Myanmar's Rakhine State Re-Invites Expelled Aid Agencies

The aid agency Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) will resume work in Myanmar's violence-torn western Rakhine state after being expelled by the government almost five months ago.  



The expulsion of the charity in late February sparked a severe health crisis that left thousands without access to adequate treatment, including women with complications during pregnancy.  



Buddhist extremists in Rakhine state have spearheaded a campaign against international aid agencies, accusing them of bias toward the persecuted Rohingya Muslim minority.



In January, MSF infuriated the government after reporting that it had treated wounded people near the site of an alleged massacre in Rakhine's remote north, near the Bangladeshi border. 



Officials vehemently deny that any Rohingya were killed in the incident – but the UN alleges that up to 48 were killed.



In March, agency workers from other groups were temporarily evacuated after Buddhist mobs tore through the state capital Sittwe attacking their homes and offices.



At a press conference Thursday, President's Office Minister Soe Thein said, "As human beings we all commit errors and the errors usually lie on both sides."



The minister invited international aid groups in Rakhine to "join hands with us… especially MSF."



MSF – which had been the biggest international medical aid provider in the state - said in a statement Thursday that the people of Rakhine face a "humanitarian crisis," and that it welcomes the government's announcement.



"We look forward to continuing constructive discussions with the Ministry of Health regarding how MSF can support the ministry in the immediate expansion of life-saving medical activities," the statement added.



Ethnic violence erupted in Sittwe in mid-2012 and has since spread across the country, leaving up to 280 dead and 140,000 displaced.



 The majority of those displaced are Rohingya Muslims, who are confined to squalid camps by armed guards and checkpoints on the outskirts of Sittwe.



www.aa.com.tr/en - Yangon