LOC15:59
12:59 GMT
GENEVA, March 20 (KUNA) -- Thomas Andrews, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar called on Wednesday for stronger international action against Myanmar's military junta.
The junta has escalated attacks on civilians in response to significant battlefield losses and widespread opposition.
Andrews called for an end to "appeasement and unconditional engagement with the junta" in a press conference from Geneva, saying that the first condition for future engagement must be to "stop the killing".
He described the junta as "desperate and increasingly isolated but extremely dangerous" highlighting a fivefold increase in air strikes against civilian targets and the launch of a forced military recruitment program.
Andrews expressed concern about the plight of Myanmar's Muslim community, stressing that unlike others they are prohibited from moving to safety, adding that the junta is allegedly forcing young people from the Muslim minority to join the military, which has been responsible for the genocide of their own community.
The UN expert welcomed steps by governments to cut arms and funds to the junta and called for greater strategic coordination, as well as Singapore's launch of an investigation into arms transfers to Myanmar by Singapore-based companies, which resulted in an 80 percent reduction in such transfers by 2023.
Andrews warned of the potential chaos in Myanmar to spill over into the region and the world with refugees fleeing to neighboring countries and junta fighters, he also stressed the increasing number of jets violating airspace and soldiers fleeing to other countries.
The UN expert highlighted the risks posed by international criminal networks operating in areas controlled by the junta and its allies saying "Myanmar is now the top opium producer and a global center for cyber-scam operations that enslave tens of thousands and victimize people around the world".
Andrews urged the international community to provide greater support to those providing assistance to displaced and vulnerable people in Myanmar including by increasing funding for cross-border aid and civil society initiatives in opposition-controlled areas.
He also called for engagement with the National Unity Government (NUG) ethnic resistance organizations, and Myanmar civil society as they build a political framework that affirms human rights equality and justice as the path to peace. (end)
imk.res