9 UN Security Council Members Including South Korea Urge Myanmar Military Junta to Cease Airstrikes

UN Security Council Resolution Implementation Urged
Calls for Humanitarian Aid for Rohingya

Some members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), including South Korea, have called on the Myanmar military government, which is engaged in civil war with rebel forces, to halt its 'indiscriminate' airstrikes targeting civilians.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

According to major foreign media on the 5th (local time), among the 15 UNSC member countries, nine countries including South Korea, Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Slovenia, Malta, France, and Ecuador issued a joint statement before the Security Council meeting condemning the Myanmar military government's indiscriminate airstrikes against civilians.

In the statement, they noted that three years after the military coup, over 2.6 million refugees have been generated in Myanmar, and more than 18 million people require humanitarian assistance. They urged the implementation of the UN Security Council resolution demanding an end to the violence in Myanmar. The Security Council adopted a resolution in December 2022 calling on the Myanmar military to immediately cease violence and release all political prisoners unjustly detained, including State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi.

They criticized that no procedures have been carried out to implement the contents of the Security Council resolution, which calls for respect for human rights, fundamental freedoms, laws and norms, and the democratic will and interests of the Myanmar people. In particular, they urged humanitarian aid for the Rohingya ethnic minority refugees in Myanmar, who are facing even harsher repression than before and are unable to receive medicines and medical services.

During the closed Security Council meeting held that day, the United States reportedly argued that the Security Council should adopt stronger sanctions resolutions, such as banning the export of jet fuel to Myanmar.

Meanwhile, China, which maintains close ties with the Myanmar military government, stated that it respects and will observe the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries' own efforts to resolve the Myanmar situation. Russia, also close to the Myanmar military government, is reported to have said that the Security Council should not interfere in the internal affairs of a country.