Guwahati: Over 450 civil society groups of Myanmar (also known as Burma) came out with a public statement condemning China’s position at the UN Security Council which has not taken any visible actions against the military rulers of the southwest Asian nation even after killing hundreds of civilians and injuring thousands other who demonstrated their anger against the Burmese military junta. “We reiterate our deep disappointment at the lack of concrete action by the UNSC, despite the gravity and escalation of the atrocities committed by the Myanmar military (popularly known as Tatmadow) since the coupon 1 February 2021,” said the statement adding that despite repeated and vehement calls by them to take swift action against the brutal military regime, the UNSC was stymied by Beijing’s interventions.
Mentionable is that the UNSC held a closed-door meeting on 31 March following the request of the United Kingdom after a weekend of deadly violence committed by the junta. Around 15 council members reiterated its previous call to the Burmese junta ‘to exercise utmost restraint and the council’s ‘readiness to consider further steps. But China repeatedly intervened at UNSC along with other UN platforms to block actions against the junta, whom Beijing relies on for its own interests in the region. Myanmar, bordering Bharat, Bangladesh, China and Thailand, is presently witnessing a bloodbath where over 540 civilians including women and children were killed by the security forces for their peaceful protest demonstrations across the country of Golden Pagodas. On a single day (27 March), when top military generals including the commander-in-chief Min Aung Hlaing celebrated Armed Forces Day in the
the backdrop of a day-long public protest, 140 persons was killed in a military response.
But that has not deterred the people from participating in demonstrations hitting various parts of Myanmar following the call of civil disobedience movement by the detained National League for Democracy (NLD) chief Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to oppose the military junta which had overthrown a democratically elected government in NayPieTaw alleging voting frauds. Meanwhile, a large number of democratic activists, reporters, photojournalists, camera persons etc have been targeted by the junta because of the ongoing public unrests.
“Despite this, the UNSC has yet to take any concrete action barring two mealy-mouthed statements – paralyzed by China’s continuing moves to block any concrete action. This is a total abdication of responsibility for which the people of Myanmar continue to suffer as a result. The events in Myanmar have resonance globally and reflect patterns of growing Authoritarianism, fascism, and impunity. They are a threat to regional and world peace and must not be further ignored,” added the statement.
Realising the fact that the Burmese people have totally rejected the military coup and its violence, risking life and limb every day for peace and security, the UNSC must act in support of their bravery, asserted the organisations adding that the world community should consider urgently imposing a coordinated, global arms embargo on Myanmar, referring it to the International Criminal Court to hold the military regime accountable for the crimes, and if necessary arises the UN General Assembly exercising its power to act on protecting the civilian populace.
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