The United Nation’s special envoy Angelina Jolie’s visit to Arakan State (also known as Rakhine State) has been postponed due to heavy rain & storms in western Burma (Myanmar).
Jolie, the UN goodwill ambassador, had planned to visit Arakan State on Thursday 30 July during her four day visit to Myanmar that started on Wednesday 29 July.
Unfortunately, her trip to the western Burma province was postponed due to Cyclone Komen causing heavy rainfall along the entire Arakan coast, said a government official based in Arakan State.
He said: “Arakan State was also on her [Angelina Jolie's] itinerary. She was expected to visit some Buddhist and Muslim refugee camps in Sittwe. She was also supposed to meet government officials and a few social activists.”
All of Arakan State is facing heavy flooding due to Cyclone Komen which hit the Arakan coast a few days previously. Even the airport at Sittwe has been unable to operate due to partial flooding and planes have been forbidden from landing at the airport.
Because the Arakan State trip was postponede Ms Jolie visited Kachin State earlier than planned, said a government source.
The source also said that Ms Jolie made her first official visit to Myanmar to discuss various issues including human rights, women’s affairs and the prevention of sexual violence against women in the conflict areas.
On the first day of her visit to Burma Ms Jolie also met the President, U Thein Sein; the parliament speaker, U Shwe Mann; and the Pyithu Hluttaw and Union defence minister, Lt-GenWai Lwin.
Before visiting Burma Ms Jolie, a UN goodwill ambassador, had been visiting Canbodia. Whilst there she inspected various projects relating to health, education and nature conservation that were founded in 2003 by the Maddox Jolie-Pitt foundation, which continues to maintain them.
Edited in English for BNI by Mark Inkey
