Agency accused of deferring Rohingya report
MYANMAR: The United Nations food agency is pressing for immediate access to Myanmar’s troubled northern Rakhine state amid accusations it shelved a critical report revealing desperate hunger among the persecuted Muslim population.
It came as Amnesty International accused the Myanmar government of a ‘‘systematic campaign of crimes against humanity’’ in Rakhine, where the army launched operations against a militant group in August.
An assessment by the World Food Programme (WFP) in July warning that more than 80,000 children under the age of 5 in majority-Muslim areas were ‘‘wasting’’ – a potentially fatal condition – was removed from public view at the request of the Myanmar government.
Instead, the six-page document has been replaced with a statement saying Myanmar and the WFP are ‘‘collaborating on a revised version’’ and that the report should not be cited in any way.
Greg Barrow, WFP’s deputy director of communications, said the organisation ‘‘stood by’’ its findings.
But he said a new assessment had to be made in light of dramatic changes on the ground since a military operation was launched against the Rohingya population after insurgents attacked security posts on August 25.
However, the WFP, along with other humanitarian aid agencies, has been denied access to the conflict zone.
‘‘We know that prior to the upsurge in violence in northern Rakhine, which began in August, there were already very high levels of malnutrition particularly among women and children,’’ Barrow said.
‘‘We also know that the upsurge in violence took place just months before the next harvest is due which means that farmers’ ability to tend for and then harvest their crops in that area will have been severely affected.
‘‘We need access to get a clear picture to allow us to meet those needs,’’ he said.
The calls for access come as a new wave of thousands of Rohingya Muslims crossed over the border this week to seek refuge in overcrowded camps in Bangladesh.
In Geneva on Tuesday, UNHCR spokesman Andrej Mahecic said an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 had fled since Sunday night, raising the overall total to 582,000 refugees who have escaped the military crackdown.
New arrivals have described horrific scenes of violence that the UN has labelled ‘‘textbook ethnic cleansing’’.
In a report released yesterday, Amnesty International said the Myanmar government appeared to be attempting to permanently drive the 1.1 million Rohingya in Rakhine state out of the country.
Witnesses interviewed by the group described soldiers and civilian vigilantes carrying out house burnings, mass rape, and murder. –