Burma: ruling junta accuses UN of “biased allegations” regarding human rights
This Tuesday, April 9, the junta in power in Burma denounced the “
biased allegations
” of the United Nations concerning human rights and declared that it had not been officially informed of the appointment of a new UN envoy.
Members of the Myanmar military take part in a parade to mark the country's 78th Armed Forces Day in Naypyidaw in 2023 (illustrative image). AFP - STR
By: RFI with AFP
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The civil war in
Burma
, the Southeast Asian country, has intensified in recent months and forces opposed to the military - the latter seized power in a coup in 2021, overthrowing a democratically elected government - have progressed across the country. Last week, the United Nations Human Rights Council adopted a resolution condemning “
horrific and systematic human rights violations
” in Burma. The
UN
also criticized the junta's "
stranglehold
" on humanitarian aid, which is worsening a crisis that has displaced more than 2.5 million people.
“
Unfounded and biased allegations
”
A resolution that “
contains unfounded and biased allegations
,” the junta’s foreign ministry said in a statement published in the official
Global New Light of Myanmar
newspaper . “
Therefore, Burma categorically rejects the resolution
.” According to this press release, “
no official communication has been made to Burma
” regarding the appointment, last week, of a new UN special envoy to the country.
Antonio Guterres
, the UN Secretary-General, appointed former Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop to the post vacant since the departure of her predecessor in June 2023. Singaporean Noeleen Heyzer visited Burma in 2022 and met with junta leader Min Aung Hlaing, a move criticized by human rights groups. But she was refused a meeting with Aung San Suu Kyi, a leading figure of democracy who is currently serving a twenty-seven-year prison sentence handed down by a junta court behind closed doors.
Irritation
She then angered junta officials who accused her of having issued a “
unilateral statement
” of what had been discussed. Myanmar's ambassador to the United Nations, Kyaw Moe Tun, was appointed by Suu Kyi's civilian government and has refused to leave his post despite the junta's insistence since taking power.
Read alsoBurma: the opposition government in exile claims a drone attack on the capital
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