UN chief calls for immediate halt to ‘repression’ in Myanmar

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has denounced ‘brutal force’ used by military rulers to curb anti-coup protests in Myanmar.

In his annual address to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on Monday, Guterres urged the military to immediately depart from the repressive approach and release prisoners.

“Today, I call on the Myanmar military to stop the repression immediately,” he said in a pre-recorded video message at the opening of the 46th session of the Geneva-based council.

“Release the prisoners. End the violence. Respect human rights, and the will of the people expressed in recent elections,” he said, insisting that “coups have no place in our modern world.” 

“We see the undermining of democracy, the use of brutal force, arbitrary arrests, repression in all its manifestations. Restrictions of civic space.”

The UN chief voiced his “full support to the people of Myanmar in their pursuit of democracy, peace, human rights and the rule of law.” 

He condemned attacks on civil society and “serious violations against minorities with no accountability, including what has rightly been called ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya population.”

“The list goes on,” he said. “It is all coming together in a perfect storm of upheaval.” 

Myanmar’s ruling military generals have gradually ratcheted up tactics against an ongoing massive civil disobedience campaign demanding the return of ousted de-facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi. 

On Monday, thousands demonstrated in Yangon, Myanmar's biggest city and commercial hub. 

Suu Kyi was arrested on February 1.

Two more people shot dead at Myanmar anti-coup protests

Protesters demand the restoration of the elected government and the release of Suu Kyi and other political leaders.

Three protesters have been killed since February 1, according to Myanmar’s Assistance Association for Political Prisoners.

The junta has come under pressure by the international community to hand over power to civilians and release the officials. The military has defied the calls.

Eight killed as Rohingya boat breaks down at sea

In a separate development on Monday, eight people died when a boat carrying dozens of Rohingya Muslim refugees, including women and children, broke down at sea.

A group which tracks Rohingya boat sailings said the vessel was believed to have departed Bangladesh on February 11 with 90 people on board, including 65 women and girls. But it broke down after a few days, and was now drifting in the Andaman Sea close to India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) has said in a statement, “We appeal to all governments to deploy their search and rescue capacities and promptly disembark those in distress.”

UNHCR calls for ‘immediate rescue’ of Rohingya Muslim refugees stranded in Andaman Sea

The UNHCR has called for “swift assistance” to a group of Rohingya refugees who have been stranded in the Andaman Sea without food and water.

A deadly crackdown by Myanmar’s army on the Rohingya in 2017 sent hundreds of thousands fleeing across the border into Bangladesh, where the refugees live in deplorable conditions.

Many have risked perilous journeys in the hope of reaching Malaysia and Indonesia by rickety boats.

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