The United Nations Secretary General, Antonio Guterres has said that the political, security, human rights and humanitarian situation in Myanmar is sliding ever deeper into catastrophe.
Guterres disclosed this in his remarks at the 12th ASEAN-UN Summit in Cambodia, while condemning the escalating levels of violence, the disproportionate use of force, and the appalling human rights situation in Myanmar.
According to him, “Indiscriminate attacks on civilians may constitute war crimes under international law”.
He repeatedly called on the Myanmar authorities to release all political prisoners and launch an inclusive process immediately to return to the democratic transition which Guterres said is the only route to lasting peace and security.
Recall nearly 22 months after the Myanmar’s military junta overthrew a democratically elected civilian government led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, now fighting a war on multiple fronts.
Over 7,000 civilians have been killed since the coup, according to the Institute for Strategy and Policy, a Yangon-based think tank, while victims include protesters shot in the head, dissidents killed in detention and villagers bound and burned alive.
UN Chief who welcomed ASEAN’s principled approach through the Five-Point Consensus, urged all countries, including ASEAN members, to seek a unified strategy towards Myanmar, centred on the needs and aspirations of Myanmar’s people.
He also appreciated the strong support of ASEAN member states for the work of the UN Special Envoy on Myanmar, also urging ASEAN countries to maintain open borders, provide protection and assistance to refugees from Myanmar.
“No refugee should be forced to return to suffering and danger. And I reiterate the need for urgent action by the Myanmar authorities to create conditions for the voluntary return of almost one million Rohingya refugees.
“The humanitarian situation in Myanmar remains desperate, and we are committed to close coordination with ASEAN’s AHA Centre and other humanitarian partners”, he said.
In one of the latest report of violence, Myanmar’s military jets bombed a concert in northern Kachin state on Oct. 23, killing at least 80 people, including civilians and members of the ethnic Kachin Independence Army.
Also, dozens of junta soldiers have reportedly been killed since late October in Rakhine, northwestern Karen state and the central city of Mandalay as the junta increasingly resorted to air power because of growing losses to infantry on the ground from ambushes and roadside bombs.