Civil society groups called on UN member states on Monday to ensure that the current permanent representative of Myanmar retains his position as Myanmar’s representative to the UN.
At least 358 Myanmar and international civil society organizations sent an open letter to members of the UN General Assembly to retain Ambassador U Kyaw Moe Tun.
The UN’s Credentials Committee is scheduled to meet on Tuesday, Sept. 14, to consider who should be Myanmar’s representative at the UN.
Following its deliberations, the credentials committee, which is composed of representatives of nine member countries, will submit its recommendations to the UN General Assembly.
“There is a real risk that complacency from UN member states could result in the Myanmar people being robbed of their rightful voice at the UN,” said Khin Ohmar, of the group Progressive Voice.
Kasit Piromya, board member of the ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights and former foreign minister of Thailand, said Myanmar’s junta “is the very antithesis of the UN’s core values of peace, human rights, justice and social progress.”
“Allowing it to sit at the UN would not only undermine any chance of seeing peace and democracy again in Myanmar, but would undermine the credibility of all UN efforts across the globe,” said Piromya.
Simon Adams, executive director of the Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect, said “no country should recognize or support the Myanmar’s military junta.”
Various human rights groups have reported that since the February military coup, at least 1,058 people have been killed, 7,992 arrested, and 6,343, including 104 children, detained.
At least 118 people were reported to have been sentenced “in absentia” and 39 people sentenced to death in absentia.
Last week, at least 20 people have been reported killed in fighting between militias and Myanmar’s ruling military.
Earlier, the National Unity Government formed to resist the military takeover called for a revolt against military rule.
Myanmar has been in turmoil since the overthrow of Aung San Suu Kyi’s government, which ended a decade of tentative democracy and sparked nationwide protests.
