BANGKOK, April 23 (Bernama)
-- The Special Advisory Council for Myanmar (SAC-M) called on the
United Nations (UN) Security Council to take responsibility for international
action in response to the growing crisis in Myanmar.
SAC-M, an independent group of
international experts working to support the peoples of Myanmar in their fight
for human rights, peace, democracy, justice and accountability,
said ASEAN’s 5-Point Consensus (5PCs) reached between ASEAN leaders and
the leader of the Myanmar military is a failure, with no significant
progress made towards its implementation after 12 months.
A member of SAC-M, Chris Sidoti,
said the UN Security Council backed ASEAN and its 5PCs, but ASEAN and its
consensus have failed.
“There is now no alternative but
for the UN Security Council itself to take the lead and take the responsibility
for meaningful action on Myanmar. The UN Security Council cannot continue to
ignore the cries of the people of Myanmar for international action to end the
military's violence,” he said in a statement.
Meanwhile, SAC-M called on ASEAN
to maintain permanently its rejection of the military junta from participation
in ASEAN meetings as a consequence of its abrogation of the 5PCs.
SAC-M also called on ASEAN to
work with the National Unity Government (NUG) of Myanmar to develop a new
roadmap towards resolving the crisis, starting with the urgent provision of
cross-border humanitarian assistance.
A year on after adopting 5PCs, it
said ASEAN has failed to fulfill its pledges to take meaningful steps towards
pressing the junta to end its human rights violations.
On April 24 last year, the 5PCs
was reached in Jakarta, two months after the Myanmar military launched an
illegal coup and a subsequent attack on the population of Myanmar in response
to their ongoing resistance.
The 5PCs agreed to by the leader
of the military, Min Aung Hlaing, were for the immediate cessation of violence;
constructive dialogue among all parties concerned; the appointment of a special
envoy of the ASEAN Chair to facilitate mediation of the dialogue; provision of
humanitarian assistance through the AHA Centre, and a visit of the special
envoy to Myanmar to meet all parties.
As of April 11, the United
Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Myanmar said
a total of 566,100 people have been displaced by clashes and
insecurity since the February 2021 coup.
It also said about 346,000
people have been displaced mainly in Rakhine, Kachin, Chin, and Shan due to
conflict prior to February 2021.
According to human rights
organisation Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, at least 1,780
civilians had been killed while over 10,000 people have been arrested and
almost 1,000 have been jailed since the coup.
-- BERNAMA
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