'Stability of the region' hangs on Myanmar - UN Special Envoy

NEW YORK, March 4 (KUNA) -- UN Special Envoy for Myanmar, Christine Schraner Burgener, warned that the situation in the Myanmar challenges "the stability of the region" and could lead to a "real war." Speaking at a virtual press conference late Wednesday, Burgener said the news about Myanmar was shocking and, with the reported death of 38 people, marked the bloodiest day since the start of the coup on February first.
More than 1,200 people are under detention and many families do not know where their loved ones are or what condition they are in, indicated the official.
Schraner Burgener said that in discussions with the army, she warned that UN Member States and the Security Council might take "strong measures," to which they responded: "We are used to sanctions and we survived the sanctions time in the past." She continued, "I also warned they will go in an isolation," to which they said, "We have to learn to walk with only few friends." She noted that the Secretary-General condemned the coup and urged an end to the violence.
The Special Envoy said that the Myanmar army's Deputy Commander-in-Chief Soe Win told her the military had a five-point roadmap, which would be implemented by the recently established State Administration Council, to include the reconstitution of the Union Election Commission, COVID-19 prevention and restoring the peace.
Schraner Burgener observed that COVID-19 prevention would be a disaster with regional implications, given that the country has no tests or vaccines, and restoring peace would be very difficult with 10 of the 21 ethnic armed organizations making strong statements against the coup and threatening violence if the army attacks civilians.
Schraner Burgener added detained State Counsellor of Myanmar Aung San Suu Kyi wanted to make real reforms for a true federal democracy but was unable to do so.
The Special Envoy said she had agreed to support Suu Kyi in her efforts to make reforms after the November elections, in which the he National League for Democracy (NLD) had won more than 82 percent of the seats.
Myanmar has been in turmoil since the army seized power and detained elected government leader Aung San Suu Kyi and much of the NLD leadership, who won a November election in a landslide, which the military said was fraudulent.
However, the election commission said the vote was fair. (end) asf.gta