Arakan News Agency
Humanitarian aid from Malaysia, meant for Myanmar’s ethnic Rohingya community, has arrived in Sittwe, capital of Arakan state in west Myanmar. Malaysia dropped off the supplies at a Yangon port about two weeks ago.
Amounting to about $1.1m, the 500 tonnes of donations from Malaysia includes instant noodles, hygiene kits and bottles of mineral water
On Wednesday, the Myanmar’s State Counsellor Office Information Committee (SCOIC) announced in a Facebook post that the supplies had been delivered from Yangon by a military ship. It added that the donations will now be delivered to 190 villages as well as camps for internally displaced people in Arakan in places such as Sittwe and Maungdaw by February 25.
The Arakan state government and international organisations will help to disburse the aid.
According to the United Nations, the security operations caused over 70,000 Rohingya to flee to neighbouring Bangladesh, forcing at least 20,000 to be newly displaced within Arakan. Allegations of atrocities such as summary killings, arbitrary arrests and rape by the security forces against the Rohingyas have also surfaced since October 9.
Malaysia had been one of the more outspoken critics of the Myanmar government, accusing them of inaction.
The country had intended to deliver and distribute the donations personally to the Rohingya in Arakan, but the Myanmar government refused that, saying the local authorities will disburse the aid fairly, ensuring that both communities of Rakhine Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims receive the supplies.
Malaysia has also delivered around 2,000 tonnes of humanitarian supplies to Bangladesh, where many of the Rohingya have fled to and are now seeking shelter.
