", And it calls for the "immediate lifting of restrictions on the Internet, telecommunication and social media," as well as "safe and unimpeded humanitarian access to all people in need. U Kyaw Moe Tun said he talked to the CRPH and agreed to speak for the elected members at the UN. In a resolution adopted without a vote, the 47-member Human Rights Council called for "the immediate and unconditional release of all persons arbitrarily detained," and "the restoration of the elected government.". This is cruel and inhumane.”, Myanmar’s Anti-Regime Protesters Urge Asian Counterparts to Unite for General Strike, Injuries and Arrests Mount as Myanmar Police Intensify Crackdown on Protesters, Myanmar Regime Hunts Down Labor Activists Despite International Condemnation, Topics: Christine Schraner Burgener, civil disobedience movement, Coup, Democracy, Human Rights, military in politics, Min Aung Hlaing, National League for Democracy, November 8 general election, Rule of Law, State Administrative Council, State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, Tatmadaw, U Kyaw Moe Tun, United Nations, Myanmar’s UN Ambassador Wins Praise at Home for Condemning Regime, Kachin Protesters Reject Myanmar Military-Appointed Negotiation Team, Chairman of Myanmar Military Govt’s Election Body Says NLD’s Win Invalid, Japanese Journalist Detained in Myanmar While Covering Protest, UK Sanctions Six More Myanmar Coup Leaders for Serious Rights Abuses, Pro-Myanmar Military Mob Attacks Jeering Onlookers in Yangon, Arrests, Detentions, Threat of Dismissal Fail to Stop Myanmar’s Civil Disobedience Movement, Myanmar Military-Appointed Administrators Rejected by Local People, Two More Anti-Myanmar Regime Protesters Die in Mandalay, Myanmar Anti-Coup Protestors Get Creative with Thanakha in Fresh Protests, World Bank Halts Payments to Myanmar After Coup, Lawyer for Myanmar’s Detained Daw Aung San Suu Kyi Says He Has Not Been Able to Meet Her, Growing Number of Businesses Shun Myanmar Military-Linked Goods, Services, International Community Must Commit to Reversing Myanmar’s Military Coup, Myanmar Military, Associates Banned From Facebook, Instagram, Japan Weighs Halting New Assistance Projects to Myanmar After Coup, Indonesia, Thailand Seek Peaceful Solution to Myanmar Crisis, ASEAN’s Responsibility Is to the People of Myanmar, Not the Generals, Australia Demands Immediate Release of Detained Myanmar Government Adviser, Myanmar Protesters Call ASEAN Not to Endorse Military Regime, Singapore Says Its Banks Don’t Hold ‘Significant Funds’ From Myanmar, Myanmar’s Key Parties Reject Regime’s Election Body Invites to Meet, China Says It Will Work With ASEAN to De-Escalate Situation in Myanmar, Myanmar Foreign Minister in Bangkok to Meet Indonesian Counterpart, Re-imagining Myanmar - The Mother of All “Critical Junctures”, Japan’s ‘Values Diplomacy’ Runs Aground in Myanmar, Myanmar Coup Leader Resorts to Threats With Medics Still On Strike, Myanmar Police Fails to Probe Headquarters Raid: NLD, After Embassy Protest, Indonesia Denies Backing Myanmar Regime’s Election Plan, Myanmar Junta Leader Warns Media Against Using ‘Junta’ or ‘Regime’, Committee of Ousted Myanmar Lawmakers Appoints International Envoys, Nearly 200 Anti-Military Regime Protesters Detained in Myanmar Capital, India’s Muted Response to Myanmar Military Coup Seen as a Strategic Move, Millions in Myanmar Join Nationwide General Strike Against Military Regime, Asean Must Tighten Screw on Myanmar Military: Thai Observer, Myanmar Police Refuse to Open Case into Civilian Killing, More Than 20 People Arrested as Security Forces Break Up ‘22222’ Protest in Myanmar’s Capital, China Warns West Over Myanmar Coup, ‘Interference’, Millions Expected to Join General Strike in Myanmar on Monday to Oppose Regime, Myanmar Army Unit Accused of Rohingya Atrocities Used in Deadly Crackdown: UN, Myanmar Military Regime Denies Responsibility for Death of Woman Shot at Naypyitaw Protest, Four Dead, More Than 100 Wounded as Myanmar’s Military Regime Cracks Down on Anti-Coup Protesters, Two Civilians Killed by Myanmar Security Forces in Mandalay, US Citizen Among the Advisers to Myanmar Military Regime Despite Sanctions Imposed by US, CDM Movement Unmasks China’s Meddling in Myanmar, A Day Under Military Dictatorship in Myanmar. Myint Thu, ambassador of the Permanent Representative Mission of Myanmar to Geneva, listens during the Human Rights Council special session … We do not encourage viewing this site in this width. Burgener said: “The will of Myanmar people must be upheld” as the National League for Democracy won a landslide in the election with 83 percent of the vote. He said the country looked "forward to receiving better understanding... and constructive engagement and cooperation from the international community". Myanmar’s security forces have killed at least six people in Naypyitaw, Yangon and Mandalay. At first, the ambassador’s remarks appeared to have left the audience shocked. The adopted resolution was watered down from previous versions after intense negotiations, with backers of the text eager to secure the broadest support possible. Al-Nashif decried the detention of the Myanmar's elected civilian leaders, including Aung San Suu Kyi and President U Win Myint, and of more than 350 others, including officials, activists, journalists, monks and students. “Regrettably, the current regime has so far asked me to postpone any visit. U Kyaw Moe Tun, the UN ambassador for Myanmar, concludes his speech with a three-finger salute in solidarity with anti-regime protesters at home at the informal UN General Assembly on Friday. Protesters wearing body paint take part in a demonstration against the military coup in front of the Chinese embassy in Yangon on 12 February, 2021. Myint Thu, Myanmar's ambassador to the U.N. in Geneva, said that it would maintain cooperation with the U.N. and Association of Southeast Asian … Between 1993 and 2015 he held a range of government positions as well as diplomatic posts in Indonesia, Singapore, Switzerland and the United States. “We need further strongest possible action from the international community to immediately end the military coup, to stop oppressing the innocent people, to return the state power to the people and to restore democracy,” said U Kyaw Moe Tun, in a voice quivering with emotion. In an unprecedented move, U Kyaw Moe Tun, Myanmar’s ambassador to the United Nations, defended the country’s elected civilian government overthrown by the Feb. 1 coup, denouncing the regime and asking for the international community’s help to restore democracy. UN officials and diplomats alike voiced alarm at the assault on democracy in the country and violence against protesters. They have violently detained hundreds of protesters, including students and reporters, and injured numerous demonstrators. US diplomat Mark Cassayre said all those "unjustly detained" should be released, and called for "accountability for those responsible for the coup, including through targeted sanctions". UN officials and diplomats alike voiced alarm at the assault on democracy in the country and violence against protesters. It took courage and his address really cheered up the people who are taking part in the civil disobedience movement and anti-regime demonstrations,” he said. Christine Schraner Burgener, a UN special envoy to Myanmar, urged no country to recognize or legitimize the junta at the informal General Assembly meeting on Friday. He received rousing applause from the General Assembly and his speech was wholeheartedly welcomed by protesters at home. The warning comes after deposed civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi was slapped with a second charge on Tuesday — and the UN rapporteur hinted she may have even secretly been put on trial. The United Nations’ (UN) top rights body demanded Friday that Myanmar's military restore civilian rule and immediately release Aung San Suu Kyi. All Rights Reserved. The United States (US), which only re-engaged with the council this week after former president Donald Trump withdrew in 2018, also harshly condemned the coup. "This unacceptable and illegitimate seizure of power abruptly turned back the clock of history in Myanmar," Portugal's ambassador Rui Macieira said, speaking on behalf of the EU. U Aung Myo Min said the ambassador spoke for the Committee Representing the Union Parliament, known as the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH), to draw attention from the international community. They detained the civilian leaders and have brought charges against them. Al-Nashif voiced concern over sanctions imposed in the wake of the coup. U Kyaw Moe Tun concluded in Burmese with, “the revolution must succeed” and a three-figure salute, which is used by protesters opposing the regime. Please increase the size of your window. He asked protesters “to keep on fighting” and acknowledged their efforts to fight the military dictatorship, calling for all detainees to be released. The military seized power from the democratically elected government, citing its claims of electoral fraud and declared a state of emergency. Many social media users thanked the ambassador for his stand and for voicing the people’s demands. And Myanmar’s ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Myint Thu, insisted to the council Friday that “in light of the post-election irregularities… Tatmadaw was compelled to take the state responsibilities”. It did not mention sanctions, but urged Myanmar's military to take immediate steps to protect people's rights in the country, and to "ensure that members of civil society organisations and the media are able to operate freely and without fear of violence, harassment or intimidation. The ambassador’s speech on Friday brought hope to millions of citizens who are opposing the regime and demanding the restoration of the democratically elected government. The United Nations’ (UN) top rights body demanded Friday that Myanmar's military restore civilian rule and immediately release Aung San Suu Kyi. Myint Thu, ambassador of the Permanent Representative Mission of Myanmar to Geneva, is displayed on a screen as he addresses his statement during the … U Kyaw Moe Tun read out a CRPH statement, which was formed three weeks ago with elected members from the November election. Al-Nashif decried the detention of the Myanmar's elected civilian leaders, including Aung San Suu Kyi and President U Win Myint, and of more than 350 others, including officials, activists, journalists, monks and students. “There is no justification for the military’s actions and we must continue to call for the reversal of this impermissible situation, exhausting all collective and bilateral channels to restore Myanmar’s path on democratic reform.”. Myint Thu, ambassador of the Permanent Representative Mission of Myanmar to Geneva, is displayed on a screen as he addresses his statement during the Human Rights Council special session on "the human rights implications of the crisis in Myanmar" at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, Friday, Feb. 12, 2021. Traditional allies of the Myanmar military, China and Russia, meanwhile disassociated themselves from the consensus, as did Venezuela, Bolivia and the Philippines. But most diplomats taking part in the session spoke out strongly against the coup, mass detentions and use of force against some protesters. And Myanmar's ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Myint Thu, insisted to the council Friday that "in light of the post-election irregularities... Tatmadaw was compelled to take the state responsibilities". The UN and many countries have condemned the military’s action and urged it to reinstate the civilian government. This was “unprecedented” and the first time in UN history that a country’s representative has stood up against the authorities in power in their country and chosen to reflect the voices of the millions of voters, said U Aung Myo Min. U Aung Myo Min said expectations for the speech were low as on Feb. 12 another ambassador to the UN, U Myint Thu, defended the regime. U Aung Myo Min, the director of Equality Myanmar and a long-time human rights advocate, told The Irrawaddy: “This represents the civil disobedience movement [of striking civil servants] at the diplomatic stage and the UN level, as he clearly stands up for the elected government and rejects the regime.”. U Kyaw Moe Tun asked the 193-member UN General Assembly “to use any means necessary to take action against the Myanmar military”. In addition, she lamented, "draconian orders have been issued this week to prevent peaceful assembly and free expression". (AFP Photo). "The world is watching," the UN's deputy rights chief Nada al-Nashif stressed at the start of the session. “I could not believe I was hearing such a strong, committed speech at first. It seems they want to continue making large-scale arrests and have been coercing people to testify against the NLD government. During a relatively rare special session of the council Friday, most UN officials and diplomats voiced alarm at the 1 February coup and the brutal response to some of the massive protests rocking the country. President Joe Biden announced this week that his administration was cutting off the military's access to US$1 billion in funds, with sanctions targeting Min Aung Hlaing and other top generals. The session, urgently requested earlier this week by Britain and the European Union (EU), came as a torrent of anger and defiance sparked a seventh straight day of nationwide rallies demanding the country's generals relinquish power. She decried the detention of Suu Kyi and the rest of Myanmar's elected leaders, and of more than 350 others, including officials, activists, journalists, monks and students. / Zaw Zaw / The Irrawaddy. From 2016 to 2018, U Kyaw Moe Tun was director-general for International Organizations and Economic Development at Myanmar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. U Aung Myo Min said expectations for the speech were low as on Feb. 12 another ambassador to the UN, U Myint Thu, defended the regime. "Leaders of this coup are an appropriate focus of such actions," she said, adding that "it is of critical importance that no harm should be inflicted on the most vulnerable people in the country". Myint Thu, Myanmar's ambassador to the UN in Geneva, said Myanmar would maintain cooperation with the UN and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and … Nyein Nyein is Associate Editor at the English edition of The Irrawaddy. At first, the ambassador’s remarks appeared to have left the audience shocked. ", The text also urged the UN rights chief and the body's top expert on the situation in Myanmar to assess the situation and provide reports to the council. – AFP, Digital Media Nusantara @ 2021 All Rights Reserved. "Any sanctions under consideration should be carefully targeted against specific individuals who are credibly alleged to have violated the people's rights," she said. Anti-regime protesters, joined by medics and engineers, hold pro-democracy placards in Mandalay on Feb. 26. The Swiss special envoy had several calls with the regime’s deputy chief this month, echoing international and UN concerns and asked to visit Myanmar on the condition she can meet the detained leaders. This week the CRPH chose Dr. Sasa, a medic, to represent them at the UN level, but his mandate is limited to lobbying outside formal UN meetings. Several countries came to Myanmar's defence, and slammed Friday's session as interference in "Myanmar's internal affairs". Min Aung Hlaing, the head of Myanmar's army, known as Tatmadaw, has justified his coup by alleging widespread voter fraud during November's election. Myint Thu, Myanmar’s ambassador to the UN in Geneva, said that it would maintain cooperation with the UN and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), adding: “We … Copyright © 2016 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. "Let us be clear: the indiscriminate use of lethal or less-than-lethal weapons against peaceful protesters is unacceptable," said al-Nashif. Police, soldiers and men in plainclothes beat and arrest anti-regime protesters during a crackdown on Saturday morning in Monwya, Sagaing Region.