The United Nations (UN) Security Council on Wednesday (Dec 21) passed its first resolution on Myanmar, urging an immediate end to violence in the Southeast Asian nation and urging the military rulers to release all prisoners, including the former. leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been arbitrarily detained. 12 votes were cast in favor of the motion and three abstained from the House. China, Russia and India reaffirmed the Council’s call for Myanmar to uphold democratic institutions and respect human rights. This is the first resolution adopted by the Security Council on Myanmar since the country, formerly known as Burma, joined the United Nations in 1948.
human rights in myanmar
Before the vote, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was “extremely concerned” about the deteriorating humanitarian situation and human rights in the country. Dujarric stressed the importance of the Security Council speaking with a “strong, united voice” on the crisis in Myanmar.
The military coup on February 1, 2021, following the November 2020 elections in which Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party won a landslide victory, led to widespread public protests and armed resistance, which some UN experts have described as a civil war. as described. Since the coup, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, a rights monitoring organization, has reported that more than 16,000 people have been detained on political charges and at least 2,465 civilians have been killed, although the actual number is believed to be higher. .
Military posture challenges efforts to restore peace in the country
In response to the crisis, the international community, including Myanmar’s fellow members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), expressed dismay at the military’s resistance to reform. In April 2021, Myanmar’s rulers agreed to a five-point ASEAN plan to restore peace and stability in the country, but the military has made little effort to implement the plan.
The resolution passed by the Security Council on Wednesday supports ASEAN efforts to find a peaceful solution to the crisis in Myanmar and calls for the immediate implementation of a five-point plan.
It also expresses concern about the ongoing state of emergency, the arrest of Suu Kyi and former President Win Myint, and the growing number of internally displaced persons and humanitarian needs in the country. The resolution underscores the need for a peaceful, genuine and inclusive process to defuse the crisis in Myanmar and establish a democratic transition.
(With PTI inputs)