No meaningful action from UN
Expert: Junta’s iron grip on power suggests possibility of escalating civil war
In his speech last week to open the Un General Assembly, secretary-general Antonio Guterres bracketed Myanmar with Afghanistan and Ethiopia as nations whose people “peace and stability remain a distant dream”.
He declared unwavering support for the people of the turbulent, military-ruled South-east Asia state “in their pursuit of democracy, peace, human rights and the rule of law”.
But the situation in Myanmar after the army’s seizure of power eight months ago has become an extended bloody conflict with ever-escalating violence.
Yet the Un is unlikely to take any meaningful action against Myanmar’s new rulers because they have the support of some major countries.
When Myanmar’s army ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, it claimed with scant evidence that the general election her party won last november in a landslide was marred by massive voting fraud.
The takeover almost immediately sparked widespread street protests that security forces tried to crush.
Since then, the pushback has become violent.
“The military’s iron grip on power faces resistance from large segments of society. Weapons of war continue to be deployed in towns and cities to suppress opposition,” Michelle Bachelet, Un High Commissioner for Human Rights, said in a statement.
“These disturbing trends suggest the alarming possibility of an escalating civil war.”
Human rights groups have catalogued many abuses by government forces, including the use of deadly force on peaceful civilian protesters and forced disappearances.
But the army’s foes have also turned to terror, as even its sympathisers admit.
Local administrators who refuse to abandon their posts are targeted for assassination, as are civilians tagged as informers.
“Sabotage and assassinations, these are not the norms in civilised society,” Mon Yee Kyaw, executive director of the Myanmar-based nyan Lynn Thit Analytica think tank, said in an email interview.
But due to the violence perpetrated by the military, tactics of bombings and assassination were adopted as defensive measures, she said from Thailand, where she is currently located.
“People believe unquestionably that they need to take action to vanquish the military before the monster kills the people,” she said.
The stakes are high, warns Bachelet.
“The national consequences are terrible and tragic. The regional consequences could also be profound,” she said.
“The international community must redouble its efforts to restore democracy and prevent wider conflict before it is too late.”