Myanmar crisis: UN official 'terrified' over potential violent suppression of protests

The United Nations on Wednesday expressed concern regarding the human rights situation in Myanmar as protests continue against the military junta, who overthrew the democratically-elected government earlier this month. UN Special Rapporteur Tom Andrews said that he is "terrified" over potential violence break out in the country as the Myanmar military deploys additional force in towns in cities. This comes days after it was reported that the junta has deployed tanks and armoured vehicles in major cities to clampdown on protesters. 

Read: Police Rampage Targets Striking Railway Workers In Myanmar

"In the past, such troop movements preceded killings, disappearances, and detentions on a mass scale. I am terrified that given the confluence of these two developments – planned mass protests and troops converging – we could be on the precipice of the military committing even greater crimes against the people of Myanmar," Andrews said in a statement. 

Read: Myanmar Protesters Appeal To Foreign Companies

Andrews urged governments, individuals, and entities from all over the world, who might have an influence on the Myanmar military, to use that influence to convince the junta for allowing peaceful rallies and protests to take place without any obstruction. Andrews also called on the international business community to "cease" operations in Myanmar until the military chooses to turn away from its "violent path". Andrews quoted Dr. Marthin Luther King as saying, "There comes a time when silence is betrayal". 

Read: UN Expert Fears Violence With Troops Sent To Myanmar City

Andrews further called on the military junta to end the repression of the basic rights of the people of Myanmar. "As I have made clear in prior statements, those in the chain of command, regardless of rank, can be held liable for any atrocities committed against the people of Myanmar, and they must disobey orders to attack," Andrews warned. 

The coup

The Myanmar military overthrew the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi on February 1, a day before the newly-elected members of parliament were scheduled to take the oath. The military accused Suu Kyi's government of rigging November elections, in which her party National League for Democracy (NLD) had emerged the victor by a landslide. Suu Kyi's party managed to win 396 of the 476 parliamentary seats of the ones that are not reserved for the military. Experts suggest that the military feared Suu Kyi, with a larger majority than in 2015, would try and reduce the number of parliamentary seats reserved for the Army.

Read: Myanmar Junta Cuts Internet Connectivity, Deploys 'tanks And Armoured Convoys' In City