ICRC President in Myanmar & Bangladesh: Food Aid Essential In Myanmar
The President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Peter Maurer is visiting the northern areas of Rakhine State for the first time. During his three-day visit he observed a Red Cross Movement mobile medical clinic in Buthidaung and joined a food distribution in Maungdaw. The Red Cross Movement is scaling up and doubling its distributions as monsoon season approaches, so people have enough food to last when roads are inaccessible.
Ten months ago nearly 700,000 people fled an outbreak of violence and are now in Bangladesh. Those who remain have suffered from lack of access to markets, livelihoods and healthcare. People are finding it harder to move around and cannot carry out their livelihoods.
The Red Cross Movement has been the only humanitarian organization on the ground in Rakhine State until recently, and has so far assisted almost 300,000 people with food, safe water, shelter, healthcare and livelihood assistance.
Mr Maurer will leave Myanmar on Friday after meeting with H.E. U Win Myint, President of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, H.E. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, State Counsellor, and Senior General U Min Aung Hlaing, Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Services.
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NOTE: A press conference will be held with ICRC President Peter Maurer at Hotel Max in Naypyitaw on Friday 29 June at 5.30pm. Follow us on Twitter @ICRC_AsiaPac or contact:
Corinne Ambler, ICRC Yangon, Tel: + 95 9 4444 52980 Email: cambler@icrc.org
Zaw Win (Burmese language) ICRC Yangon, Tel: + 95 9 795 881 734 Email: zawin@icrc.org
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SHOTLIST
Location 1: Myanmar, Rakhine State, Maungdaw Township, Nga Khu Ya Village Tract. 27 June 2018
The President of ICRC, Peter Maurer joined the Red Cross Movement distribution to Nga Khu Ya village tract, where basic items such as rice, sugar, tea, hygiene kits, seeds and fertilizers were distributed to the community. Daw Kyawt Sein is one of the few people who remains in the village after 7,000 out of 9,000 people left last year. She told the Mr Maurer she is relying on Red Cross aid to survive. The President also met leaders from the Rakhine, Muslim and Hindu communities, who talked about difficulties across all areas - food, health and sanitation.
00:07 - 00:13 ICRC President Peter Maurer leaving from Sittwe jetty on the ICRC speedboat together with the team
00:13 - 00:21 Journey on the speedboat to Buthidaung Township as it starts to rain
00:21 - 00:36 Speedboat driving through the rain
00:36 - 00:50 Drive to Nga Khu Ya village from Maungdaw Township
00:50 - 01:10 ICRC President Peter Maurer walking together with the Myanmar Red Cross and community members to see the living conditions inside the village.
01:10 - 01:14 Cut away of the houses in the village.
01:14 - 01:29 ICRC Field Officer shows the President around the village.
01:29 - 01:36 ICRC President Peter Maurer walking through mud to get to the market, where most of the shops have been shut down after the violence.
01:36 - 01:43 Cut away of the Nga Khu Ya village
01:43 - 02:01 ICRC President Peter Maurer talking with the people operating shops in the market.
Length: 2m:01s
Format: HD H264 mov
Producers:
Camera: Hla Yamin Eain
ICRC ref: AV887
Date: 26 and 27 June, 2018
Copyright: ICRC access all
