UN / MYANMAR KANG

During her recent visit toMyanmar, Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator Kyung-wha Kang urged authorities to ensure that the perpetrators of the attack in March on UN and non-governmental organization (NGO) premises in Sittwe are brought to justice. She said "unless that particular case is dealt with thoroughly and the signal is sent out that there will be no impunity for attacks against the UN and NGO premises, the sense of insecurity will remain.” UNIFEED - UNTV / OCHA

 

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:02:33
• Production Date: 17 June 2014
• Asset Language: Original
• Corporate Name: OFFICE FOR THE COORDINATION OF HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS - OCHA
• Subject Topical: REFUGEES; DISPLACED PERSONS
• Geographic Subject: MYANMAR
• MAMS Id: 1127229

Description

STORY: UN / MYANMAR KANG
TRT: 2.33
SOURCE: UNIFEED – UNTV / OCHA
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGAUGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 17 JUNE 2014, NEW YORK CITY / FILE

Shotlist

FILE – RECENT, NEW YORK CITY

1. Wide shot, exterior United Nations headquarters

17 JUNE 2014, NEW YORK CITY

2. Wide shot, dais
3. Wide shot, reporters
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Kyung-Wha Kang, Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator:
“In Kachin, half of the 100,000 or so people displaced by war are living in camps beyond Government control, and where international access is limited to irregular cross-line humanitarian missions. In Rakhine, I witnessed a level of human suffering in IDP camps that I have personally never seen elsewhere before, with men, women, and children living in appalling conditions, with severe restrictions on their freedom of movement, both in camps and isolated villages.”
5. Med shot, reporter
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Kyung-Wha Kang, Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator:
“Sometimes it is the resistance of the Rakhine local community that have a huge amount of distrust and mistrust of UN humanitarian operations, regardless of the best efforts on the part of humanitarians to deliver the aid in an impartial manner, the fact is that the local Rakhine community thinks that the UN assistance in the community is very biased in favour of the Muslims.”
7. Med shot, reporters
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Kyung-Wha Kang, Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator:
“We are urging the authorities, in particular the central authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice. So far, little has been done in terms of the investigation, but unless that particular case is dealt with thoroughly and the signal is sent out that there will be no impunity for attacks against the UN and NGO premises, the sense of insecurity will remain.”
9. Med shot, reporters
10. Med shot, end of press conference

OCHA – 12 JUNE 2014, NGET CHAUNG IDP CAMP, RAKHINE STATE, MYANMAR

11. Med shot, Kang in boat
12. Wide Shot, Ms. Kang walking to IDP camp
13. Med shot, Ms. Kang walking in IDP camp
14. Pan left, IDPs and Kang walking
15. Wide shot, Kang speaking to IDPs
16. Wide shot, children
14. Med shot, meeting with camp committee
15. Close up, Kang listening and taking notes

Storyline

Upon her return from a visit to the states of Rakhine and Kachin in Myanmar, the United Nations Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator today (17 June) stressed the need for improved access to people in need of humanitarian assistance.

Kyung-wha Kang, who is also Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, told reporters that “in Kachin, half of the 100,000 or so people displaced by war are living in camps beyond Government control, and where international access is limited to irregular cross-line humanitarian missions.”

In Rakhine, meanwhile, she said she had “witnessed a level of human suffering in IDP camps that I have personally never seen elsewhere before, with men, women, and children living in appalling conditions, with severe restrictions on their freedom of movement, both in camps and isolated villages.”

Kang said “distrust and mistrust of UN humanitarian operations” was among the challenges that humanitarian workers face in delivering aid to the estimated 421,000 people in urgent need of life-saving assistance in the South-east Asian nation.

She said that “regardless of the best efforts on the part of humanitarians to deliver the aid in an impartial manner, the fact is that the local Rakhine community thinks that the UN assistance in the community is very biased in favour of the Muslims.”

During her visit, Kang held a series of meetings with national officials, during which she reminded the authorities of their responsibility to ensure that justice is rendered and that the perpetrators of the attacks in March on UN and non-governmental organization (NGO) premises in Sittwe are brought to justice.

She said “we are urging the authorities, in particular the central authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice. So far, little has been done in terms of the investigation, but unless that particular case is dealt with thoroughly and the signal is sent out that there will be no impunity for attacks against the UN and NGO premises, the sense of insecurity will remain.”

In Rakhine, she travelled to Sittwe and Pauktaw to visit camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) and host communities affected by inter-communal violence.

Despite considerable humanitarian efforts, many people in isolated villages and remote IDP camps continue to live in dire conditions, coupled with severe restrictions on their freedom of movement.

She also visited IDP camps in Kachin state, where communities recently marked the third anniversary of the conflict between the Kachin Independence Army and the Myanmar Army, which has displaced more than 100,000 people.

About half of these IDPs, including women and children, are hosted in camps in areas beyond Government control, where access by international organizations is limited to irregular cross-line humanitarian missions.