Category: Pacific

Tomás Quintana was speaking in his capacity as UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in DPRK, commonly known as North Korea; his press conference was held in the South Korean capital, Seoul, as he continued to be denied access to its northern neighbour. The whole country is a prison – anonymous statement provided to UN expert Tomás Quintana “Of those who left… Read More

In an interview with UN News, Knut Ostby, Acting Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Myanmar, reiterated calls for all sides “to find a peaceful solution to the situation”, amid concern “that there could be a quite immediate escalation of fighting”. It is also vital that humanitarian access is improved to help all those affected by the violence, Mr Ostby said.… Read More

“There are credible reports of fatalities and numerous injuries on polling day alone”, OHCHR spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said in Geneva on Friday. Amidst allegations of vote-rigging, a landslide victory was declared for incumbent Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, with the opposition leader rejecting the results.  “There are worrying indications that reprisals have continued to take place, notably against the political opposition,… Read More

“We regret the loss of life and injuries sustained by candidates and voters during the electoral campaign and on election-day,” said the UN Spokesperson’s office in a statement, which also welcomed the opposition’s participation “for the first time in 10 years.” According to news reports, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina won the election in a landslide victory, giving her a third… Read More

Beset by millions of bamboo-chomping beetles, almost every shelter in the vast Rohingya refugee camps of Cox’s Bazar, in Bangladesh, needs replacing. With just over four months to go until the beginning of the monsoon season, the race is on for IOM, the United Nations migration agency which is managing the camp, to provide families living in the worst-affected temporary… Read More

The UN humanitarian coordination office, OCHA, is reporting that as of Wednesday, according to the Indonesian National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), 430 people are dead, 1,495 injured, and 159 are missing. An estimated 22,000 people are displaced due to shelter damage and the latest tsunami alert. Damages include some 924 houses, 73 hotels and villas, 60 shops, 434 boats and… Read More

“These attacks cause untold human suffering to Afghan families,” Tadamichi Yamamoto, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan and head of UNAMA said on Tuesday. Dozens were reportedly injured during the attack on a government ministry building that trapped hundreds of employees. According to news reports, the incident started with a suicide car bomb blast near the building’s entrance, before gunmen… Read More

The tsunami struck coastal areas to the west of the capital Jakarta, in the middle of Saturday evening, local time, destroying houses, hotels and businesses. Latest reports suggest that the devastating waves were triggered by underwater landslides, following the eruption of the Anak Krakatau volcano. The worst affected areas are Pandeglang and Serang districts in Banten province, and South Lampung… Read More