Jubilee Post News & Views
Special Desk
In what could be said as a significant step in response to this year’s violent military coup, the UN has issued a call to halt to arms sales to Myanmar.
The decision to give a call comes as the General Assembly adopted a resolution condemning the military junta, which overthrew the country’s elected government in February this year. The UN also called for the release of political detainees, such as elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi, and an end to violence against peaceful protesters.
Suu Kyi, 75, has been held under house arrest since the coup, and little has been seen or heard of her, apart from court appearances.
While it is not legally a binding, the resolution is politically significant for the region. “The risk of a large-scale civil war is real,” UN special envoy on Myanmar, Christine Schraner Burgener, told the General Assembly. “Time is of the essence. The opportunity to reverse the military takeover is narrowing.”
It was supported by 119 countries, with Belarus the only one to vote against it. Another 36 countries abstained, including Russia and China – Myanmar military’s two biggest arms suppliers. Some of the abstainers said the crisis was an internal issue for Myanmar.
The EU’s UN ambassador, Olof Skoog, said the resolution “delegitimises the military junta, condemns its abuse and violence against its own people, and demonstrates its isolation in the eyes of the world”.
But Myanmar’s UN ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun, who represents the country’s elected civilian government, said he was disappointed by how long it took for the General Assembly to pass what he called a “watered down” resolution.
Also Read : Three China men to spend 3-month in space
Also Read : G7 leaders failed to tackle the triple crises of climate, COVID and nature
Security forces have killed more than 860 people and detained nearly 5,000 to date, according to the monitoring group Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP). Last month, Human Rights Watch had urged the UN General Assembly to pass a resolution calling for an arms embargo.
