Once the cessation of violence and humanitarian access has been achieved, the work of building a lasting peace must begin – Emily Thornberry on Myanmar
Emily Thornberry MP, Shadow Foreign Secretary, responding to the worsening humanitarian crisis in Myanmar’s Rakhine State, said:
“In the last month, tens of thousands of men, women and children have been displaced from their homes as a result of the violence in Rakhine State, and thousands more are joining them with every passing day, all desperately in need of shelter, medical help, food and clean water.
“As well as a complete end to all further violence and burning of villages, we need to ensure that the thousands of people who have already lost their homes urgently receive the food, water and medicine they need to survive. If the authorities on the ground in Myanmar are deliberately preventing UN bodies and international aid agencies from reaching those displaced families, that decision must be immediately reversed.
“And once the cessation of violence and humanitarian access has been achieved, the work of building a lasting peace must begin, building on the recommendations of Kofi Annan’s Advisory Commission on Rakhine State, including a recognition of the rights and freedoms of the Rohingya people, and an end to restrictions on their movement.
“Britain and the rest of the world community must stand ready to support that process, but it will firstly rely on the civilian and military authorities in Myanmar living up to their responsibilities within a modern democratic government. As a long-standing, critical friend, we should expect and demand nothing less.”
Ends
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