Security Council Statement on Myanmar Fails Due to China-Russia Agreement Breakdown

Coup d'?tat, Demand to Remove Threats of Additional Measures

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yujin Cho] The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) failed to reach an agreement on the wording of a statement threatening additional measures against Myanmar, where a coup d'?tat has taken place.

The Security Council discussed a draft statement criticizing the Myanmar military, which staged the coup, and threatening additional measures, but failed to reach a consensus, major foreign media reported on the 9th (local time).

During the process of coordinating the final wording of the statement proposed by the UK, the presiding country, China, Russia, India, and Vietnam demanded the removal of references to the coup and threats of additional measures, causing the discussions to stall. The adoption of this statement requires unanimous consent from all 15 Security Council members.

The Security Council issued a statement three days after the coup on the 1st of last month, expressing deep concern over the Myanmar military's declaration of a state of emergency and the detention of government officials, urging their immediate release.

At that time, the level of condemnation of the Myanmar military's coup was lowered due to the influence of China and Russia.

Sasa, the UN special envoy appointed by State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, who was ousted by the coup, demanded in an urgent letter sent to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on the 4th that the Security Council use all available means.

In particular, Sasa urged the Security Council to uphold the "Responsibility to Protect" (R2P). R2P refers to a state's responsibility to protect its citizens from four major crimes: genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and crimes against humanity. If a country clearly neglects this responsibility, the international community must intervene through coercive measures.

Earlier, Thomas Andrews, the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Myanmar, argued in a report on the 4th that the Myanmar military has beaten and killed protesters and made illegal arrests, calling for an arms embargo and economic sanctions against the Myanmar military.

Protests against the military have continued for over a month across Myanmar, with 60 people killed by indiscriminate shootings by the military and police.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.