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WASHINGTON: America’s top military officer and nearly a dozen of his counterparts are scheduled to condemn on Saturday (March 27) the lethal use of force by Myanmar’s security forces and say that the country’s military has lost credibility with his people.
The joint statement, obtained by Reuters ahead of its scheduled release this weekend, is a rare statement from top military commanders in countries around the world, including Asia and Europe.
It came after news reports and witnesses said Myanmar security forces killed 114 people on Saturday, including some children, on Armed Forces Day, the bloodiest day of their crackdown on pro-protesters. democracy since the military coup last month.
“As Chiefs of Defense, we condemn the use of lethal force against unarmed persons by the Myanmar Armed Forces and associated security services,” the draft statement reads.
It was signed by 12 defense chiefs from Australia, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
READ: Over 100 protesters killed in Myanmar as junta demonstrates force for Armed Forces Day
Diplomats from these countries have already condemned the bloodshed by the Myanmar military, making the statement largely symbolic. The Myanmar military has so far ignored criticism for its violent crackdown on dissent.
While the draft statement did not explicitly condemn the February 1 coup, which toppled the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, it said that a professional army must follow international standards of conduct “and is responsible to protect, not harm. , to the people it serves. “
He said the country’s military must “stop the violence and work to restore respect and credibility with the people of Myanmar who have lost through their actions.”
Myanmar’s military has said it seized power because the November elections won by Suu Kyi’s party were fraudulent, a claim dismissed by the country’s electoral commission. Suu Kyi is being held at an undisclosed location and many other figures from her National League for Democracy party are also in custody.
READ: US and Britain Blacklist Myanmar Military-Controlled Companies
The deaths on Saturday, Myanmar Armed Forces Day, which commemorates the beginning of resistance to the Japanese occupation in 1945, would bring the number of civilians killed since the coup to more than 440.
New sanctions from the United States and Europe this week increased external pressure on the junta. But Myanmar’s generals have enjoyed some support from Russia and China, both members of the UN Security Council with veto power that could block any potential UN action.
Russia’s Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin attended a parade in Myanmar’s capital Naypyidaw on Saturday, meeting with senior junta leaders a day earlier.
Diplomats said eight countries – Russia, China, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Laos and Thailand – sent representatives to the Armed Forces Day parade, but Russia was the only one to send a minister.
