New York: The military coup in Myanmar reverberated in United Nations Security Council which held held closed consultations on the developments in Naypyidaw on February 2, 2021. In her briefing to Council members, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy, Christine Schraner Burgener, said she had been in contact with the military leadership as recently as one day before the takeover and they had told her that communication had been ongoing with the Government and Union Election Commission.
“Given the apparent commitment by the military to safeguard the rule of law following the November 8, 2020 elections in the country, this turn of events was surprising and shocking,” Burgener said and urged Council members to collectively send a “clear signal” in support of democracy in Myanmar.
The Special Envoy also called for the immediate release of State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, President U Win Myint, and dozens of political leaders, family members and activists who had been detained by the army. ‘The declaration of the Statement of Emergency and the arrest of civilian leadership are unconstitutional and illegal. It will be crucial for all to refrain from violence, fully respecting human rights and fundamental freedoms,” she said.
While “strongly condemning” the military action in Myanmar, Burgener stressed that “we cannot allow for a full backsliding since Myanmar opened up in 2011”.
In the meantime, the UN informed that while the Special Envoy, who was currently in Europe, had been trying to raise her regular interlocutors in Myanmar, that had not been “100 per cent” successful. “She’s also spoken to others outside of the country, but communications remain a very big challenge,” Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General, told reporters here. Since communication is nearly impossible with the country itself, he said the Special Envoy had the “most up‑to‑date information that she gets from various sources”.
Interestingly an aerobics instructor Khing Hnin Wai , who was filming her exercise in front of Myanmar’s parliament, unwittingly captured the first moments of the coup in the background of her video which she thereafter posted on social media platforms. Apparently she was unaware of what was going on behind her back when she was filming her aerobics video.
Una mujer hizo su clase de aerobic sin darse cuenta de que estaban dando el golpe de Estado en Myanmar. Y pues puede verse como el convoy de militares llega al parlamento. pic.twitter.com/fmFUzhawRe
— Àngel Marrades (@VonKoutli) February 1, 2021
The UN officially termed the events that unfolded in Myanmar as a “coup”. To a pointed question in this regard that whether UN regarded the steps in Myanmar as a coup or a cabinet reshuffle, Dujarric said: Look, I think you could describe this as a coup, as steps taken by the military. The point is that the result is unconstitutional, is antidemocratic and is a reversal of the will expressed by the people of Myanmar.”
The United Nations General Assembly President Volkan Bozkir tweeted that he was deeply concerned that the military coup in Myanmar could further exacerbate the problems of the most vulnerable, including Rohingya Muslims. “I condemn the coup once again and call for unrestricted humanitarian access to Rakhine State and other parts of the country,” he wrote in his tweet.
When asked about an update on Aung San Suu Kyi, whether she was released from detention or was still being detained or was under house arrest, Dujarric said he had seen some reports in this regard. “…but I think whether detention or house arrest, the results remain the same, and she and the others need to be released,” he added.
– global bihari bureau
