Members of the UN Security Council, except China and Russia, have condemned the continuing violence and killing of civilians in Myanmar and once again called on its military rulers to stop attacks, release ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi and respect human rights. urged.
Thirteen of the council’s 15 members endorsed a joint statement on Wednesday that said there has been insufficient progress in implementing the first Security Council resolution on Myanmar that was adopted last December. In that 12-0 vote, China and Russia, which have ties to the military that seized power from Suu Kyi’s elected civilian government in February 2021, abstained along with India, whose two-year term on the council ends Has gone.
Britain’s Deputy UN Ambassador James Kariuki read the statement, along with diplomats from other countries, after UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths briefed the council on his recent visit to Myanmar and efforts by Assistant Secretary-General Khalid Khieri in a closed-door meeting . solve the crisis.
The statement reiterates the demands of the December 2022 Council resolution, which still require implementation: the immediate release of all arbitrarily detained prisoners, including ousted leader Suu Kyi and President Win Myint, restoring democratic institutions, human rights and To respect and uphold the democratic will of the people. Rule of law.
It also calls for full implementation of the plan by the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which Myanmar’s rulers agreed to in April 2021, but little progress has been made in carrying it out. This includes an immediate cessation of violence, dialogue between all parties mediated by the ASEAN envoy, who will also visit Myanmar and meet all parties. Envoys have visited but have not been allowed to meet Suu Kyi.
The 13 members of the council said that more than 18 million people in Myanmar are in need of humanitarian assistance due to the military’s actions, of whom more than 15 million do not have regular access to sufficient food and 2 million have been displaced.
Members also expressed concern about the plight of nearly one million Rohingya Muslims, who fled Buddhist-majority Myanmar to Bangladesh and other countries following a military crackdown on northern Rakhine state on August 27. He urged Myanmar to address the root causes of the crisis and restore the rights of the Rohingya. Almost all Rohingyas have been denied citizenship and their movements are restricted.
At the council meeting, diplomats discussed a report this month by independent UN investigators, which said Myanmar’s military and allied militias are committing war crimes with rapid and brazen impunity.
The Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar, established in 2018 by the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council, said the indiscriminate and disproportionate targeting of civilians with bombs, people detained during military operations during the year ending in June Strong evidence of mass hanging was also found. operation, and the burning of civilian houses on a large scale.
Nicholas Koumjian, head of the investigative group, said: “Our evidence points to a dramatic increase in war crimes and crimes against humanity in the country, with widespread and systematic attacks against civilians, and we are building case files that can be used by the courts.” can be done. Hold individual perpetrators accountable.
US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said in a statement, citing the group’s report, that the regime’s horrific atrocities must stop. Given the military’s intransigence and continued human rights violations, he said the Security Council needed to take action beyond last December’s resolution.
Myanmar’s UN-recognised ambassador, Kyaw Mo Tun, who represented Suu Kyi’s government, urged the council to adopt a resolution banning arms, jet fuel supplies and financial flows to the military.
The people of Myanmar demand the withdrawal of the military from politics and the establishment of a civil, federal, democratic union.”
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