Source. Dawn
YANGON: Myanmar’s new civilian government should prioritise ending deep discrimination against the Rohingya and other Muslims in restive Rakhine state, a United Nations envoy said Friday.
Yanghee Lee, the UN Special Rapporteur on Myanmar, was speaking after a nearly two-week visit to the Buddhist-majority nation, her first since Aung San Suu Kyi’s pro-democracy party took office several months ago, ending five decades of military rule.
Suu Kyi, a globally celebrated champion for human rights, has faced criticism for not taking a stronger stance on the Rohingya’s plight as she leads her country into a new era.
Lee’s visit included a trip to strife-torn Rakhine, a western region scarred by bouts of religious bloodshed between Buddhists and Muslims in 2012.
The state has since been almost completely divided on religious grounds, with Muslim communities trapped in camps or isolated communities and subject to a range of restrictions on their movements and access to basic services and employment.
Thank God UN paid attention to this serious issue.