Myanmar slams UN for ‘one-sided accusations’ over human rights record
Myanmar’s military junta on Tuesday (April 9) blasted the United Nations for “one-sided accusations” about its human rights record and said it had not received any formal letter regarding the United Nations’ recent appointment of former Australian Foreign Minister Bishop as its special envoy for Myanmar.
In addition, United Nations Secretary-General Guterres appointed Bishop last Friday (5th) to replace Singaporean diplomat Heizer who will retire in June 2023 and become the special envoy for Myanmar. Bishop will work with ASEAN member states and parties to find a Myanmar-led political solution to the crisis in Myanmar.
The United Nations Human Rights Council passed a resolution last week slamming Myanmar’s “appalling and systematic violations of human rights” and criticizing the military government for “stifling” humanitarian aid, saying it has exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in Myanmar.
On the other hand, Thai Foreign Minister Bambi said on Tuesday that Thailand remained neutral on the internal conflict in Myanmar and called on all parties to the conflict to engage in peace negotiations.
Thai Prime Minister Sodak also posted on social media X that “the situation in Myanmar is crucial to Thailand” and the Thai government is ready to promote cooperation among all parties to create peace and stability.
Some Myanmar residents began fleeing to Thailand on Tuesday to escape the fighting, potentially putting pressure on the country. Bambi said that Thailand currently has the ability to resettle up to 100,000 Burmese who have fled to Thailand for refuge.
A statement from the junta’s foreign ministry said the resolution “includes baseless and one-sided accusations” and therefore “Myanmar categorically rejects the resolution.”
Thailand shares a 2,000-kilometer land border with Myanmar, and Myanmar’s internal conflict puts pressure on Thailand’s border security.
After several days of fierce fighting between the Myanmar army and anti-junta groups, seven military camps and a government command center in the eastern Myanmar-Thailand border town of Myawaddy were lost on Sunday (7th), and hundreds of soldiers surrendered.