A court in Myanmar has sentenced three local United Nations staff to prison for participating in recent sectarian unrest, a government official said on Monday. Two UN Refugee Agency workers were sentenced to six years and three years each Friday by a court in western Rakhine state on charges including arson and inciting violence, while a World Food Programme employee received a two-year term.
"They could be released under a presidential pardon," the official said, adding that one is Buddhist and two are Muslim. Five other UN workers detained over their alleged roles in the violence were freed in mid-August without charge, following an appeal from the United Nations for their release.