According to a report in the state-run newspaper The New Light of Myanmar, the president acknowledged that rehabilitation of victims ahead of the monsoon season was urgent; called for locals to be equipped with farming and fishing equipment; and, urged for a return to normalcy for IDPs.

“Long-term plans for handling of Rakhine conflict should be set,” said Thein Sein. “Myanmar people themselves need to address the internal affairs peacefully. The number of security forces will be reduced along with improvement in peace and stability,” he added.

Following a government-organized trip to the state on the same day, US Ambassador Derek Mitchell said, “The trip reaffirmed that significant work remains to be done to prepare for the coming rainy season, and that the international community stands ready to assist the government in its urgent efforts.”

Tomás Ojea Quintana, the UN’s Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Myanmar, said in March that nearly 120,000 people were now living in camps in Rakhine State with a lack of adequate healthcare, and noted that conditions were worse in camps sheltering Rohingyas and other Muslims.

“The situation in this area is extreme,” he warned at the time.

On April 6, local community leaders and government officials in Rakhine State held a meeting to discuss whether section 144 of the Myanmar Penal Code should be applied in order to avoid further communal violence following rumors that fighting echoing last month's riots in central Myanmar could break out.

The recent clashes in Meiktila were the worst that Myanmar had seen since violence between Buddhists and Muslims in Rakhine State last year left at least 180 people dead.