New UN envoy to pay first visit to Myanmar

By AFP
12 June 2018
New UN envoy to pay first visit to Myanmar
Special Envoy for Myanmar Christine Schraner Burgener (left) will make first visit to the country on 12 June. Photo: UN Political Affairs/Twitter

The new UN envoy for Myanmar, Christine Schraner Burgener, will pay her first visit to the country beginning Tuesday, holding talks on human rights and the Rohingya refugee crisis, the UN said.
The former Swiss ambassador to Germany who was appointed in April will meet with Myanmar authorities, "ethnic armed organizations", civil society and religious leaders, a UN statement said Monday.
Following her visit to Myanmar, Schraner Burgener will travel to Bangladesh where 700,000 Muslim Rohingya are sheltering in camps after being driven from their homes by an army campaign.
Myanmar has said the military operation launched in August in northern Rakhine state is aimed at rooting out terrorists.
After fleeing persecution, the Rohingya living in camps are now at risk from landslides triggered by the monsoon rains. A three-year-old child died in his sleep early Monday when a mud wall collapsed on his family's shelter.
The United Nations last week signed a deal with Myanmar to allow access for its agencies to carry out assessments in Rakhine state, which has been largely closed to outsiders since the crisis began.
© AFP