China urged to safeguard refugees from Myanmar

DHAKA: A human rights organisation is warning that as many as 10,000 ethnic Kachin refugees from Myanmar are facing food and water shortages and inadequate sanitation at makeshift camps in China.

New York-based Human Rights Watch says in a report Tuesday that the refugees in Yunnan province also are at risk of being returned to a combat zone.

It urges the Chinese government to give them temporary protection and permit the UN and humanitarian agencies free access to them, reports The Jakarta Post.

The Kachin minority in northern Myanmar has been fighting government forces since June last year, when the authorities sought to shut down one of their militia’s bases.

The hostilities marked the end of a 17-year cease-fire and displaced about 75,000 people.

BDST: 1717 HRS, JUN 26, 2012

Edited by Robab Rosan, Cultural Affairs Editor