Myanmar's foreign ministry released a statement condemning a top UN official for “interfering” in the country's affairs and for use of the term “Rohingya”.
The UN's Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Myanmar, Yanghee Lee, had described conditions in camps, where some 140,000 Rohingya are residing in following clashes with Buddhists in 2012, as “abysmal”.
The foreign ministry responded by saying she should do her job in a "professional and prudent manner", adding,
"Selectivity is often exercised. On some occasions, interfering on issues which fall within state sovereignty and domestic jurisdiction is evident."
The government also criticised her use of the term “Rohingya”, saying,
"Use of such term by the United Nations would certainly draw strong resentment of the people of Myanmar making the government's efforts more difficult in addressing the issue."
See more from the BBC here and Reuters here.
Ms Lee was earlier targeted by the nationalist Buddhist 969 organisation, who called her a “bitch” and “whore”, prompting sharp criticism from UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad al Hussain.
See our earlier post:
UN calls for Myanmar condemnation of 969 leader's sexist rant (22 Jan 2015)
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