(August 27, 2012) The United Nations has expressed disappointment over a Myanmar
court sentencing two of its staff members to prison terms for their alleged involvement
in a spate of bloody communal violence in the west of the country in June. The punishments
were handed down on Friday in the Rakhine state town of Maungdaw, said Aye Win, a
U.N. spokesman based in Myanmar. One of those sentenced was an employee of the U.N.
refugee agency and the other the U.N. World Food Programme. A spokesperson for the
world body's refugee agency in Bangkok, Vivian Tan, called the verdicts “very disappointing.”
The Myanmar independent Weekly Eleven newspaper reported that the staffers _ all
believed to be from the local Muslim community _ were charged with various crimes,
including promoting hatred between Buddhists and Muslims and participation in arson
attacks. The paper cited anonymous court sources in its report, and said the sentences
ranged from two to six years. Violence between Rakhine Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims
exploded in June, leaving more 80 people dead and thousands of homes burned to the
ground. Human rights groups say around 100,000 people were displaced during the conflict.
They have accused the government over cracking down too harshly on Muslims, allegations
the government has denied. Humanitarian groups say that in all, at least 12 local
staff employed by international aid groups were detained by the government in June
for suspected involvement in the unrest. Six have so far been released.