Diplomats, UN officials witness true situation in Rakhine State

February 15, 2018

An entourage headed by Union Minister for Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement Dr. Win Myat Aye visited Maungtaw District in Rakhine State yesterday to provide authentic, reliable news to the international community about repatriation efforts being undertaken there.

The entourage also included foreign ambassadors and representatives of UN agencies stationed in Yangon.

The foreign ambassadors, UN agency representatives and other organisations arrived in Sittway Airport yesterday morning and were welcomed by Dr. Win Myat Aye, Rakhine State Chief Minister U Nyi Pu, Rakhine State ministers and other officials.

The guests were seated in the guest hall of the airport, where Dr. Win Myat Aye explained in detail about the operations of the Union Enterprise for Humanitarian Assistance, Resettlement and Development (UEHRD), and the repatriation and resettlement process for displaced persons mapped out by the Union government. Next, U Nyi Pu gave details of the completed components in the resettlement process and future processes that are yet to be finished. The guests were then briefed on the day’s trip by U Kyaw Moe Tun, Director-General of the International Organisations and Economic Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Dr. Win Myat Aye, U Nyi Pu and the visiting delegation then travelled by helicopter to Ngakhuya Village and inspected the temporary repatriation camp there. The ambassadors interacted with the local residents and asked them questions.

The ambassadors , UN agency representatives and other organizations were then given a presentation on the Ngakhuya temporary repatriation centre by Deputy Director for General Administration Department U Zaw Min. He mentioned the different ministries involved in the repatriation process and the departments that were formed to carry out the process. He also pointed out the temporary shelters and basic necessities provided to the repatriates before answering questions posed by the foreign delegates. The group was then shown the repatriation office compound and the houses set up for the repatriates.

The visiting delegation was then taken to the repatriation camp for displaced persons who will return by land in Taung Pyo Letwe Township. The group toured the office compound, the temporary shelters for displaced persons and the bridge connecting Myanmar and Bangladesh borders.

The group then visited Hla Pho Khaung, a transit camp where displaced persons can take up temporary residence. U Ye Htut, Maungtaw District Deputy commissioner later explained the further processes of the camp and answered questions put forth by the visiting delegation, before showing the group around the camp.

By noon, the group arrived in Kanyin Chaung Special Economic Zone and inspected the construction process and the border trade situation there. They then travelled to Border Gate (1) in Maungtaw Township and inspected the area. The group then went to the local market in Maungtaw to assess the free trade in the area and bought some items from the vendors there.

The Union Minister and his entourage travelled back to Sittway and returned to Yangon in the evening. The group, led by Dr. Win Myat Aye, comprised of ambassadors and officials from the embassies of Egypt, Finland, Germany, Israel, Italy, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, New Zealand, Brazil, Poland and Sri Lanka in Yangon, as well as representatives from United Nations Development Programme, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund, United Nations Fund for Population Activities, United Nations Human Settlements Programme, World Health Organisation, International Organisation for Migration, Asian Development Bank and United Nations Office for Project Services.

Ref; The Global New Light of Myanmar