Addressing the assembly on Friday, Kiao Mo Toon delivered a dramatic speech on February 1, loyal to the ousted civilian government.
“We need the strongest possible action from the international community to immediately end the military coup, stop the repression of innocent people, restore state power to the people and restore democracy,” he said.
The diplomat received a rare greeting from his UN colleagues at the end of the speech.
Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the new US ambassador to the UN, praised the ambassador’s “courageous” remarks.
“The United States strongly condemns the military coup in Myanmar,” he told the legislature on Friday.
“And we condemn the brutal killing of unarmed people by the armed forces.”
Thomas-Greenfield added that the U.S. “will continue to provide life-saving humanitarian assistance, including to the Rohingya and other vulnerable populations in the states of Chin, Kachin, Rakhine and Shan.”
Akila Radhakrishnan, chairperson of the Global Justice Center, said in a statement on Friday that the world should appreciate the bravery of Representative Kawa Mo Tune for making such a powerful statement, not an illegal military junta, in favor of the people of Myanmar.
“The international community should give this kind of courage to their call for immediate, decisive action to hold the military accountable.”
Myanmar was in turmoil when rebels ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
Suu Kyi has been detained at her home in the capital since the uprising.
The country has since witnessed 21 consecutive days of anti-military protests, with demonstrations in Mandalay and Yangon on Friday.
Initially, some protesters gathered peacefully outside Suu Kyi’s home to pray.
Military leaders have imposed an internet curfew as unrest continues.
Sources on the ground said police officers fired “at least 10 rounds into the air” on Thursday to disperse a crowd of protesters in Yangon.
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