Article Author:
Associated Press
Grant Peck
BANGKOK (AP) — Noeleen Heyzer, the United Nations special envoy for Myanmar, met on Wednesday with the head of the military-installed government, saying her office was closed to the conflict.
Hazer said in a meeting with Senior General Min Aung Hlaing that she would pledge full respect for human rights and the rule of law, He underscored the recent UN Security Council call for an immediate end to all violence and unfettered humanitarian assistance. Her office said in a statement that she is helping everyone in need.
State-owned MRTV television confirmed the meeting, saying Heyzer and Min Aung Hlaing exchanged views on promoting trust and cooperation between Myanmar and the United Nations. Details of the meeting in Myanmar's capital Naypyidaw were not disclosed.
Myanmar has been plagued by violence since the military overthrew the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi last February. The military takeover prevented Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy from starting its second term.
The takeover was met with massive public opposition and then turned into armed resistance in what some UN experts, including Heyzer's predecessor Christine Schraner Burgener, considered a civil war. Critics accuse the military of perpetrating widespread human rights abuses to suppress opposition to its rule.
According to a statement from Hazer's office, Hazer called for "immediate and concrete detente measures, including the cessation of airstrikes and the burning of civilian homes and infrastructure."
MRTV said Heyzer held another meeting with her Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin to explain Myanmar's current developments and that the United Nations needed to reassess its approach in working with Myanmar. reportedly told Heyzer. It didn't elaborate.
Hazer's visit follows the military government's recent executions of four of her political activists, who drew global condemnation. A statement from her office said she "directly requested the senior general to impose a moratorium on all future executions [and] reiterated the UN Secretary-General's call for the release of all political prisoners." rice field.
She also sought the release of Australian economist Sean Turnell, who served as Suu Kyi's adviser and is on trial alongside her for violating Myanmar law. He said he had informed the Australian government of its demands. Official secret law.
Many in the international community, including Myanmar's fellow members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, have expressed dissatisfaction with the hard line taken by the generals in resisting reforms. Myanmar's military ruler agreed in April 2021 to his five-point ASEAN plan to restore peace and stability to the country, including an immediate cessation of violence and dialogue between all parties. However, the military has made little effort to implement the plan.
It is unclear if Suu Kyi and Hazer, who are imprisoned in Naypyidaw, will meet. She has been charged with a series of criminal cases and her political motives by her ruling party forces are widely acknowledged.The government refuses to allow her to meet with outsiders, including her ASEAN envoy. is doing.
Hazer requested a meeting with Suu Kyi, a statement from her office said.
"I am deeply concerned about Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi's current health condition and I ask that she be able to return home immediately," he quoted her as saying. and I believe that she is a key stakeholder in the dialogue with all involved, and I hope to have the opportunity to meet with her as soon as possible."
The Government of National Unity, the main opposition group it sees as Myanmar's legitimate government, issued a statement after Hazer's arrival on Tuesday, saying her visit should aim to end military violence. Said her talks, the voice of the people of Myanmar.
“The envoy's visit must be aimed at ending the junta's violence, weaponization of aid, persecution of political prisoners and impunity. "We also need to focus on the multiple crises created by the military regime, which we are currently facing. Anything less will be appeasement for war criminals." "Mrs. Hazer's consultations must include Myanmar's ethnic resistance groups and civil society to amplify the voice of the people of Myanmar."