EU strongly condemns Myanmar military’s restrictions, instrumentalization of aid

Mizzima
The Delegation of the EU to the United Nations made a statement on 24 October, in response to the presentation and reports from the 78th Session of the UN General Assembly Third Committee Interactive Dialogue.
The dialogue focused on the human rights situation in Myanmar, and it was taken part by Khaled Khiar, the Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific, Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA), Nicholas Koumjian, the Assistant Secretary-General and Head of the Independent Investigative Mechanism on Myanmar, and Thomas H. Andrews, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar.
The statement of EU delegation highlighted the deepening humanitarian situation across the entire country and the deliberate denial and obstruction of humanitarian access and relief by the military in flagrant violation of humanitarian principles and international humanitarian law.
The EU also strongly condemned these unacceptable restrictions and instrumentalization of relief operations by the military, including after Cyclone Mocha that caused death and destruction in Rakhine and several other regions in May this year.
The statement said that the EU does not regard the military regime that emerged from the coup as having any legitimacy, and strongly condemns the flagrant violations, abuses and disregard for human rights by the Myanmar military.
The EU delegation also called on the Myanmar military to immediately end all forms of violence against civilians, release political prisoners and others arbitrarily detained, restore democracy and rule of law and ensure justice and accountability for human rights violations.
The statement mentioned that people in Myanmar across the country continue to suffer human rights violations and a humanitarian crisis under the brutal military junta, resulting from the escalation of violence and the brutality of indiscriminate attacks, including airstrikes, arson and burning of villages and other civilian targets, mass killings, torture, sexual and gender-based violence carried out by the military forces on the civilian population.
The EU committed to support the humanitarian relief effort in Myanmar and called on the military to urgently allow safe and unhindered humanitarian access.
The statement includes the deteriorating human rights situation of Rohingya population who have fled to Bangladesh as well as those who remain in Rakhine State, and the EU recognizes the generosity and efforts of Bangladesh in hosting nearly one million Rohingya.
Image: People whose homes were destroyed by Cyclone Mokha in Rakhine State. (old photo)