New York: While Russia and China blocked a United Nations Security Council statement that condemned the coup, the United Nations will continue to call for the immediate release of the detained leaders in Myanmar. China’s official news agency Xinhua had termed the developments in Myanmar as “cabinet reshuffle” and even neighbouring countries Thailand and Philippines had described them as “internal matter”, while India’s predicament appeared to be how to strike the right balance between its commitment to democracy on one hand and its security and developmental interests in Myanmar on the other. (In the sensitive Rakhine state, India is building the Sittwe port as well as homes for the Rohingyas). The USA though has outrightly declared it will not tolerate subversion of democracy in Myanmar, and President Joe Biden even hinted at clamping sanctions on Myanmar.
“We continue and will continue to call for her (detained leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s) immediate release, for the President’s ( U Win Myin’s) immediate release and all others who have been detained by the military in the last few days,” Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesman for the United Nations Secretary-General, told reporters here on February 3, 2021.
Many charges have been filed against Suu Kyi, who is believed to be under house arrest. The charges include breach of import and export laws and possession of unlawful communication devices such as walkie-talkies in her house, which is punishable by three years in prison. President Myin has been charged with violating emergency coronavirus regulations by greeting a car full of supporters during last year’s elections.
“I think the charges filed against her just compound the undermining of the rule of law in Myanmar and the democratic process,” Dujarric said.
So far there were no connections established with Suu Kyi or any other detainees and there were no information about their well-being. “I’m not aware that we’ve been able to reach her or anyone else directly nor that we’ve been able to speak to the highest level of the military, but we… our Special Envoy will continue to speak… to try to speak to establish contact with whoever she needs to speak to,” Dujarric said, and added: “We’re very concerned about their well‑being, given the concern about well‑being of anyone who is in detention, but, on top of that, we’re in a pandemic, as we all know. So, that adds another level of concern.”
It may be mentioned that the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy Christine Schraner Burgene had told the UNSC members a day after the coup that the declaration of the Statement of Emergency and the arrest of civilian leadership were unconstitutional and illegal. As she was currently in Europe, she had been trying to raise her regular interlocutors in Myanmar, that had not been “100 per cent” successful.
The UN informed that it had more than 2,500 personnel in Myanmar, both international and national, providing crucial development and humanitarian support to the people of Myanmar in their pursuit of democracy, peace, human rights and the rule of law. As far as the minority Rohingya Muslims were concerned, Dujarric said “We are there to support them and help them. Our concern, obviously, is that we are now moving further back from any eventual return in safety, dignity and voluntary.”
The UN team in Myanmar, he informed, had been providing significant support to the public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic. “The latest political developments in Myanmar come at a particularly difficult time for the country, with it experiencing a public health emergency with significant socioeconomic impacts. The first vaccines arrived in Myanmar only last week and the response to the COVID-19 pandemic must remain a priority for the foreseeable future. We are also providing humanitarian assistance to more than a million people in Myanmar,” he said.
– global bihari bureau
