UNSC discusses escalation of violence, effect of coronavirus in Myanmar
UNITED NATIONS: The UN Security Council (UNSC) has discussed escalation of violence and effect of coronavirus pandemic in Myanmar.
The closed-door meeting was requested by the United Kingdom.
Britain expressed concern about the increasing violence and brutal civil war between Myanmar military and militants at the time of COVID-19 pandemic.
Meanwhile, EU members Belgium, Estonia, France and Germany called for an immediate, comprehensive and nationwide ceasefire in Myanmar.
Also Read: Myanmar army admits prisoner abuse
Myanmar’s Army has conceded that its troops abused prisoners in Rakhine state and launched an internal probe into the conduct of soldiers.
Myanmar’s Army chief’s office statement came after a video emerged showing that some security force members interrogated blindfolded prisoners in a way “not in accordance with the law”.
About 740,000 Rohingya Muslims fled to Bangladesh in a 2017 bloody military crackdown in Rakhine.
UN rights expert has urged that Myanmar’s military should be investigated for possible “war crimes and crimes against humanity” in the conflict.
The European Union has urged all armed forces in Myanmar to implement an unconditional ceasefire and return to the peace process.
In a statement on May 1, EU High Representative Josep Borrell had said that several hundreds of Rohingya people, including women and children, have been drifting for weeks at sea in appalling conditions, being pushed away from the shores in the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea.
He had said this would help addressing the root causes of the plight of the Rohingya.
More than 730,000 Rohingya fled Myanmar in 2017 after a brutal military-led crackdown which the UN has said was executed with “genocidal intent” and included mass killings and rape.
On Dec 8, 2019, Suu Kyi had left for The Hague to face the charges of genocide of Rohingya Muslim.
Rohingya people are living in Myanmar for centuries, however they have not been given citizenship yet.
