Address human rights abuses in Myanmar

The United Nations General Assembly and Security Council should immediately take steps to address the human rights abuses and humanitarian catastrophe in Myanmar, said a coalition of Human Rights Watch (HRW) and 87 other civil society organisations yesterday.

"As more evidence emerges, it is clear that the atrocities committed by Myanmar state security forces amount to crimes against humanity," appealed the coalition.

"The United Nations and its member states need to take urgent action."

They urged UN delegations to immediately undertake efforts to adopt a resolution in the UN General Assembly addressing the ethnic cleansing of Rohingya people.

The coalition is also calling on the Security Council to seriously consider an arms embargo against the military and sanctions against individuals responsible for the crimes and serious abuses.

"All concerned UN member states should also consider bilateral, multilateral, and regional actions they can take to place added pressure on the Myanmar government," the coalition said.

"In particular, we call on all states to immediately suspend military assistance and cooperation with Myanmar."

The HRW and the other organisations warn governments, UN officials, and diplomats that if they simply hold meetings and make speeches as atrocities continue in Myanmar, they will bear the risk of failing to use every diplomatic tool at their disposal to stop the ethnic cleansing campaign and further crimes against humanity.

"In the face of mass destruction, killings, and hundreds of thousands displaced, inaction should not be an option," the coalition observed.