Published 11:22 IST, February 4th 2021
Myanmar crisis: UN chief Antonio Guterres says 'unacceptable' military coup 'must fail'
Antonio Guterres calls for constitutional order to be re-established Myanmar and hopes there would be unity in the Security Council on the matter.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on February 3 urged the world community to make sure that Myanmar’s military coup fails. In an online discussion with the Washington Post, Guterres called the reversal of elections “absolutely unacceptable” and said that coup leaders must be made to understand that this is no way to rule the country. He called for constitutional order to be re-established and said that he hoped there would be unity in the Security Council on the matter.
Myanmar’s military had seized the power on Monday, declaring a yearlong state of emergency and detaining de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint, among others. The coup had taken place following days of tension between the military and the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD), which won the November elections. The military, however, has refused to accept the results, alleging massive election fraud.
Guterres has said that the UN will do everything to mobilise all the key actors of the international community to put enough pressure on Myanmar to make sure that the coup fails. He also noted that if anything, the NLD leader Suu Kyi was “too close” to the military, defending its brutal offensive against Rohingya Muslims that caused nearly a million of them to flee to neighbouring Bangladesh three years ago. Further, the UN leader hoped that democracy will be able to make progress again in Myanmar and added that all the prisoners must be released and the constitutional order must be reestablished.
Myanmar crisis
Suu Kyi has been charged by the military with offences related to some walkie-talkies allegedly imported with improper licence and for shaking hands during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the police document. She among other leaders from the civilian government was put under house arrest on February 1 as armed forces took the power after complaining over the voter fraud in the recent general election in November 2020. Myanmar President Win Myint, who was also arrested and removed from the office, would be reportedly charged with offences under the natural disaster management law.
Myanmar is under the control of the military and a state of emergency for a year. In the run-up to the November 2020 election, Army chief Min Aung Hlaing, who has acquired the power of the nation now, had claimed that civilian government was making "unacceptable mistakes”. Meanwhile, amid rising tensions in Burma, Facebook services were disrupted on Thursday as the military reportedly ordered telecom companies to block the social media platform. However, the Myanmar military stressed that it will protect and abide by its constitution.
Updated 11:19 IST, February 4th 2021