UN and regional government discuss armed conflict in Arakan State

13 Jul 2019

Khin Tharaphy Oo | DMG

13 July, Sittwe

The UN special envoy to Myanmar Ms. Christine Schraner Burgener met the Arakan State cabinet on 12 July and discussed the ongoing armed conflicts between the Tatmadaw and the AA.

“It is the best for civilians if there is no war. If a war breaks out in a region, there will be refugees. So, the main topic is to end fighting in the region. We mainly discussed how to try not to instigate fighting in the region,” U Win Myint, spokesperson of the Arakan State government, told the DMG about their discussion.

U Win Myint added that they also discussed the conditions of displaced people and the situations in IDP camps.

During the trip, she (Ms. Christine Schraner Burgener) met Arakan State government, Arakan State parliament, Arakan National party, local CSOs and women’s organizations as well as Muslim refugees living in IDP camps due to the 2012 conflict.

On 11 July, she met Arakan State parliament speaker U San Kyaw Hla and discussed resettlement of IDPs during the current armed conflict in Arakan State, the condition of refugees and a possible ceasefire in Arakan State.

The Arakan National Party requested the UN special envoy address the government to lessen the hardships of the IDPs in Arakan State and to seek justice for the deceased villages in custody due to the torture by the Tatmadaw, the ANP said.