Burma’s United Nations Ambassador warned diplomats at a General Assembly meeting on Friday that his country’s army had become an existential threat and called on the world community to take action against the army that staged the coup on 1 February led.
Burmese Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun said the UN, the United Nations Security Council and the international community “must use the necessary means to take action against Myanmar” [Burmese] military and to provide safety and security for the people of Myanmar. ‘
His speech came after an information session at the General Assembly by the special envoy of the Secretary-General to Burma, Christine Schraner Burgener, who said it was time to ‘sound the alarm’.
In her speech, Burgener said: ‘If there is any increase in terms of military brutality – and unfortunately as we have seen in Myanmar? [Burma] Let us act quickly and collectively against people who exercise their basic rights. We can no longer afford deep divisions. ‘
PRO-MILITARY HOMES IN BURMA ATTACK ANTI-COUP PROTESTERS
Linda Thomas-Greenfield delivered her first speech as the US Ambassador to the World Body and applauded the remarks of the Burmese Ambassador, calling them ‘courageous and brave’. She said the United States stood in solidarity with the protesters and reiterated the US position: “The United States continues to strongly condemn the military coup in Myanmar. And we condemn the security forces’ brutal killing of unarmed people.”
In a tip to China, which stood by its neighbor and blocked several actions against the Security Council against it, Thomas-Greenfield told the General Assembly: ‘We ask that the whole world speak with one voice and the military detention of the state condemned. Councilor Aung San Suu Kyi, President Win Myint, and hundreds of other civil servants and human rights defenders. ‘
She continued: ‘We call on every Member State here to use any available channel today to tell the Myanmar army that violence against the people of Myanmar will not be tolerated. Together we all show the people of Myanmar that the world is watching. We hear them, and we stand with them. ‘
China’s UN ambassador, Zhang Jun, reiterated China’s policy with his neighbor, saying what happened in the country is essentially a matter of home affairs. He noted that ‘the voice of and the measures taken by the international community should help Myanmar [Burma] parties bridge their differences and solve problems. ‘
He warned that the international community should “avoid escalating tensions and further complicating the situation.”
PROTESTS ARE SWELLING AFTER BURMA JUNTA RISES ON POWER
Craig Singleton, a deputy member of the China program Foundation for the Defense of Democracies (FDD), told Fox News that the Biden government is facing a difficult balance between Burma.
“Any successful response to the crisis must take into account the lack of economic and political leverage of the United States, as well as the fact that Burma’s military leaders are unlikely to respond favorably to any language bordering on ultimatum.” He said that although the UN General Assembly was positive today, most of Burma’s neighbors do not support sanctions and are against outside interference in its internal affairs.
Singleton warned that China “is pursuing its own great power strategy carefully, one that plays on its relative strengths and long-term goals, including its efforts to reduce US influence in Southeast Asia.”
He told Fox News that the Biden’s government needs to ‘reevaluate its strategy and promote a constructive path to diplomatic dialogue, which should enable both parties to air their grievances. … Such a diplomatic framework will also give the new government the opportunity to better synchronize its messages with other allies in the Indo-Pacific, many of whom are reluctant to accept sanctions or other steps that could drive Burma closer to Beijing. .
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Last weekend, one protester told Fox News that the strong words of foreign governments were not enough. “We want the United States to intervene,” said an American-Burmese woman. “Instead of words, letters saying they condemn the coup, they should act and demand Aung San Kyi’s release.”
The Associated Press and Laura Taglianetti of Fox News contributed to this report