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For Immediate Release
June, 18 2012, 03:42pm EDT
Contact:
Tim Shenk,Press Officer,Direct: 212-763-5764,E-mail:,tim.shenk@newyork.msf.org
Myanmar: Victims of Recent Clashes Must have Access to Healthcare
With continued tension and unrest in the Rakhine state, Myanmar, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) is concerned that those people most affected by violence and deep communal divisions are unable to receive medical treatment.
MSF was forced to suspend most of its medical activities in the Rakhine state on 9 June 2012 when violence erupted, which put its clinics and staff in danger.
WASHINGTON
With continued tension and unrest in the Rakhine state, Myanmar, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) is concerned that those people most affected by violence and deep communal divisions are unable to receive medical treatment.
MSF was forced to suspend most of its medical activities in the Rakhine state on 9 June 2012 when violence erupted, which put its clinics and staff in danger.
"MSF is extremely worried that victims of the clashes are not receiving emergency care, and about the ongoing healthcare needs of our patients," said Joe Belliveau, MSF operations manager. "Our immediate concerns are to provide emergency medical services, get food and supplies to people, and get our HIV patients their lifesaving treatment."
Denied access to Bangladesh
In their effort to find a safe haven, people are trying to flee to southern Bangladesh. MSF is disturbed by reports that the Bangladesh government is denying access to people attempting to flee the violence and seek healthcare across the border. MSF also provides medical services in Bangladesh, and is ready to treat anyone in need of assistance, regardless of their origins.
"People seeking refuge and in need of food, water and medical care should be allowed to cross the border," continued Belliveau. "In both Myanmar and Bangladesh, MSF is trying to reach those affected by the violence, but they should also be allowed to reach us."
20 years of medical services
In Rakhine, MSF has been providing medical services for 20 years, focusing on maternal health and infectious diseases such as malaria, diarrhoea, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis. In 2011, MSF conducted more than 487,000 consultations, and has over 600 patients on antiretroviral (ARV) treatment for HIV/AIDS. In addition to meeting immediate emergency needs, getting MSF's regular programmes back on track is critical to the longer-term health and well-being of people from all communities throughout the state.
In all of its activities worldwide, MSF's sole aim is to ensure that the most vulnerable people - regardless of ethnicity, origin or religion - receive the medical humanitarian assistance they require. MSF's medical programme in Myanmar is one of its largest in the world. MSF is the country's main AIDS treatment provider and has been at the forefront of the fight against malaria.
Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) is an international medical humanitarian organization created by doctors and journalists in France in 1971. MSF's work is based on the humanitarian principles of medical ethics and impartiality. The organization is committed to bringing quality medical care to people caught in crisis regardless of race, religion, or political affiliation. MSF operates independently of any political, military, or religious agendas.
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The Guardianreported Wednesday that at least 17 civilians in Pakistan were killed and hundreds more were wounded by army and paramilitary gunfire at protesters and one doctor in Islamabad claimed that authorities were attempting to cover up deaths.
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The office of Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said in a statement that "as of now, no death has been reported, and the claims circulating regarding any such incidents are baseless and unverified."
According to Reuters:
Visiting protest sites on Wednesday, Naqvi said law enforcement agencies had successfully cleared protesters from the site of the sit-in and other areas of the capital.
He called on PTI to provide any evidence of the firing of live ammunition by security forces, and said it had not provided any details of deaths of its supporters.
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On Wednesday, PTI highlighted The Guardian's reporting—calling it "alarming"—and shared an image of protesters that the party said are "confirmed dead as a result of direct firing by security forces."
Multiple U.S. lawmakers have condemned the crackdown on PTI protesters in Pakistan. Congressman Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), who has spoken out multiple times this week, took note of The Guardian's reporting on Wednesday.
"Horrified by reports of an attempted cover-up of the alleged killings of peaceful protesters by Asim Munir's regime in Pakistan," Khanna said, referring to Pakistan's chief of the army staff. "The U.S. must impose visa bans and asset freezes on senior officials in the military regime."
Drop Site News journalist Murtaza Hussain explained that "visa bans and asset freezes on Pakistani officials would be [a] nuclear event," because "everyone knows their assets are all in Western countries where they also spend all their free time."
Amnesty International, which on Tuesday demanded that the government rescind the shoot-on-site orders and "exercise maximum restraint" in response to protests, issued a Wednesday statement calling for an urgent and transparent investigation.
"Yet again, protestors in Pakistan have faced a brutal and lethal crackdown shrouded in a callous opacity by the authorities," said Babu Ram Pant, Amnesty's deputy regional director for South Asia. "The escalation of violence, shutdown of mobile internet services, mass detentions, and alarming rhetoric against PTI protesters by the authorities speaks of a pattern of intolerance for the right to freedom of peaceful assembly throughout the country. Similar clampdowns against Baloch and Pashtun protesters were witnessed earlier this year."
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The Institute for Middle East Understanding Policy Project declared Wednesday that "President Biden is spending the final days of his presidency going against the will of most Americans, U.S. law, and international law."
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U.S. officials have denied there is any explicit link between the cease-fire deal and approval for the latest weapons delivery. While the cease-fire deal includes a so-called side letter from the U.S. to Israel, setting out Washington's support for a certain freedom of Israeli action, people familiar with the text said it included no guarantees of weapon sales.
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