Home ›› 23 Sep 2021 ›› World Biz
UN Special Rapporteur Tom Andrews has said that Myanmar military junta and its forces have killed over 1,100 people since it assumed power after overthrowing the country’s democratically-elected government.
Apart from that, forces loyal to the junta detained more than 8,000 people while forcibly displaced more than 2,30,000 civilians.
“Since its grabbing power, the military regime has brought the total number of internally placed persons in Myanmar to over half a million,” the UN expert said while addressing the UN Human Rights Council on Wednesday.
As of July, the junta had killed at least 75 children ranging in age from 14 months to 17 years, the UN rights expert claimed.
“These children were hit by junta driven vehicles, shot by junta forces or killed by junta artillery shells.”
Meanwhile, the junta also keeps denying the existence of the Rohingya ethnic minority, their citizenship, freedom of movement and other fundamental rights, he said.
The same commanders who oversaw the mass atrocity crimes committed against the Rohingya in 2017 are now overseeing the military junta, putting more than 600,000 Rohingyas’ lives in Myanmar in jeopardy.
The rights expert also claimed that he had credible reports on the ever-worsening human rights situation in Myanmar following the 1 February military coup in the country.
“Junta-controlled military forces have killed protesters in the streets, murdered civilians in their homes, beaten individuals to death and tortured people to death while in detention,” he said.
“Numerous villages have also been attacked by using airstrikes, sieges and mass arson while civilians have been forced to serve as porters and human shields,” he added.
Andrews also told the UNHRC that he had received credible reports of children being tortured, including two boys who were starved and then had their legs burnt with iron rods.
“At least 177 individuals were arbitrarily detained when the initial target of a raid had successfully eluded arrest. These victims include very young children as young as 20-weeks old,” he said.
Civil and political rights in Myanmar have also been systematically destroyed by the junta, he further said.
Moreover, junta forces attacked healthcare workers or facilities in at least 260 separate incidences from February 1 to August 25, 2021.
“The junta has outstanding arrest warrants for 600 healthcare workers, forcing them into hiding.”
The expert also urged governments to support the people of Myanmar’s own boycotts against the junta, by imposing stronger coordinated economic pressure and arms embargo on the military government.
“People throughout Myanmar from all walks of life are engaging in what can accurately be described as ‘citizen sanctions’ - boycotts of products produced by military-owned companies as well as the payment of energy bills and taxes,” he observed.
