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The United Nations estimate that there are approximately 49,000 internally-displaced people (IDPs) from Kachin State in Burma, of which approximately 18,000 are in government controlled areas. There is an urgent need for an increased level of access to be granted to the UN and other agencies operating in Burma to assist civilians in Kachin State. During recent visits to Burma, both the Foreign Secretary and the Secretary of State for International Development pressed the Burmese President and his Ministers to move urgently towards a resolution to the ethnic conflicts in Burma through an inclusive process of political dialogue and national reconciliation, and to increase humanitarian access in border areas, including in Kachin State. |