Annan meets Rohingya community

People forced from their homes by religious violence in Myanmar's Rakhine state gathered yesterday to meet former UN chief Kofi Annan, as the envoy toured displacement camps during his peace mission.

Annan has been asked by the leader of Myanmar's new government, Aung San Suu Kyi, to head a commission tasked with trying to heal divisions between Buddhists and Muslims and alleviate poverty in Rakhine.

Annan's two-day visit to the western state, which is home to the minority Muslim Rohingya, got off to a shaky start Tuesday when angry Buddhist nationalists protested against his "international interference".

But the Ghanaian diplomat's arrival yesterday at several decrepit camps outside the state capital Sittwe, where tens of thousands of people -- mostly Muslims -- languish after being displaced by religious violence, was largely met with curiosity.

Crowds gathered to listen as community elders spoke of the hardships they face, such as severe restrictions on their movement and limited access to health care, work and education.

Rakhine has been effectively split on religious grounds since bouts of communal violence tore through the state in 2012, killing scores and forcing tens of thousands to flee.