LOC16:39
13:39 GMT
JEDDAH, Aug 11 (KUNA) -- The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on
Saturday said that the Myanmar government has allowed the entry of Islamic
relief organizations to its lands in order to offer assistance and
humanitarian aid to the Rohingya Muslim refugees.
In a statement, OIC noted that the Myanmar approval came after a meeting
between the organization's delegation, headed by Indonesian Vice President,
Head of the Indonesian Red Cross Society (IRCS) Dr. Jusuf Kallam, and Myanmar
President Thein Sein, held last Friday, in which they reviewed the recent
unfortunate events that took place in the state of Arakan and ways of
providing aid to those affected.
During the meeting, the statement pointed out that Assistant Secretary
General of OIC Atta Al-Manan Bakhit, along with President of Qatari Red
Crescent and International Islamic Charity Organization in Kuwait, briefed the
Myanmar President on Islamic nations' concern toward current humanitarian
circumstances in Arakan.
On his part, President Sein welcomed OIC delegation and affirmed that he
would not allow such circumstances to curb current democratic openness in the
country.
Myanmar's government considers the estimated 800,000 Rohingyas in the
country to be foreigners, while many citizens see them as illegal immigrants
from neighboring Bangladesh and view them with hostility.
Decades of discrimination have left Rohingyas stateless, and they are
viewed by the United Nations as one of the world's most persecuted minorities.
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KUNA 111639 Aug 12NNNN