United Nations agencies and international non-government organisations will be allowed to return to Rakhine State after April 21 subject to the approval of the joint Union-State Emergency Co-ordination Centre, state government spokesperson U Win Myaing said on April 2.
His comments follow the expulsion of Medicins Sans Frontieres from the state in late February and the disruption to the work of UN agencies and international NGOs after their premises were damaged during rioting in the state capital, Sittwe, on March 26 and 27.
U Win Myaing said the UN and all other aid agencies would be allowed to return to Rakhine State after negotiating their work program with the EEC.
“Only after their work proposal has been accepted by the EEC will they be allowed to operate again,” he said.
U Win Myaing said humanitarian organisations had previously operated in Rakhine State under memoranda of understanding agreed with the Union government.
“But the state government knew nothing about them; that’s why troubles came about,” he said.
The EEC was originally appointed by the Union governmentbut in the aftermath of the expulsion of MSF its composition was changed to include Rakhine elders, said Sittwe resident U Than Htun.
Referring to UN agencies and NGOs, U Than Htun, who is among the elders appointed to the EEC, said: “We need to know specifically what they are going to do. Otherwise problems might arise.”
