UN staff jailed in Myanmar

AFP

A Myanmar ethnic Rohingya Muslim man (C) living in Malaysia clashes with anti-riot police during a protest against the persecution of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar, outside the Myanmar embassy in Kuala Lumpur.

Yangon, Myanmar - 

The United Nations says a court in Myanmar has sentenced three of its staff to prison terms for their alleged involvement in a spate of bloody communal violence in the west of the country in June.

UN spokesman Aye Win said on Monday that a court in the Rakhine state town of Maungdaw sentenced two UN refugee agency employees to jail terms of six and three years. One UN World Food Program staffer was sentenced to two years.

Aye Win says the staffers were convicted of various crimes, including alleged participation in arson attacks and promoting hatred between Buddhists and Muslims.

All the employees are Myanmar natives.

Violence between Rakhine Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims in June left more 80 people dead and thousands of homes burned to the ground. - Sapa-AP

Three Burmese UN staff have been jailed after being accused of inciting violence in western Burma.

The UN has confirmed that three of its local staff have been sentenced to prison terms for what authorities claim was participation in communal violence in June.
Two staff associated with the refugee agency, the UNHCR, were sentenced to jail terms of 6 years and 3 years each.
A World Food Program staff member was sentenced to two years in jail.
Authorities claim that the staff promoted hatred between local Rakhine Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine state where an outbreak of violence left more than 80 people dead and thousands homeless.
However a UN spokesman says it is unclear what the exact charges were.