Myanmar’s UN envoy accuses military junta of township massacre

By Dilip -

Myanmar’s ambassador to the United Nations, who has refused to leave his post despite being fired by the junta after the February coup, has alerted the world body to a “reported massacre” by the military. Kyaw Moe Tun sent a letter to the UN secretary general, António Guterres, on Tuesday saying 40 bodies had been found in July in the Sagaing area of north-western Myanmar. The junta has denied the massacre in the township of Kani, while news agencies have not been able to independently verify the reports due to mobile networks being cut in the remote region.

Myanmar junta accused of crimes against humanity six months on from coup

The representative wrote that soldiers tortured and killed 16 men in a village in the township around 9-10 July, after which 10,000 residents fled the area. He said a further 13 bodies were discovered in the days after clashes between local fighters and security forces on 26 July. Kyaw Moe Tun added that another 11 men, including a 14-year-old boy, were killed and set on fire in a separate village on 28 July.

In the letter, the ambassador repeated his call for an arms embargo on the ruling junta and “urgent humanitarian intervention” from the international community. “We cannot let the military keep on doing this kind of atrocity in Myanmar,” Kyaw Moe Tun said. “It is time for the UN, especially the UN security council, to take action.”….

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/aug/05/myanmars-un-envoy-accuses-regime-of-township-massacre

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