rohingya crisis escalates into an unfolding tragedy, the United Nations yesterday appealed to the world to support the ongoing humanitarian efforts for the refugees “regardless of politics”.
It also said aid agencies have to step up operations "massively" in response to the inflow of Rohingyas fleeing atrocities in Myanmar, and the amount of money needed to help them has risen sharply.
As Bangladesh struggles to cope with the unprecedented refugee influx, two planes have arrived here with supplies for 25,000 Rohingyas, and further flights are planned so that 1,20,000 people can be reached in total.
One of the two flights that arrived on Tuesday was chartered by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). It carried shelter materials, sleeping mats and other emergency supplies.
The cargo has been loaded onto trucks which will transport the supplies to the refugee camps in Cox's Bazar, said Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN secretary-general.
A second flight, donated by the United Arab Emirates, came with some 2,000 family tents.
"We will all have to ramp up our response massively, from food to shelter," George William Okoth-Obbo, assistant high commissioner for operations at the UN refugee agency, told Reuters during a visit to the Kutupalong refugee camp yesterday.
"We have an emergency within an emergency with conditions in existing camps," he said, pointing to a mud-clogged road in the camp.
The call came as the UN Security Council was slated to hold a closed-door meeting on the deteriorating situation in Myanmar's Rakhine State at the request of Sweden and Britain.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged the Security Council to press for restraint and calm, sending the 15-member body a rare letter on September 5.
He expressed concern that the violence could spiral into a “humanitarian catastrophe with implications for peace and security that could continue to expand beyond Myanmar's borders”.
Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have also accused the UNSC of ignoring the “textbook case of ethnic cleansing” as dubbed by the UN human rights chief.
“We have made very clear our concern at the ongoing tragedy of the Rohingyas, people who have been forced to leave their homes. The reports we're getting, the pictures all of us are seeing are heart-breaking to say the least,” Dujarric told reporters at his daily noon briefing at the UN headquarters in New York on Tuesday.
“I think the entire international community should support the ongoing humanitarian efforts, regardless of politics. These are people in need. These are very vulnerable people who have crossed the border, who've, as we said, are hungry and are malnourished and deserve to be helped,” he said.
The spokesperson was responding to a question on role of regional players in helping Rohingya refugees.
“Are you disappointed that major regional players, including India, in particular, have actually sort of made their stand about this Rohingya crisis very clear and actually not come out and supported when their support could have been quite crucial?” he was asked.
Dujarric said UN's humanitarian wing have done emergency planning for about 3,00,000 Rohingya refugees. “That number has now definitely crossed that line. We are urgently appealing for more funds,” he said.
As of yesterday, an estimated 3,89,000 Myanmar nationals have arrived in Bangladesh in the face of what Bangladesh government and many others internationally called “genocide”.
In Bangladesh, the UN humanitarian agencies operating in Cox's Bazar called for urgent need of $77 million to assist people who have fled violence in Rakhine.
“The Response Plan, developed as a result of the influx of people to Cox's Bazar, outlines the life-saving support UN agencies and international NGOs are aiming to provide 3,00,000 people until the end of 2017, according to a statement of Office of the UN Resident Coordinator in Bangladesh on September 9.
About UN appeals of $77 million to cope with the crisis, George William Okoth-Obbo of UNHCR said that would not now be enough.
“The appeal that was issued $77 million on behalf of the aid agencies was based on the situation as it was about two weeks ago,” he said.
“There were only 1,00,000 people then. We are already four times that figure now.”
In the UN press briefing, spokesperson Dujarric said: “Whether it's UNHCR, WFP and other agencies, [we] are trying to get as much aid into the country as quickly as possible. Obviously, from what we've read out, we haven't been able to reach all the people that we need to.
“The added challenge is that a lot of people are crossing the border, going to makeshift settlements, or otherwise living outside more organised structures, which could make it easier for us to reach them.”
The UN spokesperson said the government of Bangladesh has asked the UN to help establish a new camp to house the newly arrived refugees.
He noted that the UN World Food Programme is providing food to some 70,000 people as they arrive in Cox's Bazar and to nearly 60,000 people living in camps and makeshift settlements.
The Spokesperson also said most aid activities in northern Rakhine state remain either suspended or severely interrupted, although the government is delivering some aid through the Red Cross.
“Most aid activities on the part of UN agencies and international non-governmental organisations across northern Rakhine remain either suspended or severely interrupted, although some assistance is being delivered by the government and through the Red Cross,” he said.
“The UN and its partners continue to offer support to the government to meet the needs of all affected communities and are liaising with authorities to resume humanitarian operations as soon as possible.”
EU STEPS UP ASSISTANCE
The European Commission announced additional humanitarian aid of €3 million to address the most pressing needs of Rohingya civilians.
The funding comes on top of the €12 million announced in May 2017 when Commissioner Stylianides visited Rakhine. "The European Union is providing further emergency humanitarian aid as the situation continues to be critical.
This additional funding will help provide emergency shelter, water, food and health assistance for newly arrived refugees in Bangladesh and people in need in Myanmar, as soon as humanitarian access to the latter is restored.
The EU continues to call for full humanitarian access and the respect for international human rights law in Myanmar.
“The immediate restoration of humanitarian assistance in northern Rakhine State is needed in order to address what is already a precarious humanitarian situation, and to avoid an escalation of the crisis. I thank the government and people of Bangladesh for their hospitality in sheltering many refugees. The European Union remains committed to support those who are forced to flee their homes during these difficult times," said the Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management, Christos Stylianides.
EU High Representative Federica Mogherini in a statement in Brussels on Monday said that she is following the dramatic developments in Rakhine and at the border region in Bangladesh closely.
“The European Union has raised its concerns as recently as last Friday in direct contacts with Myanmar government members … the priority is now to obtain immediate humanitarian access again, and to address in parallel the root causes of the conflict by implementing the Annan Advisory Commission recommendations to this end,” she said.
We are in close contact with Bangladeshi authorities and are stepping up our humanitarian engagement there,”
INDONESIA
Four Hercules planes carrying 34 tonnes of aid for Rohingya refugees will arrive in Chittagong today while Indonesia's President Joko Widodo calls for an immediate end to violence in Myanmar's Rakhine state and promised significant humanitarian aid.”
Presidential spokesman Johan Budi said the planes are carrying rice, instant meals, family kits, tents, water tanks and blankets, have departed for Bangladesh from an air force base in the Indonesian capital.
It's the first batch of aid from Indonesia following discussions with Myanmar and Bangladesh, he added.
INDIA
India, which has been facing criticism at home and abroad for its anti-Rohingya stance, yesterday announced that an aircraft carrying first consignment of humanitarian assistance will land in Chittagong Airport at 11:00am today.
“This relief is coming for Rohingya refugees,” said an Indian diplomat in Dhaka, adding that Indian High Commissioner Harsh Vardhan Shringla will hand over the relief material to Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his Myanmar visit expressed concern over “extremist violence” in Rakhine but did not mention the persecution of minority Rohingyas.
Later, the official spokesperson of Ministry of External Affairs on September 9 urged that the situation in Rakhine be handled with “restraint and maturity”, with focus on the “welfare of the civilian population alongside those of the security forces.”
MOROCCO
Morocco has sent humanitarian aid to support refugees in Bangladesh, said the country's foreign ministry on Monday. The Moroccan aid supply includes tents, covers, basic food and medicines, the statement noted.
Also on Monday, the UN refugee agency on Monday welcomed a personal donation of $1 million from Tadashi Yanai, chairman, president and CEO of Fast Retailing Co, parent company of Japan's leading apparel brand, UNIQLO.
The funds donated by Yanai will be used for UNHCR to provide life-saving humanitarian assistance to Rohingya refugees newly arrived in Bangladesh
September 14, 2017 / LAST MODIFIED: 03:22 AM, September 14, 2017
The situation 'catastrophic'
UN chief asks Myanmar to halt military action
Reuters, United Nations
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres yesterday called on authorities in Myanmar to end violence against Rohingyas and acknowledged the situation there is best described as ethnic cleansing.
The humanitarian situation in Myanmar was "catastrophic," Guterres said, and called on all countries to do what they could to supply aid.
"I call on the Myanmar authorities to suspend military action, end the violence, uphold the rule of law and recognise the right of return of all those who had to leave the country," Guterres said at a news conference.
Pressure has been mounting on Myanmar to end violence that has sent about 370,000 Rohingya Muslims fleeing to Bangladesh, with the United States calling for protection of civilians and Bangladesh urging safe zones to enable refugees to go home.
Asked if the situation could be described as ethnic cleansing, Guterres replied: "Well I would answer your question with another question: When one-third of the Rohingya population had to flee the country, could you find a better word to describe it?"
The secretary-general also said he has spoken to Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar's national leader, several times.
"This is a dramatic tragedy. People are dying and suffering at horrible numbers and we need to stop it. That is my main concern," he said.
The UN's top human rights official earlier this week denounced Myanmar for conducting a "cruel military operation" against the Rohingya, branding it "a textbook example of ethnic cleansing."
September 14, 2017 / LAST MODIFIED: 03:26 AM, September 14, 2017
Intervene now, take action
12 Nobel laureates, 15 other eminent citizens call upon UNSC in open letter
Staff Correspondent
Twelve Nobel laureates and 15 other eminent global citizens yesterday urged the UN Security Council to intervene immediately to end the humanitarian crisis in Myanmar's Rakhine state.
"We call on UNSC to intervene immediately by using all available means. We request you to take immediate action for cessation of indiscriminate military attack on innocent civilians that is forcing them to leave their home and flee country to turn into stateless people," they said in an open letter to the president and member states of the UNSC.
The move comes at a time when around 3.7 lakh Rohingyas fled Myanmar Army's crackdown in Rakahine in the last two weeks and entered Bangladesh. More are expected to come while some 87 are estimated to have died in boat capsize on their way across the Bay of Bengal.
The signatories of the letter thanked the UNSC president and member states for holding the UNSC meeting on Rohingya crisis yesterday.
They urged the UNSC to persuade Myanmar government to take immediate steps to implement the recommendations put forward by the Rakhine Advisory Commission that Myanmar itself established last year under the pressure of the international community.
The Advisory Commission, comprised of mostly Myanmar citizens and chaired by Kofi Annan, recommended providing citizenship to the Rohingyas, allowing them freedom of movement, rights and equality before the law, ensuring communal representation, lack of which affects Muslims disproportionately, and facilitating UN assistance in ensuring safety and security of returning people.
"The fear became reality through the attack on Myanmar security forces by the militants. Unless, constructive effort to build lasting peace is taken, the situation will get worse which in turn may pose serious security threat to the neighbouring countries."
To implement the recommendations, the signatories suggested reappointing the commission members immediately to constitute an Implementation Committee to oversee the implementation of the recommendations, taking immediate steps to stop the outflow of Rohingyas, inviting international observers on a regular basis to visit vulnerable areas, taking back the refugees and building camps within Myanmar to rehabilitate Rohingyas upon their return with UN financing and supervision.
Of the signatories, 10 Nobel peace laureates are Prof Muhammad Yunus (2006), Betty Williams (1976), Oscar Arias Sánchez (1987), Shirin Ebadi (2003), Tawakkol Karman (2011), Máiread Maguire (1976), Archbishop Desmond Tutu (1984), Jody Williams (1997), Leymah Gbowee (2011), Malala Yousafzai (2014), and two Nobel laureates in Physiology or Medicine -- Sir Richard J. Roberts (1993) and Elizabeth Blackburn (2009).
Apart from them, 18 eminent global citizens -- former Malaysian minister for foreign affairs Syed Hamid Albar; business leader and philanthropist Sir Richard Branson; entrepreneur and philanthropist Mo Ibrahim; Voice of Libyan Women and SDG advocate Alaa Murabit; former Thai foreign minister Kasit Piromya; business leader and SDG advocate Paul Polman; director of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network Jeffrey D. Sachs; business leader and philanthropist Jochen Zeitz; former Italian foreign minister Emma Bonino; former prime minister of Norway Gro Harlem Brundtland; human rights activist Kerry Kennedy; business leader Narayana Murthy; former secretary-general of ASEAN Surin Pitsuwan; former president of Ireland Mary Robinson; Actor and SDG advocate Forest Whitaker, actor and activist Shabana Azmi; poet and lyricist Javed Akhtar and former chair of Human Rights Commission, Pakistan Asma Jahangir singed the letter.
"The human tragedy and crimes against humanity unfolding in the Arakan region of Myanmar need your immediate intervention. This is one of the decisive moments when bold and decisive actions are needed promptly when it is still possible to get it resolved," they said.
According to different organisations, the recent military offensive by the Myanmar Army in Rakhine state has led to the killing of hundreds of Rohingyas and hundreds of thousands displaced.
"Complete villages have been burned, women raped, many civilians arbitrarily arrested, and children killed. Crucially, humanitarian aid organisations have been almost completely denied access, creating an appalling humanitarian crisis in an area already extremely poor."
Referring to the huge influx of Rohingyas into Bangladesh, the eminent personalities in the letter said human misery created by such massive displacement of men, women and children under the threat of death is getting worse every day.
“Some of us denounced the previous spate of violence late last year and wrote to you to intervene. However, the situation has not improved. We urge you to take decisive actions to stop the violence against innocent civilians and bring permanent peace in Rakhine state.
“The arguments that the Myanmar government is using to deny Rohingyas their citizenship are ludicrous, to say the least. At independence of Burma from the British in 1948 and under successive governments, Burma recognized the people of all ethnicities within its border, including the Rohingyas, as full citizens, having representation in the parliament."
The military juntas in the 1980s had decided that Rohingyas were not Burmese. "Accordingly, they stripped the Rohingyas of their citizenship. They used military and political means to make sure that the Rohingyas leave the country. Systematic persecution aiming at ethnic and religious cleansing began."
The Nobel laureates and other luminaries joined the Secretary General of the United Nations in re-emphasizing that the grievances and unresolved plight of the Rohingya have festered for far too long and are becoming an undeniable factor in regional destabilisation. The authorities in Myanmar must take determined action to put an end to this vicious cycle of violence and to provide security and assistance to all those in need.
"A bold change in approach is needed by United Nations and the international community if there is to be an end to the cycle of violence against the Rohingyas. The government of Myanmar needs to be told that international support and finance is conditional on a major change in policy towards the Rohingya."
Propaganda and incitement of hatred and all violence, particularly state violence against Rohingyas, must stop, discriminatory laws and policies must go and the recommendations of Kofi Annan's commission must be implemented immediately, they emphasized.
The world is anxiously waiting to see that the UNSC is playing its role to bring an end to a humanitarian catastrophe and build peace in the region, they summed up.