Diplomatic tour of northern Rakhine postponed due to ‘bad weather’

A government-organized diplomatic tour conflict-stricken areas of northern Rakhine State was postponed yesterday because of bad weather.

A total of 48 foreign diplomats and leaders of UN agencies were scheduled to fly from Yangon to Sittwe yesterday morning. However, at 8am, deputy director-general U Min Thein of the International Organizations and Economic Department under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the trip would have to be cancelled.

According to the Ministry of Information, a majority of the participants agreed with the cancellation.

The trip would have been the first time a UN representative was allowed into Rakhine State since the exodus of over 500,000 Rohingya fleeing military violence began on August 25. The Myanmar government and military have severely restricted access to the area, making accusations of atrocities by both the military and Rohingya insurgents difficult to verify.

The trip has been rescheduled for October 2. Myanmar government officials will accompany the diplomats and UN officials during the trip.