Kutupalong Refugee Camp: Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh made emotional pleas to the UN Security Council on Sunday for help to return safely to their homes in neighboring Myanmar and for justice over the reason they fled – accusations of killings, rapes and arson.

During a visit to an unclaimed strip of territory between the two states dubbed no-man’s land, several tearful women and girls threw themselves at British UN Ambassador Karen Pierce as they recounted what had happened to them.

"It shows the scale of the challenge as we try as a Security Council to find some way through that enables these poor people to go home," Pierce said. "The sad thing is there’s nothing we can do right today that will make their distress any less.”

The Security Council envoys – who will travel to Myanmar on Monday and meet with its de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi – also visited a dry and dusty Kutupalong refugee camp that housed many of the nearly 700,000 Rohingya who fled Myanmar’s Rakhine state.

"It’s quite overwhelming. Obviously the scale of this camp is unlike anything I’ve ever seen," said deputy US Ambassador to the United Nations Kelley Currie. "It is going to be a disaster when the rains come."

United Nations officials and aid groups have voiced concern that the coming monsoon season will worsen the humanitarian situation. Hundreds of thousands of refugees are living in temporary shelters made of bamboo and tarpaulins at Kutupalong, many on steep hills and in low-lying areas likely to be flooded.

Myanmar’s Social Welfare Minister Win Myat Aye, who visited the camps in Bangladesh earlier this month, expressed concern about "very poor conditions."

The refugee crisis exploded about eight months ago when the Myanmar military launched a crackdown over Rohingya insurgent attacks on security posts. The United States, Britain, United Nations and others described the operation as ethnic cleansing of the minority mainly Muslim Rohingya, a charge Myanmar denies.

Hundreds of refugees lined a road in Kutupalong camp on Sunday with signs that read "we demand justice" and "protected return to protected homeland."

"We are standing here to demand justice as they (Myanmar military) have killed our men and tortured our women so much, so we are compelled to seek justice for those abuses," Rohingya refugee Sajida Begum told Reuters.

Several female refugees who met with council envoys accused Myanmar troops of gang-raping them, attacking their young children and killing their husbands. Myanmar has said that its operations in Rakhine were a legitimate response to attacks on security forces by Rohingya insurgents.

“This is very complicated issue, and it’s related with history, with ethnicity, with religions,” Chinese deputy UN Ambassador Wu Haitao told reporters, in response to a question about whether China and Russia were preventing the council from considering a resolution on Myanmar.

“There is no easy answer but if we all work together I think we can find a way,” he said.

However, while the Security Council is united on travelling to the region, diplomats said they expect Myanmar ally China and Russia – both veto-wielding powers on the council – to resist any push for stronger council action, such as sanctions or a referral of the situation to the International Criminal Court.

“We don’t have any magic solution in the Security Council,” deputy Russian UN Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy told reporters in response to a question about whether the council would consider itself responsible for failing to address the crisis.

“The issue is still for us to promote bilateral ways to resolve this issue. We will try to convince both governments... to engage in constructive negotiations, discussion,” he said.

The council adopted a formal statement in November – a move that requires consensus by the 15-member body – that asked Myanmar to ensure no “further excessive use of military force” and to allow “freedom of movement, equal access to basic services, and equal access to full citizenship for all.”

Buddhist-majority Myanmar has for years denied Rohingya citizenship, freedom of movement and access to many basic services such as healthcare and education. They are considered illegal immigrants from mainly Muslim Bangladesh.</s>MAUNGDAW, Myanmar (Reuters) - Britain’s U.N. envoy on Tuesday suggested the U.N. Security Council could consider helping Myanmar collect evidence of crimes committed during a military crackdown of the Rohingya people, denounced by the world body as ethnic cleansing after most recent bout of persecution of the Muslim minority last year.

Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, Commander-in-Chief of Tatmadaw (Myanmar Armed Forces), addresses members of the United Nations Security Council at Bayint Naung villa in Naypyidaw, Myanmar, April 30, 2018. REUTERS/Kevin Fogarty

“What we’ve got to do on the council is to think how best to turn that into something operational, so that the evidence gets collected and given either to the Burmese authorities or to some sort of international mechanism,” Britain’s U.N. Ambassador Karen Pierce told Reuters, as the Security Council wrapped up a four-day visit to Bangladesh and Myanmar on Tuesday.

Britain’s Pierce told reporters that an investigation needs evidentiary standards to achieve accountability.

“There are two ways of doing that basically, one is an International Criminal Court referral, the second would be the Burmese government do that themselves,” Pierce said.

The Myanmar mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Pierce’s suggestion.

Myanmar’s de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi pledged investigations if credible evidence was provided and military chief Min Aung Hlaing vowed “harsh action” over sexual violence during separate meetings with Security Council envoys in the country’s capital Naypyitaw on Monday, diplomats said.

But Suu Kyi’s civilian government has little control over the Myanmar military.

Members of the U.N. Security Council traveled to Myanmar’s Rakhine state, where the United Nations and rights groups say nearly 700,000 Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh since August.

Fleeing refugees have reported killings, rapes and arson. Rohingya insurgent attacks on Rakhine security posts led to the military operation that Myanmar deemed a legitimate response.

In Rakhine, data from the U.N. Operational Satellite Applications Programme (UNOSAT) has shown hundreds of villages once inhabited by the Rohingya have now been burned down. Many such villages could be seen from the Myanmar military helicopters that carried the U.N. envoys to northern Rakhine.

Security Council envoys were shown a reception center Myanmar has built for repatriating Rohingya, aiming to accept a total of 150 people a day, and a transit camp that can house 30,000 returnees. The envoys passed two bulldozed villages near the camp.

INVESTIGATIONS AND OPTIONS

Last November, the Myanmar’s military released a report denying all accusations of rape and killings by security forces.

But the U.S. government is conducting an intensive examination of allegations of atrocities against the Rohingya that could be used to prosecute Myanmar’s military officials for crimes against humanity, U.S. officials have told Reuters.

Meanwhile the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has asked it to rule on whether it has jurisdiction over the deportations of Rohingyas to Bangladesh, a possible crime against humanity, but Suu Kyi’s government has expressed “serious concern” over the move.

Bangladesh is a member of the ICC but Myanmar is not, so if the the ICC rules that it does not have jurisdiction, the U.N. Security Council could then choose to refer the situation in Myanmar to the court.

In December, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said Myanmar must allow an “independent, transparent and credible investigation into what has happened.”

Rohingya refugees are reflected in rain water along an embankment next to paddy fields after fleeing from Myanmar into Palang Khali, near Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh November 2, 2017. REUTERS/Hannah McKay

One way the Security Council could help Myanmar could be to mandate a U.N. investigative team to collect, preserve and store evidence, just as it did in Iraq last year when it investigated acts by Islamic State that may be war crimes.

The United Nations General Assembly could alternatively create an international inquiry into the most serious crimes committed against the Rohingya, similar to what the U.N. has done in Syria.

Russia’s deputy U.N. Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy was wary of Security Council involvement though because Myanmar said it was willing to tackle the issue. Any Council resolution would need nine votes in favor and no vetoes by either Russia or China, an ally of Myanmar.</s>MAUNGDAW - Myanmar’s military has assured the United Nations of “harsh” action against perpetrators of sexual violence, state media reported on Tuesday, as UN envoys travelled to Rakhine State where the military conducted a widely criticized crackdown.

UN and rights groups say nearly 700,000 Rohingya Muslims fled to Bangladesh after a military crackdown launched in Rakhine State in August that the United Nations denounced as “a textbook example of ethnic cleansing”.

Many of the arriving refugees recounted incidents of killings, arson and rape but Myanmar largely rejected those reports as well as the accusation of ethnic cleansing.

The government said its forces were engaged in a legitimate security campaign in response to a string of Rohingya insurgent attacks on the security forces.

“Sexual violence (is) considered as despicable acts,” the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper cited military Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing as telling the envoys.

The military was “taking harsh and stronger actions against such offenders”, he said.

The UN Security Council envoys travelled by Myanmar military helicopters to northern Rakhine on Tuesday, the final day of their four-day visit to the region, flying over burned and bulldozed villages visible from the air.

The envoys arrived in Myanmar on Monday after visiting refugee camps on the Bangladesh side of the border and government leaders in Dhaka.

In Myanmar, they met separately with government leader Aung San Suu Kyi and Min Aung Hlaing.

British UN Ambassador Karen Pierce told Reuters that during Monday’s meeting Min Aung Hlaing was “very forthcoming” on the issue of sexual assaults in Rakhine, adding that the military chief said such offences were “not tolerated”.

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Suu Kyi, in her nearly hour-long meeting with the envoys, pledged to investigate any credible accusations of abuse, said diplomats who attended.

Suu Kyi noted Myanmar’s difficulties in transitioning to rule of law after decades of military dictatorship, said the diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity.

“She said what had happened or what was alleged to have happened to some of the Rohingya villagers was not acceptable and that if evidence were available it should be reported to the Burmese authorities and they would investigate,” said Pierce.

“What we’ve got to do on the council is think how best to turn that into something operational so that the evidence gets collected and given either to the Burmese authorities or to some sort of international mechanism,” she said.

Suu Kyi’s civilian government has no control over the military. Government spokesman Zaw Htay did not respond to requests for comment.

Buddhist-majority Myanmar has for years denied the Rohingya citizenship, freedom of movement and access to basic services such as healthcare. Many in Myanmar regard the Rohingya as illegal immigrants from mostly Muslim Bangladesh.

When asked if the council could help ensure evidence of crimes such as rape is collected, Russia’s deputy UN ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy said: “I don’t think this is a council matter, frankly speaking. There are a lot of agencies apart from the Security Council.”

In northern Rakhine, the council envoys were shown a reception centre Myanmar has built for repatriating Rohingya, aiming to accept a total of 150 people a day, and a transit camp that can house 30,000 returnees.

The envoys passed two bulldozed villages near the camp. They were also shown a rebuilt village.

The Security Council asked Myanmar in November to ensure no “further excessive use of military force” and to allow “freedom of movement, equal access to basic services, and equal access to full citizenship for all”.

On Monday, the council envoys met Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who asked them to press Myanmar to take back “their citizens”.

Hasina said the refugees should return “under UN supervision where security and safety should be ensured”.

Myanmar and Bangladesh agreed in January to complete the voluntary repatriation of the refugees within two years but differences between the two sides remain and implementation of the plan has been slow.

Suu Kyi’s office also said in a statement that cooperation was needed from Bangladesh on the repatriation of refugees.</s>SITTWE, Myanmar (Reuters) - Myanmar’s military has assured the United Nations of “harsh” action against perpetrators of sexual violence, state media reported on Tuesday, as U.N. envoys traveled to Rakhine State where the military conducted a widely criticized crackdown.

Nearly 700,000 Rohingya Muslims fled from Rakhine State to Bangladesh to flee a military crackdown launched in August that the United Nations and others denounced as “a textbook example of ethnic cleansing”.

Many of the refugees arriving in Bangladesh recounted incidents of killings and rape but Myanmar largely rejected those reports as well as the accusation of ethnic cleansing.

It said its forces were engaged in a legitimate security campaign in response to a string of Rohingya insurgents attacks on the security forces.

The Security Council envoys arrived in Myanmar on Monday after visiting refugee camps on the Bangladesh side of the border, and government leaders in Dhaka.

In Myanmar, they met separately with Myanmar government leader Aung San Suu Kyi and military Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing.

“Sexual violence (is) considered as despicable acts,” the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper cited Min Aung Hlaing as telling the envoys.

The military was “taking harsh and stronger actions against such offenders”, he said.

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Suu Kyi, in her meeting with the envoys, pledged to investigate any credible accusations of abuse, said diplomats who attended.

During the nearly hour-long meeting, Suu Kyi, noted Myanmar’s difficulties in transitioning to rule of law after decades of military dictatorship, said the diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Suu Kyi’s civilian government has no control over the military.

Myanmar civilian government spokesman Zaw Htay was not immediately available for comment.

Tuesday is the final day of a four-day visit to the region by the U.N. Security Council team.

The Security Council asked Myanmar in November to ensure no “further excessive use of military force” and to allow “freedom of movement, equal access to basic services, and equal access to full citizenship for all”.

Earlier on Monday, the council envoys met Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who asked them to press Myanmar to take back “their citizens”.

Hasina said the refugees should return “under U.N. supervision where security and safety should be ensured”.

Myanmar and Bangladesh agreed in January to complete the voluntary repatriation of the refugees within two years but differences between the two sides remain and implementation of the plan has been slow.

Suu Kyi’s office also said in a statement that cooperation was needed from Bangladesh on the repatriation of refugees.

Buddhist-majority Myanmar has for years denied Rohingya citizenship, freedom of movement and access to basic services such as healthcare. Many in Myanmar regard Rohingya as illegal immigrants from mostly Muslim Bangladesh.</s>NAYPYITAW, Myanmar (AP) — The U.N. Security Council delegation is visiting part of northern Rakhine state, from where hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims have fled military-led violence.

The 15-member delegation co-led by Security Council President Gustavo Meza-Cuadra was joined by Rakhine state and central government officials on Tuesday's visit to Maungdaw in northern Rakhine state where the Myanmar government has built reception camps for the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.

"The delegation will be visiting Taungpyo and Hla Phoe Khaung reception camps in Maungdaw region," said Myint Khine, a township administrator of Maungdaw.

Bangladesh and Myanmar have agreed to begin repatriations, but the Rohingya and others are concerned about their safety in Myanmar.

Myanmar's government agreed to allow the delegates' visit after previously rejecting U.N. requests for a visit by a special fact-finding committee.</s>NAYPYITAW, Myanmar (AP) — A U.N. Security Council delegation on Tuesday was visiting volatile areas of Myanmar’s Rakhine state, from where hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims have fled military-led violence, to see firsthand the aftermath of the army’s crackdown as well as Myanmar’s preparations for taking back the refugees.

The 15-member delegation co-led by Security Council President Gustavo Meza-Cuadra was joined by Rakhine state and central government officials and ministers heading to Maungdaw in northern Rakhine where the Myanmar government has built reception camps for the Rohingya refugees now living in camps and other temporary shelters in Bangladesh.

“The delegation will be visiting Taungpyo and Hla Phoe Khaung reception camps in Maungdaw region,” said Myint Khine, a township administrator of Maungdaw.

Bangladesh and Myanmar agreed in December to begin repatriating the refugees in January, but there were concerns among rights groups and Rohingya that they would be forced to return and face unsafe conditions in Myanmar.

The Security Council delegates met Myanmar’s civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and the military commander-in-chief Sr. Gen. Min Aung Hlaing on Monday.

The army launched counterinsurgency sweeps in Rakhine state after deadly attacks last August on security personnel. The military has been accused of massive human rights violations — including rape, killing, torture, and the burning of Rohingya homes — that the U.N. and U.S. officials have called ethnic cleansing.

The U.N. last month put the Myanmar military on its blacklist for sexual violence but at Monday’s meeting, the army chief insisted, “No sexual violence happened in the history of the country’s military,” according to the statement released by his office.

Myanmar’s government agreed to allow the delegates’ visit after previously rejecting U.N. requests for a visit by a specially appointed independent fact-finding committee. The team said in March that it found evidence of human rights violations against the Kachin, Shan and Rohingya minorities “in all likelihood amounting to crimes under international law.”</s>NAYPYITAW, Myanmar — A U.N. Security Council delegation on Tuesday visited Myanmar’s Rakhine state, from where hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims have fled military-led violence, and said they hope to help the refugees return quickly and safely to their homes.

Around 700,000 Rohingya fled the troubled area to squalid camps in Bangladesh last year as Myanmar’s army launched a brutal crackdown following insurgent attacks on security posts.

State television showed the ambassadors touring the border area. They were shown reception camps where refugees who return will first be housed. They also met with members of different groups affected by the violence and upheaval, including Rakhine Buddhists, Hindus and some Rohingya Muslims who did not flee.

The ambassadors visited refugees in Bangladesh over the weekend, and on Monday with Myanmar officials, including the country’s leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, and the military commander-in-chief.

Before flying out of the country, the ambassadors reminded Myanmar’s government of its obligations as a member of the United Nations.

“The return of refugees should be in conformity with international standards,” said Kuwait’s representative, Mansour Ayyad Al-Alotaibi. “It has to be safe and voluntary and dignified, without conditions, without restrictions, without any complications.”

Bangladesh and Myanmar agreed in December to begin repatriating the refugees in January, but there were concerns among rights groups and Rohingya that they would be forced to return and face unsafe conditions in Myanmar.

In its counterinsurgency sweeps in Rakhine state after the attacks last August on security personnel, Myanmar’s military was accused of massive human rights violations, including rape, killing, torture, and the burning of Rohingya homes, that U.N. and U.S. officials have called ethnic cleansing.

“Basically the message we convey is it is very important to improve the security conditions for the return of the refugees, and also collaboration with the international organization, particularly the United Nations,” said Gustavo Meza-Cuadra, ambassador of Peru. “And we also mentioned the importance of the investigation regarding what happened here before the refugees went to Bangladesh.”

The U.N. refugee agency and Bangladesh recently finalized a memorandum of understanding that said the repatriation process must be “safe, voluntary and dignified, in line with international standards.”

The Security Council delegation has asked Myanmar’s government to sign the memorandum.

Myanmar’s government agreed to allow the delegates to visit after previously rejecting U.N. requests.</s>Myanmar's army chief rejected accusations forces under his command committed sexual abuse against Rohingya Muslim women and children, as UN Security Council envoys on Tuesday continued a mission in the country.

The UN and human rights organizations have accused General Min Aung Hlaing's forces of murder, rape and pillaging as part of an "ethnic cleansing" campaign in Rakhine state.

Nearly 700,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled their homes in Rakhine state to neighboring Bangladesh since a military campaign was launched in August 2017 against what Myanmar says is an insurgency.

After months of delays, UN Security Council ambassadors finally arrived in Myanmar on Monday after visiting Rohingya refugee border camps in Bangladesh, where the displaced recounted the horrors of killing and rape.

Read more: Tearful Rohingya plead with visiting UN team in Bangladesh

In Myanmar, the UN envoys met with Myanmar government leader Aung San Suu Kyi and military Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing.

"The Tatmadaw [army] acts and do their tasks under the international laws, rules and regulations. And, action is exactly taken against discipline breakers under the law. These situations happened in northern Rakhine State due to terror acts of extremist Bengali terrorists," Min Aung Hlaing said on his official Facebook page, using a derogatory term for Rohingya.

The military has control of all security matters in the country without oversight from Suu Kyi and her civilian government.

The military chief called the allegations of sexual violence "abominable on the ground of culture and religion of Myanmar."

"The Tatmadaw severely punishes those offenders in these cases. No sexual violence happened in the history of Myanmar Tatmadaw," he said.

He also said that Myanmar would take back the refugees who could be verified as citizens of Myanmar as part of a months-old deal with Bangladesh that has seen only a handful of the displaced return.

The voice of the Rohingya refugees

Buddhist-majority Myanmar does not consider most Rohingya as citizens, referring to them instead as illegal "Bengalis" from Bangladesh. They have few rights or access to services.

Earlier on Monday, the UN envoys met with Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who said Myanmar must take back "their citizens."

After the UN envoy meeting with Suu Kyi, her office said that cooperation was needed from Bangladesh to repatriate refugees. Speaking on condition of anonymity, diplomats said the Nobel Peace Prize winner told them that Myanmar was still struggling to establish rule of law after decades of military dictatorship.

Tuesday is the last of the four-day UN envoy trip to the region, which includes a visit to Rakhine state.

Each evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.</s>NAYPYITAW, Myanmar (AP) - A U.N. Security Council delegation on Tuesday was visiting volatile areas of Myanmar’s Rakhine state, from where hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims have fled military-led violence, to see firsthand the aftermath of the army’s crackdown as well as Myanmar’s preparations for taking back the refugees.

The 15-member delegation co-led by Security Council President Gustavo Meza-Cuadra was joined by Rakhine state and central government officials and ministers heading to Maungdaw in northern Rakhine where the Myanmar government has built reception camps for the Rohingya refugees now living in camps and other temporary shelters in Bangladesh.

“The delegation will be visiting Taungpyo and Hla Phoe Khaung reception camps in Maungdaw region,” said Myint Khine, a township administrator of Maungdaw.

Bangladesh and Myanmar agreed in December to begin repatriating the refugees in January, but there were concerns among rights groups and Rohingya that they would be forced to return and face unsafe conditions in Myanmar.

The Security Council delegates met Myanmar’s civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and the military commander-in-chief Sr. Gen. Min Aung Hlaing on Monday.

The army launched counterinsurgency sweeps in Rakhine state after deadly attacks last August on security personnel. The military has been accused of massive human rights violations - including rape, killing, torture, and the burning of Rohingya homes - that the U.N. and U.S. officials have called ethnic cleansing.

The U.N. last month put the Myanmar military on its blacklist for sexual violence but at Monday’s meeting, the army chief insisted, “No sexual violence happened in the history of the country’s military,” according to the statement released by his office.

Myanmar’s government agreed to allow the delegates’ visit after previously rejecting U.N. requests for a visit by a specially appointed independent fact-finding committee. The team said in March that it found evidence of human rights violations against the Kachin, Shan and Rohingya minorities “in all likelihood amounting to crimes under international law.”

The Washington Times is switching its third-party commenting system from Disqus to Spot.IM. You will need to either create an account with Spot.im or if you wish to use your Disqus account look under the Conversation for the link "Have a Disqus Account?". Please read our The Washington Times is switching its third-party commenting system from Disqus to Spot.IM. You will need to either create an account with Spot.im or if you wish to use your Disqus account look under the Conversation for the link "Have a Disqus Account?". Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.</s>NAYPYITAW, Myanmar -- A U.N. Security Council delegation on Tuesday visited Myanmar's Rakhine state, from where hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims have fled military-led violence. Delegation members said they hope to help the refugees return quickly and safely to their homes there.

Around 700,000 Rohingya fled the troubled area to squalid camps in Bangladesh last year as Myanmar's army launched a brutal crackdown following insurgent attacks on security posts.

State television showed the ambassadors touring the border area. Travelling by helicopter, they visited two villages, one transit centre and one reception camp, where refugees who return will initially be housed.

They also met with members of different groups affected by the violence and upheaval, including Rakhine Buddhists, Hindus and some Rohingya Muslims who did not flee.

The ambassadors visited refugees in Bangladesh over the weekend, and on Monday held talks with Myanmar officials, including the country's leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, and military commander in chief Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing.

At a news conference in Myanmar's capital, Naypyitaw, before flying out of the country, the ambassadors reminded Myanmar's government of its obligations as a member of the United Nations. The envoys represent the 15 countries making up the Security Council, the U.N.'s most powerful body.

""We are not asking Myanmar government something new. They are a member of the United Nations and they are a member and state party to many UN conventions. The return of refugees should be in conformity with international standards," said Kuwait's representative, Mansour Al-Otaibi.

Bangladesh and Myanmar agreed in December to begin repatriating the refugees in January, but there were concerns among rights groups and Rohingya that they would be forced to return and face unsafe conditions in Myanmar.

In its counterinsurgency sweeps in Rakhine state after the attacks last August on security personnel, Myanmar's military was accused of massive human rights violations, including rape, killing, torture, and the burning of Rohingya homes, that U.N. and U.S. officials have called ethnic cleansing.

The Muslim Rohingya face official and social discrimination in predominantly Buddhist Myanmar, which denies most of them citizenship and its rights because they are looked on as immigrants in the country illegally after leaving neighbouring Bangladesh, even though many settled in Myanmar generations ago.

"Basically the message we convey is it is very important to improve the security conditions for the return of the refugees, and also collaboration with the international organization, particularly the United Nations," said Gustavo Meza-Cuadra, ambassador of Peru. "And we also mentioned the importance of the investigation regarding what happened here before the refugees went to Bangladesh."

The U.N. refugee agency and Bangladesh recently finalized a memorandum of understanding that said the repatriation process must be "safe, voluntary and dignified, in line with international standards."

The Security Council delegation has asked Myanmar's government to sign the memorandum.

"We believe that if the memorandum of understanding can be signed quickly and the U.N. agencies given unconditional access, that would be the best thing to do with the scale of the problem," said Karen Pierce, Britain's ambassador to the United Nations.

Pierce parried a journalist's question about whether the U.N. should make a referral to the International Criminal Court to investigate the atrocities alleged to have been carried out by Myanmar security forces, acknowledging only that it could be one avenue of investigation.

In New York, U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq noted at a briefing that "around 500,000 Rohingya still live in Rakhine, facing continued discrimination and marginalization, including around 130,000 men, women and children who are trapped in appalling conditions in camps."

"Severe restrictions on their freedom of movement persist, grossly restricting their access to healthcare, education and livelihoods," he said. "This is the reality that must be changed if refugees are to be reasonably expected to return."

He also pointed out that many of the Rohingya refugees sheltering in Bangladesh, already living in poor and crowded conditions, face further misery with the early onset on the monsoon season, with a strong risk of landslides and flooding.

An international appeal for $951 million for humanitarian aid for the refugees and their host communities was only 10 per cent funded, he added.

Myanmar's government agreed to allow the Security Council to visit after previously rejecting U.N. requests for a trip by a specially appointed independent fact-finding committee.

The team said in March that it found evidence of human rights violations against the Kachin, Shan and Rohingya minorities "in all likelihood amounting to crimes under international law."
Myanmar's military pledges to a U.N. delegation visiting Rakhine State that they will take "harsh" action against perpetrators of sexual violence in the region. The U.N. previously accused Myanmar's military of committing an ethnic cleansing of Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine State.