YANGON, Myanmar: Myanmar’s military junta has fiercely rebuked the United Nations’ recent resolution criticizing its human rights record, dismissing the allegations as “unfounded and one-sided.” Additionally, the junta stated that it had received no official communication regarding the appointment of the new UN special envoy to Myanmar.
The Southeast Asian nation has been embroiled in turmoil since the military coup in February 2021, which overturned a brief democratic period and triggered conflicts with ethnic rebel groups and anti-coup fighters.
The UN Human Rights Council’s resolution condemned “horrific and systematic human rights violations” by the junta and decried its tight control over humanitarian assistance, exacerbating a crisis that has displaced over 2.5 million people.
Myanmar’s foreign affairs ministry, in a statement published in the Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper, categorically rejected the UN resolution, labeling it as biased and baseless.
Regarding the appointment of the new UN special envoy, the junta asserted that it had not received any official communication from the UN regarding the selection of former Australian foreign minister Julie Bishop to the role.
Julie Bishop succeeds Noeleen Heyzer, who departed in June 2023. Heyzer’s tenure was marked by efforts to engage the military junta in political dialogue, although she faced challenges, including being denied access to detained democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
Myanmar’s current UN envoy, Kyaw Moe Tun, appointed by Suu Kyi’s government, has refused to step down despite the junta’s insistence that he no longer represents the country. This ongoing diplomatic dispute underscores the deep divisions and tensions surrounding Myanmar’s political crisis.
