(CU)_Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday (19 April), urged his successor to directly engage with Myanmar’s military in order to prevent an escalation of violence which has killed more than 700 civilians.
Following the 1 February coup, when the military overthrew Myanmar’s elected government and detained the country’s civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ special envoy on Myanmar, Christine Schraner Burgener, has been communicating with the junta, although the army has not yet allowed her to visit.
“Given the gravity and urgency of the situation, I believe the secretary-general himself should use his good offices to engage directly with the Myanmar military, to prevent an escalation of violence,” Ban told a UN Security Council meeting.
Nevertheless, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric noted that Guterres is “very actively involved” on the Myanmar crisis and that his special envoy and his good offices are always available to provide support in this regard.
Speaking during a Security Council meeting on Monday, Guterres urged regional actors to effectively utilise their influence to deescalate tensions as the crisis requires a “robust international response grounded on a unified regional effort”.
This request was particularly in response to the reluctance of the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to take a stand against the violence tearing at their fellow member.
Echoing these his successor’s concerns, Ban called on Southeast Asian countries to not dismiss the turmoil as an internal issue of Myanmar. “ASEAN must make it clear to the Myanmar military that the current situation is so grave that it cannot be regarded only as an internal matter,” the former South Korean foreign minister said.
He pointed out that the gross violations of human rights being perpetrated against the civilians are incompatible with the ASEAN Charter. “These actions are clear violations of international law, and constitute a threat to the peace, security and stability of the region,” he added.
According to rights groups, since the coup on 1 February, more than 737 people have been killed by the junta, while around 3,300 remain in detention.
