Several persons including children died in Junta air strikes & bombing to civilians at Kayin State on April 8. Photo courtesy Mary@marymla20|Twitter
Yangon/New York: Not less than 30 were killed so far by Myanmar’s military junta in a crackdown on pro-democracy protestors in Bago, located about 91 kilometres north-east of Yangon, since 5 am today according to the locals, who claimed of continuous shootings with RPG missile, machine guns and live ammunition there. Residents said they had to hide since security forces were raiding the PonnaSu ward, Ma Ga Dit Road, with heavy weapons (RPG) to shoot unarmed civilians.
People have also requested for “No Fly Zone in #Myanmar ” as the junta were using air strikes to destroy civilian villages in ethnic regions.
#Myanmar , Karen ethnic suffer like that . Can’t do something about air strikes of military junta? Please @RapporteurUn @CrphMyanmar @DrSasa22222 @USAmbUN @USMission2ASEAN @freya_cole @eAsiaMediaHub @CNN @poppymcp @UNHumanRights @UN_HRC @KenRoth @globeandmail @nytimes pic.twitter.com/tvEfZYwDiV
— Moyee (@Moyee91798383) April 8, 2021
In south-eastern Kayin State and Bago Region, thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes due to attacks by the Myanmar armed forces, including with the use of air strikes, as well as due to clashes between the armed forces and the Karen National Union, Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesman for the United Nations Secretary-General, said in New York.
Residents meanwhile posted videos on twitter of the security forces chasing and shooting civilians in Pekon, a township of Taunggyi District in the Shan State of Myanmar, on April 8. Protestors also burnt Chinese and Russian flags in Yangon.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1380200420128133121
Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General, quoted his colleagues on the ground in Myanmar saying that they were alarmed by the humanitarian impact of escalating violence in north-eastern and south-eastern parts of the country in recent weeks. In the north-east of Myanmar, he said clashes had displaced 3,000 people since early March, while in northern Shan, fighting had forced more than 8,000 people from their homes since December of 2020.
The Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Myanmar, Christine Schraner Burgener, who arrived in Bangkok today, regretted in a tweet that Tatmadaw (Myanmarese Military) answered her yesterday that they were not ready to receive her. “I am ready for dialogue. Violence never leads to peaceful sustainable solutions,” she tweeted.
Just arrived in BKK for talks. I regret that Tatmadaw answered me yesterday that they are not ready to receive me. I am ready for dialogue. Violence never leads to peaceful sustainable solutions. pic.twitter.com/cPGy5hSmbZ
— Special Envoy of UN Secretary-General on Myanmar (@SchranerBurgen1) April 9, 2021
Burgener today began her travel to the region and started off in Bangkok where she was scheduled to meet with Thai authorities, United Nations regional officials and ambassadors accredited to Myanmar who are in Bangkok. In addition to Thailand, the Special Envoy was also consulting on visits to other ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries, as well as other neighbouring countries. To a specific question that whether that includes China, the spokesman said, “Yeah, I think that would be an assumption that would be safe”.
Dujarric had earlier stated that “With support from the Security Council, Burgener will continue her efforts to visit Myanmar”. Burgener had hoped that the Myanmar military would provide her access to the country and to detained leaders, including President U Wint Myint and State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. “It was probably more than a few weeks ago that she had her last phone conversation with them, but she has been in contact in writing. I think what she is hoping to have is, obviously, a face-to-face and a more active dialogue with them,” Dujarric informed.
As Burgener had highlighted repeatedly, a robust international response to the ongoing crisis in Myanmar required a unified regional effort involving neighbouring countries who can leverage influence towards stability in Myanmar, and was ready to resume dialogue with the military and to contribute to a return to Myanmar’s democratic path, peace and stability.
The Special Envoy would continue to support the important role of regional actors in facilitating stability and, ultimately, in finding an orderly and peaceful way out of this situation.
– global bihari bureau
