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| Demonstrators run near a barricade during an anti-coup protest in Mandalay, Myanmar March 15, 2021. (Photo by= Reuters) |
[Asia News Communication = Reporter Reakkana] On Tuesday (Apr 13), the UN rights chief warned of possible crimes against humanity in Myanmar and said it seemed to be heading towards a massive conflict like the one ravaging Syria, AFP reported.
In a statement, the UN rights office urged countries to take immediate and decisive action to push the military leaders behind a Feb 1 coup in Myanmar to stop their "campaign of repression and slaughter of its people." "I fear the situation in Myanmar is heading towards a full-blown conflict," Michelle Bachelet, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, said in the statement. "States must not allow the deadly mistakes of the past in Syria and elsewhere to be repeated."
Myanmar is in chaos and its economy has paralyzed since the military seized power from civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Feb 1. A junta crackdown against dissent has resulted in the civilian death toll reaching at least 710 as of late Monday including 50 children, according to a local monitoring group. Ethnic armed rebel groups have meanwhile stepped up attacks on the military and police in recent weeks, raising fears of Myanmar spiraling into broader civil conflict. And the military has retaliated with airstrikes that have reportedly displaced thousands of civilians.
