China: the wounds of Tiananmen
Eritrea: Crackdown creates a human rights crisis
Sri Lanka: Ban will travel to assess situation on the ground
The UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, announced today that it will travel to Sri Lanka 22 and May 23 for the purpose of observing the situation of the civilian population after the government of that country declare its military operation against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
The visit reflects the urgency of alleviating the most pressing needs of communities affected by the clashes between the Sri Lanka army and the rebel group in northern Iraq.
At a press conference in Geneva, Ban said it will go to the IDP camps to see what conditions are such people.
"The challenges facing the people of Sri Lanka now are immense and require all hands," he said.
He added that the most critical at the moment are humanitarian assistance, reintegration of the displaced and reconstruction of the country's north.
On the other hand, stressed the need for Sri Lanka to find a just and sustainable political solution to this crisis.
Ban lamented again the death of many innocent civilians and called for focusing efforts in the reconstruction in a spirit of national reconciliation.
According to estimates by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), camps housing some 220,000 people displaced and up to 60,000 more will be coming to these centers.
Furthermore, the Council of the UN Human Rights announced that, at the request of its members, will hold a special meeting next Monday to assess the status of the fundamental guarantees in Sri Lanka.
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However, Kerry remarked that "a partial restoration of the capacity of humanitarian assistance is not enough." He added: "A humanitarian crisis is a humanitarian crisis."
Kerry met with Second Vice President Ali Osman Taha Sudanese and Nafi Nafi Presidential Assistant and has scheduled a meeting with the head of Sudanese intelligence, Salah Gosh.
THE SITUATION OF THE REFUGEES OF MYANMAR
martes, 7 de abril de 2009
Publicado por Posmodernism News :Myanmar is the first producing country of refugees of the Asian Southeast: at least 400.000 Burmese have fled to the nearby countries, and many of them have remained in the exile during decades.
There are approximately 141.000 refugees of Myanmar in nine fields along the border of Thailand with Myanmar. Of them, 128.516 - the majority belonging to the ethnic group Karen and Karenni - are registered as refugees and others are in expectation of the decision of the Thai Council of Admissions Provincial so that they grant them the official status.
In Bangladesh there are 27.000 refugees in two fields managed by ACNUR; it is a question mostly of Rohingyas, Muslims of the state of Rakhine, in the north of Myanmar. There is close to other 200.000 Rohingyas living between the local population in Bangladesh, and that are not registered officially as refugees.
In Malaysia the refugees do not live in camps but in the cities, mixed with the local population; ACNUR has registered 29.770 persons belonging to diverse religions and ethnic groups