UN CHIEF VOWS TO RALLY INT’L COMMUNITY TO MAKE SURE MYANMAR COUP FAILS

Thu 04 February 2021:

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has pledged to mobilise enough international pressure on Myanmar’s military “to make sure that this coup fails”.

Guterres said the coup d’état staged by the military that has swept up key political and civil society leaders since early Monday is “absolutely unacceptable.”

“We will do everything we can to mobilize all the key actors and international community to put enough pressure on Myanmar to make sure that this coup fails,” Guterres said during an interview with The Washington Post. “After a large period of transition, it is absolutely unacceptable to reverse the results of the election and the will of the people.”

The military takeover cut short Myanmar’s long transition to democracy and drew condemnation from the United States and other Western countries.

The 15-member UN Security Council is negotiating a possible statement. The initial draft put forward by Britain condemned the coup, and called for the military to respect the rule of law and human rights and immediately release those detained.

Vowing to hold the reins of power for a year, Myanmar’s military declared a state of emergency on Monday, hours after detaining ousted President Win Myint and State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi and other senior members of the pre-coup ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) party.

Myanmar police have filed charges against Suu Kyi for illegally importing communications equipment, according to a police document reviewed on Wednesday.

Guterres challenged the military’s claims, saying he firmly believes the polls were conducted “normally.”

“Aung San Suu Kyi – if we can accuse her of something – is that she was too close to the military, is that she protected too much the military, namely in relation to what has happened with the dramatic offensive of the military army against the Rohingyas,” Guterres said.

A 2017 military crackdown in Myanmar’s Rakhine State sent more than 700,000 Rohingya Muslims fleeing into Bangladesh, where they are still stranded in refugee camps. Guterres and Western states have accused the Myanmar military of ethnic cleansing, which it denies.

Suu Kyi was charged earlier Wednesday with several counts under the country’s export-import law for possessing 20 illegally imported walkie-talkies, which were confiscated at her house during an early morning raid on Monday. She faces up to three years behind bars.

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