The Arakan army group opposing the military junta in Myanmar and its allies say they have taken over several cities and captured weapons.
Sari Taussi,
Erja Tuomaala
Clashes between the Myanmar government in Southeast Asia and the rebel Arakan army and the ethnic groups that support it are intensifying. The coalition of rebel forces is said to have made significant progress this week, especially in the north on the border with China.
The Arakan army, which defends Myanmar’s Rohyinga minority, says it has taken hundreds of soldiers as prisoners.
On Friday, the UN demanded humane treatment for the detainees.
– The UN closely monitors Myanmar’s development. Anti-military armed groups have advanced significantly. Hundreds of soldiers have laid down their weapons. Retaliation is absolutely forbidden, said the spokesperson of the UN Human Rights Commissioner Jeremy Lawrence yesterday Friday in Geneva.
According to spokesman Lawrence, individual soldiers are not responsible for the human rights violations carried out by the military regime, which have often been directed at mainly Muslim Rohingya.
The position of Rohyingos has been very bad in Myanmar for a long time, because Myanmar has not accepted them as citizens. Rohyingo live in refugee camps in Bangladesh, India and Thailand. They are trying to escape across the sea to Indonesia.
According to the UN, more than 26,000 people have been forced to leave their homes in Rakhine and neighboring Shan State during the week.
The rebels are said to have taken control of several cities. Fighting has taken place in various parts of Myanmar, for example in Pauktaw. The government used helicopters in attacks against the rebels.
Connections and aid transports to troubled areas are broken in many places.
The EU imposed sanctions on the military junta
The military regime seized power in 2021. As a result of the seizure, Myanmar drifted into a spiral of violence. Even tens of thousands of opposition representatives who participated in the giant demonstrations have been arrested. More than 4,100 people have died, according to the local monitoring group Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP).
Civilian leader of Myanmar, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi has been imprisoned since the coup.
In the region, the EU imposed sanctions on Myanmar’s military junta as a result of the coup. The UN has warned that there is a risk of a large-scale civil war breaking out in Myanmar and that the country is in danger of falling apart. Myanmar is one of the centers of heroin trade in Asia.
General Min Aung Hlaing A state of emergency declared by the led military administration is in force throughout Myanmar.
Pakolaiten lehti: Finland and Switzerland supporters of the junta
Myanmar’s tightening domestic political situation is also reflected outside of Asia.
Valued by Myanmar refugees The Irrawaddy Journal said on Thursday that more than 600 non-governmental organizations are demanding that Finland and Switzerland stop supporting the junta’s “treacherous peace efforts”. An open letter to Finland and Switzerland was published in the magazine.
According to the newspaper, Finland has secretly invited representatives of the military junta to Finland.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ communication states that Finland does not recognize the military regime that seized power in Myanmar, but is involved in the sanctions imposed by the EU to put pressure on the military regime.
– Finland broadly supports the efforts of Myanmar actors towards inclusive democracy. Finland’s peace aid to Myanmar is long-term and multidimensional, says the communications on-call.
Finland has also not invited representatives of Myanmar’s military junta to Finland.
– In the context of Myanmar, Finland’s support for peace mediators does not mean that Finland supports Myanmar’s military administration. Peace work in general is based on the idea that contacts are maintained with all parties to conflicts, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs provides more details.
AFP