U.N. Secretary-General's adviser on Myanmar Vijay Nambiar arrived in Sittwe, capital of the restive Rakhine state, on Wednesday after sectarian violence left dozens dead and forced thousands to flee.
Nambiar will be visiting Maungdaw on the Bangladesh border, where the latest round of violence broke out on on Friday, to assess the situation and provide support to the state, media reports said.
The U.N. has evacuated most of its foreign staff from Maungdaw, its main base in the state, which has a large population of stateless Rohingya Muslims. A dawn-to-dusk curfew was in force in Sittwe and its suburbs.
About 25 people have been killed and 41 injured in five days of violence involving Muslims and Buddhists. The death toll does not include ten Muslims killed in the June 3 clashes which broke out following the rape and murder of a woman.
Meanwhile, the New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged Bangladesh to keep its border open to people seeking refuge from sectarian violence in western Myanmar.
HRW said in a statement that Bangladesh should also allow independent humanitarian agencies free and unfettered access to the border areas. It expressed concern after Bangladesh on Tuesday turned away three boats carrying 1,000 Muslims fleeing violence in neighboring Myanmar.
"By closing its border when violence ... is out of control, Bangladesh is putting lives at grave risk," said Bill Frelick, HRW Refugee Program Director.
"Bangladesh has an obligation under international law to keep its border open to people fleeing threats to their lives and provide them protection," Frelick said and urged other governments to provide humanitarian assistance and other support for the refugees.
by RTT Staff Writer
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