UN urges Bangladesh to allow aid to Myanmar refugees

United Nations, Aug 8 (IANS) The UN Refugee Agency is calling upon Bangladesh to allow provision of humanitarian assistance to Myanmar refugees who have entered its territory, Xinhua quoted a UN spokesperson as saying here Tuesday.

"The UN Refugee Agency is appealing to the government of Bangladesh to ensure that assistance from non-governmental organisations continues to be provided to some 40,000 unregistered people who have fled Myanmar's Rakhine state," said Martin Nesirky, spokesperson for UN Secretary-general Ban Ki-moon, at a daily briefing.

"The agency is urging the government of Bangladesh to reconsider its decision in line with its long tradition of hospitality towards people who fled Myanmar over the years," he said.

Violence broke out between ethnic Rakhine Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims in the Rakhine state of northern Myanmar after a Buddhist woman was raped and murdered May 28.

Since then, thousands of Rohingya Muslims have been fleeing into neighbouring Bangladesh to escape violence.

Last week, Bangladeshi authorities ordered three non-governmental organisations to stop their activities in and around unofficial refugee camps in southeast Bangladesh.

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