Myanmar: the international community needs to act urgently

I would like to add my voice to express my deepest condolences on the passing of Prince Philip.

I first would like to thank UK for organizing this very important and timely meeting and thank the briefers for their very powerful interventions. As we have heard, the situation is escalating rapidly in Myanmar. Every day, news of civilians, including children, being shot, arbitrarily arrested and sometimes even tortured are reaching us. This has to stop. We are deeply concerned by the attacks on the right to freedom of opinion and expression as journalists and media workers are directly targeted.

I would like to recall our appeal for the immediate and unconditional release of all persons that were arrested in the wake of the military coup and for their support for the restoration of the legitimate civilian government, including the State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and the president of the Republic Win Myint, the end of the state emergency and the restoration of the legitimate civilian government. No one has physically met with the State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi since she was arrested, this is not acceptable.

Allowing a rapid, safe, unhindered humanitarian access is also a priority. The situation as described by the briefers and the Special Envoy in previous meetings is absolutely alarming. The long term impact of this crisis, combined with those of the pandemic will undermine all progress made by Myanmar on the path towards development and democracy.

The interventions from the briefers today demonstrate once again that the international community needs to act urgently. It is both a collective and a national responsibility.

I would like to reiterate our constant support to the work of the Special Envoy, as also expressed by the Council. Her visit to the region is timely but, as others, we tink she should also be able to visit Myanmar as soon as possible and without precondition. She must be granted access by the military and be able to engage with all parties. I am also glad that this meeting allows for the CRPH to engage with the international community.

The Security Council has sent strong messages. But, so far, those strong messages have not been heard by the regime resulting from the coup. We must go further in order to increase the pressure. Unity is key at the Council, we all know it, but unity should not mean inaction.

The role of the United Nations to support the people of Myanmar is essential and the General Assembly should also remain mobilized and unanimous in its denunciation of the coup.

We also welcome ASEAN’s efforts and encourage them to increase their engagement to find ways to support Myanmar in this dire situation and work towards an inclusive political solution with all parties. We look forward to hearing the conclusions from the emergency summit that was announced for April 20th.

At a national level, as part of the EU, France has also supported the adoption of sanctions. The first ones were adopted on March 22nd against eleven individuals responsible for the coup among them ten high level members of the armed forces, including the commander-in-chief, his deputy, and the chairman of the election commission. We are already working with our European partners to go further and adopt as soon as possible additional sanctions targeting the economic interests of the military, while remaining cautious to avoid hurting the most vulnerable populations.

Finally, I would like to conclude with a special word for the Rohingyas. Their situation remain very worrying, being it the humanitarian situation, the conditions they live in or the constant violations of their rights. Let me remind all here that the Myanmar security forces responsible for the blind violence and repression today are the same ones responsible for atrocities against the Rohingyas. We must not let them continue.

Thank you.