Lu HtetNaing,Narinjara News, 20 May 2024

TheArakanese community in the United States held a protest demonstration outsidethe UN office in New York on 19 May over the statement of  Volker Türk,the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

"TheUNHCHR Volker Türk's in his statement  on 19 April showed his  favourto one group in Rakhine State, which  prompted the Arakanese-Americancommunity in the US to raise voices. Volker Türk's statement seeminglyrepresented only one group's perspective. Due to this perceived bias, theRakhine people here are compelled to join in the protest demonstration,” said UThar Pwint, an Arakanese-American citizen, who led the protesters.

The protestprogram involved nearly 100 Rakhine individuals.

They displayedplacards reading ‘Volker Türk, the United Nations High Commissioner for HumanRights, should resign for supporting terrorists’, ‘Stop discriminating againstArakanese (Rakhine) people’, ‘UN Human Rights Commissioner violates rules’,‘Volker shows bias in  actions’, etc.

The protesters argued that Volker Türk  provided inaccurate informationin his statement distorting the reality on the ground and disseminatingmisinformation.

Hisstatement at the UNHCR threatened the global existence of the Arakanese peopleand also neglected their rights to justice, liberation, peace, and fightsagainst the Myanmar military dictators, stated U Thar Pwint..

VolkerTürk's statement is an act of instigating common people to turn into militaryslaves and promoting terrorism among those aligned with the military regime.

TheArakanese-American assumed it as unfair and hence they urged the UNorganizations to remain impartial and unbiased.

Mentionableis that on 19 April, Volker Türk issued a statement titled ‘Myanmar: TurkSounds Alarms Amid Rising Tensions in Arakan’ where  he seemingly putbiased views in  favour of Rohingyas, but against other ethnic groups inthe Rakhine region.