YouSaid · the spoken record

Tun

lines on the record: 85
first: 2017-09-28
most recent: 2023-12-15
sittings or episodes: 11
sources: un-security-council

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“Needless to say, the key root cause of children’s suffering in Myanmar is the military junta’s brutal attempt to do anything to assert control over the population, who resoundingly continues to resist its illegal coup. With their culture of impunity, the military forces have proved that they are not reluctant to go to extreme lengths, including by blatantly violating both domestic child rights law and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. In that situation, the international community needs to protect children in Myanmar, who have been victims of the military junta’s widespread and systematic attacks against the civilian population.”
2022-07-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9096Resumption1 (2022) · source
“Therefore, we are seeking the protection of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for them. Many of them are still awaiting effective actions from UNHCR. I hereby appeal to the international community to look into that matter seriously and in a timely way and to help them. Children must be protected under every circumstance. Every child deserves a future. In conclusion, as we speak, the war that the Myanmar military has waged on its own citizens, including children, continues. Unless the international community takes concrete action to protect Myanmar children from the ongoing grave violations, we risk having a lost generation of children due to the conflict- inflicted consequences.”
2022-07-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9096Resumption1 (2022) · source
“The military took children hostage to force their parents or relatives to surrender. Nearly 7.8 million children remain out of school; and 250,000 out of more than 1 million internally displaced persons in Myanmar are children. Children retaining safe access to quality education is another important matter. There is no doubt that attacks on schools and hospitals have destructive effects on children and society in every way. To that end, the military has deliberately deprived children of their basic human rights to health, education and development. In addition to the displacement of children within the country, many children, together with their parents, escaped from Myanmar to neighbouring countries to seek refuge. We are greatly concerned that they are now at high risk of becoming victims of human trafficking.”
2022-07-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9096Resumption1 (2022) · source
“Even with the elected civilian Government and Parliament in place, the military was the main perpetrator of grave violations against children. After the coup, no legal protection in place was able to protect Myanmar’s children from the violence by the military, which has no regard for domestic or international law. The impact of conflict on children in Myanmar is indeed severe, deeply disturbing and heartbreaking. In this year’s report, the United Nations verified 503 violations against 462 Myanmar children. They attacked schools and hospitals 17 times, used 52 schools and hospitals for military purposes and denied humanitarian access. Those verified accounts in the report do not necessarily represent the full scale of attacks and violations by the military against children.”
2022-07-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9096Resumption1 (2022) · source
“The National Unity Government developed a set of guidelines on prevention and the protection of children affected by armed conflict in Myanmar and an implementation plan, in accordance with international laws and the relevant Security Council resolutions. In March this year, the National Unity Government submitted to the United Nations a report on its efforts to promote and protect the rights of the child, especially in situation in armed conflict, as well as the guidelines on children and armed conflict. After the military perpetrated the illegal coup in Myanmar in February 2021, the illegal military effectively destroyed the rule of law by lawlessly arresting, torturing and killing civilians, including children, in cold blood.”
2022-07-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9096Resumption1 (2022) · source
“On the other hand, we are encouraged by the release of more than 12,000 children from armed groups as a result of the United Nations engagement with parties to the conflicts. As the Secretary-General rightly points out in the report, while the coronavirus disease exacerbated the vulnerabilities of children, military coups have worsened their situation, including in Myanmar. In our country, while supporting the United Nations-led Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism, the National Unity Government of Myanmar is committed to promoting and protecting the rights of the child and is cooperating with the relevant United Nations entities in that regard.”
2022-07-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9096Resumption1 (2022) · source
“I would like to thank the presidency of Brazil for convening today’s high- level open debate on children and armed conflict. We welcome this year’s focus on the protection of displaced children, their abduction and their reintegration. I am also grateful to all the briefers for their insightful briefings. I particularly thank the Secretary-General and his Special Representative, Mrs. Gamba de Potgieter, for this year’s report on children and armed conflict (S/2022/493). The situation of children in armed conflict continues to be a great concern to all of us. The number of grave violations against children remains high. We are saddened by the tragic loss of more than 8,000 children’s lives as a result of killing and maiming.”
2022-07-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9096Resumption1 (2022) · source
“In conclusion, on behalf of the people of Myanmar, I appeal for greater political resolve and unity in the Security Council to help end the current deteriorating coup-inflicted disaster, in synergy with other United Nations bodies. Unified, decisive action by the Security Council can provide life-saving deterrence against ongoing crimes in Myanmar.”
2022-06-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9052Resumption1 (2022) · source
“We have seen the Council use that tool in conflict situations in the past to contribute to their long-term improvement. With regard to Myanmar, the Security Council has a decisive and impactful role to play in its future, especially by using the proven tools at its disposal to end impunity, address accountability for crimes against humanity and help create an environment that is conducive to sustainable peace and justice and to protecting innocent civilians in the country. We gather here today to ensure accountability for the perpetrators of serious crimes and other gross violations of human rights law and humanitarian law and to provide a remedy, under international law, for the victims in affected communities.”
2022-06-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9052Resumption1 (2022) · source
“Without accountability, the rule of law and security sector reform, any political solution risks endless the perpetuation of cycles of violence and instability. Therefore, we fully support the ongoing accountability efforts that focus on Myanmar, including those of the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar. In view of the evidence collected, it is the time for the international community, in particular the United Nations, to take effective action for the sake of protecting the people and preventing any more people in Myanmar becoming the victims of crimes against humanity. Ensuring accountability is one of the essential tools that can be used by the Security Council to address the root causes of conflicts, ensure justice and promote sustainable peace in many situations.”
2022-06-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9052Resumption1 (2022) · source
“In January, the National Unity Government of Myanmar therefore informed the International Court of Justice of the withdrawal of Myanmar’s preliminary objection to the admissibility of the jurisdiction of the Court over the case Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (The Gambia v. Myanmar). In July 2021, the National Unity Government also wrote to the Registrar of the ICC, lodging an article 12 (3) declaration of Myanmar’s acceptance of the jurisdiction of the ICC over crimes committed in the territory of Myanmar since 1 July 2002. The key root cause of the current instability in Myanmar is the military junta’s total disregard for the rule of law and its sense of absolute impunity for its past and current criminal actions. Lasting peace in Myanmar must start with ending military impunity.”
2022-06-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9052Resumption1 (2022) · source
“The military’s indiscriminate attacks and collective punishment against civilians, including the large-scale deliberate arson of residential towns and villages, have displaced more than 600,000 civilians, bringing the total number of internally displaced persons to more than 1 million. The military has weaponized the law as a tool to instil fear by carrying out unjustifiable arbitrary arrests and summary executions. The Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar, in its preliminary analysis, concluded that crimes against humanity have likely been committed in Myanmar. At the same time, we count on the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court (ICC) for their involvement in the issue of ending impunity in Myanmar.”
2022-06-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9052Resumption1 (2022) · source
“Serious violations of international law and a failure to uphold accountability embolden impunity and, as a result, undermine peace and security, not only at the domestic level but also at the regional and international levels. What is happening in my own country, Myanmar, essentially reflects the collapse of domestic rule of law and justice after the illegal military coup d’état of February 2021. The illegal military coup itself was a gross violation of the rule of law, amounting to high treason committed by the military generals against the democratically elected Government. A human rights catastrophe is ongoing in Myanmar, where a humanitarian emergency has unfolded. The illegal military regime has brutally murdered more than 1,888 civilians and committed massacre after massacre.”
2022-06-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9052Resumption1 (2022) · source
“However, when a State or a State institution, which has the primary responsibility to protect the population, becomes the perpetrator of serious international crimes against its own people and there is no domestic environment for accountability for such crimes, the key challenge is not inadequate international law; it is about how the international community can effectively ensure accountability and address pervasive impunity for egregious violations of international law. The Security Council, which has both responsibility and enforcement power, must take appropriate actions in such situations, in accordance with the letter and spirit of the Charter of the United Nations.”
2022-06-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9052Resumption1 (2022) · source
“I thank the presidency of Albania for organizing today’s open debate. I also thank the briefers for their insightful briefings. We are of the view that international law makes our world a safer place for everyone, in particular international humanitarian law, international human rights law and international criminal law, which were born of humankind’s experiences of horrific atrocities and seek to prevent their recurrence in the future and preserve human dignity everywhere. Every State has the primary responsibility to protect its population from atrocities.”
2022-06-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9052Resumption1 (2022) · source
“In order to resolve conflicts, the key driver of food insecurity, or at least alleviate their impact, we must not only enhance the credibility and effectiveness of our multilateral institutions, especially the Security Council, but also promote strict adherence to international law, including international humanitarian law, without which we would be living in a very dangerous world. I therefore urge us all to work together as we explore all available options to end hunger and conflict- induced food insecurity for the sake of all vulnerable populations — not only in Myanmar, but all over the world — as well as for international peace and security.”
2022-05-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9036Resumption1 (2022) · source
“That is exactly the case with the Myanmar military, which has enjoyed a sense of blanket impunity for past atrocities and has no regard for international human rights or humanitarian law. The Security Council should act whenever the tactic of deliberate starvation is used by any party to a conflict. In conclusion, it is essential to respond to hunger everywhere. However, the ultimate answer lies in addressing the root causes of food insecurity. We must strengthen multilateral cooperation to tackle climate change and eradicate extreme poverty.”
2022-05-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9036Resumption1 (2022) · source
“There will be no peace or stability in Myanmar as long as the illegal military junta’s failing coup drags on. The people of Myanmar, with their elected civilian National Unity Government and National Unity Consultative Council at the forefront, have therefore been doing everything they can, and with ever-greater determination, to end the current military-made catastrophe and build a fairer, democratic future that ensures fundamental human rights for all. What Myanmar’s situation tells us is that the impact of conflict on food insecurity is not necessarily the inevitable result of collateral damage. In most cases, it is deliberate. Hunger and the blockage of humanitarian assistance are tactics employed intentionally to control a particular population in order to serve military objectives.”
2022-05-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9036Resumption1 (2022) · source
“Millions of families have been driven into desperation and hunger. Internally displaced persons (IDPs), especially children, are being hit the hardest by the instability inflicted by the coup. People have lost their homes and livelihoods. That instability, the persistent threat of military violence and a lack of resettlement and rehabilitation assistance have confined them to IDP camps indefinitely and are preventing their return home. That has led to a significant disruption of their livelihoods and agricultural production. Moreover, the junta has spared no effort in its attempts to control access to humanitarian assistance for those in critical need, in violation of international humanitarian law. The military’s ongoing inhumane policy has directly impacted food security in the country.”
2022-05-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9036Resumption1 (2022) · source
“As a country that is highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, Myanmar had been undertaking climate-change mitigation and adaptation policies under its democratically elected Government. Economic recovery plans were under way at the time of the Myanmar military’s attempt at an illegal coup, in which elected civilian leaders were kept incommunicado as hostages. Since then, the illegitimate military regime has been inflicting great suffering on the people of Myanmar through repeated brutal massacres, torture and mass displacement. According to the United Nations Development Programme, half of Myanmar’s population is now living below the national poverty line. Humanitarian organizations have estimated that 6.2 million of our citizens are now in need of life-saving support. Basic food prices have risen by 30 per cent.”
2022-05-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9036Resumption1 (2022) · source
“The ongoing aggression in Ukraine is now jeopardizing food-supply chains and has pushed food prices to record highs. Its negative impact is being felt globally, especially by developing countries. The adoption of resolution 2417 (2018) was an encouraging moment in the Security Council’s efforts to counter conflict-driven hunger. But while such resolutions give us an opportunity to tackle the issues of conflict and hunger, what we need are collective efforts to seize that opportunity and take action now, together and in solidarity, to avert an even more unprecedented hunger crisis. My country, Myanmar, has been experiencing the impact of the nexus of the key drivers of food insecurity, that is, conflict, climate change and poverty.”
2022-05-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9036Resumption1 (2022) · source
“I would like to thank the United States presidency for organizing this timely and critically important debate. I also thank all of the briefers for their insightful presentations. Ending hunger is one of the most fundamental development goals of humankind. Hard-fought gains in economic development and poverty reduction have recently been shattered by the coronavirus disease pandemic. The pandemic’s devastating socioeconomic consequences, combined with the ongoing climate crisis, are worsening food insecurity, particularly among already vulnerable populations around the world. However, conflict is the dominant root cause of food crises throughout the world, according to the World Food Programme’s 2022 Global Report on Food Crises.”
2022-05-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9036Resumption1 (2022) · source
“An Implementation Committee for the recommendations has already been formed and work is in progress. Two meetings have already been held. We must give this Committee time and space to go forward. At this critical juncture in the life of our young democracy, it is imperative that the international community join hands with us to ensure that democracy takes firm root and that we will succeed in carrying out our responsibility to establish peace, stability, and development in Rakhine and in the whole of Myanmar. That is the only way that we can solve the conundrum in Rakhine. The Security Council must refrain from taking measures that exacerbate rather than alleviate the situation there. It can and must do no less.”
2017-09-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8060 (2017) · source
“We will welcome him any time that he is able to come to Myanmar and hope to take forward our cooperation on border security matters. Our stated willingness to discuss the issue of repatriation discredits the assertion that there is a policy of ethnic cleansing on our part. The new Government in Myanmar inherited a challenging situation in Rakhine state and has had to deal with the consequences of actions by other actors. The current crisis is due to the acts of terrorism perpetrated by ARSA. To address the situation, the Government launched a number of initiatives including the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State, chaired by Mr. Kofi Annan The recommendations of the Commission represent a viable road map forward, and we have embraced them.”
2017-09-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8060 (2017) · source
“However, some have chosen to cross over to Bangladesh. There has been a growing clamour for the repatriation of refugees who have fled from Myanmar to Bangladesh. I would like to stress here that Myanmar is prepared to start the verification process at any time. Bangladesh and Myanmar are neighbours, and our two neighbours already went through a repatriation process in 1993. We are working to enhance relations with Bangladesh. I have met with the Foreign Minister of Bangladesh here in New York last week, and the Minister of the Office of the State Counsellor will visit Dhaka this weekend to further discuss matters ofmutual concern and to find ways and means to move ahead with regard to the situation on our border. We have also invited the Minister of Home Affairs of Bangladesh.”
2017-09-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8060 (2017) · source
“Some hundreds of Muslim villagers recently left their homes and headed towards the border, notwithstanding the efforts of the regional authorities to persuade them to return to their villages. The villagers voiced their concerns regarding the availability of humanitarian assistance in a sustained manner, as well as fears that they are becoming a minority in their own area. We have learned that the villagers have been threatened over the telephone and that they have been persuaded by their fellow men who are already in Bangladesh to join them. Moreover, the villagers remain fearful of retaliation by the ARSA, following the revelation that a large number of Hindu villagers have been massacred and buried in mass graves. The authorities have reassured the villagers that they would be provided assistance and security.”
2017-09-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8060 (2017) · source
“We are collaborating with the The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and donor countries, all represented in this room, to provide assistance expeditiously in accordance with humanitarian principles. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management has agreed to work with us to deliver humanitarian assistance to all displaced persons. Fourthly, we are concerned by reports that thousands of people have crossed into Bangladesh. We would like to understand the real reasons for the exodus. We will talk to those who have fled, as well as to those who have opted to remain in their villages. The vast majority of those who fled did so out of fear. Fear was instilled in their hearts by the terrorists.”
2017-09-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8060 (2017) · source
“Representatives of the diplomatic corps in Yangon, accompanied by the media, will visit northern Rakhine on Monday. They will have the opportunity to witness first-hand the situation on the ground. I am happy to note that the Government of Myanmar has extended an invitation to the Secretary-General and the Under- Secretary-General to visit Myanmar. We hope to welcome them in the near future to enhance cooperation between Myanmar and the United Nations. Thirdly, the Government of Myanmar is fully aware of its primary responsibility to address the humanitarian situation. We have been providing assistance to all displaced persons without discrimination.”
2017-09-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8060 (2017) · source
“It is home to 135 officially recognized ethnic groups, each with its own distinctive culture and adherence to a variety ofreligions, including Buddhism, Islam, Christianity and Hinduism. Religious groups have been living in harmony throughout our history. The situation that we face today is due to terrorism and is not based on religion. It should be noted that Muslims are not a minority in northern Rakhine. They constitute 95 per cent of the total population there. What is little known is that the vast majority of Muslims did not abandon their hearth and home. While there has been an exodus, more than 50 per cent of the Muslim villages in northern Rakhine remain intact and are living in peace with their neighbours, whether they be Hindus or Buddhists.”
2017-09-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8060 (2017) · source
“I can assure the Council that the leaders of Myanmar, who have been struggling so long for freedom and human rights, will never espouse a policy of genocide or ethnic cleansing and that the Government will do everything it can to prevent it. As clearly stated by the State Counsellor, Aung San Suu Kyi, in her address to the diplomatic corps in Naypyitaw on 19 September, we condemn all human rights violations and violence. We are committed to the restoration of peace, stability and the rule of law throughout the country. The security forces have been instructed to adhere strictly to the code of conduct in carrying out security operations, to exercise all due restraint and to take full measures to avoid collateral damage and the harming of innocent civilians. Myanmar is one of the most ethnically diverse countries in the world.”
2017-09-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8060 (2017) · source
“The Government will work to ensure that the fight against terrorism does not distract us from our commitment to bringing peace, harmony and development to Rakhine state. It is striving to restore normalcy. There have been no armed clashes or clearance operations since 5 September. Secondly, I wish to stress the fact that there is no ethnic cleansing or genocide in Myanmar. Ethnic cleansing and genocide are serious charges that should not be made lightly. It would be a sad commentary on our times if we allowed emotions to cloud our View and asserted that what is happening in Rakhine was ethnic cleansing without first undertaking a legal review and making a judicial determination.”
2017-09-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8060 (2017) · source
“The highest Islamic organization in Myanmar, the All Myanmar Islamic Religious Organization, as well as the Interfaith Dialogue Group of Myanmar, have expressed their solidarity with the Government and issued statements condemning the acts of terror committed by ARSA. They stressed that no religion can condone violence that results in the loss of life or property. They expressed their support for the Government's efforts to address the situation in Rakhine and its endeavours to promote national reconciliation and peace in the entire country. In this regard, we welcome the statement by the Secretary-General and many other representatives around this table condemning the acts of terrorism.”
2017-09-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8060 (2017) · source
“But we also need to recognize that the recent round of violence was triggered by the attacks launched by the so-called Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) terrorists. We feel deeply the suffering and plight of all affected communities - Rakhine, Muslim, Daing-net, Mro, Thet, Mramagyi and Hindu. They are all victims of violence and terrorism. Terrorism constitutes one ofthe most serious threats to international peace and security. It has no place in our civilized world. I am sure that members will agree with me when I say that we cannot condone terrorism in any form or manifestation. The Government of Myanmar has strongly condemned the acts of terror committed by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army in northern Rakhine.”
2017-09-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8060 (2017) · source
“While such assertions might appear reasonable at first glance to a lay observer, expert observers with knowledge of the history of Rakhine and of Myanmar and exposure to the propaganda tactics of terrorists will see such comments for what they really are: subjective and emotionally charged accounts. Nevertheless, we understand the concern of the international community and take serious note of it. I would like to take this opportunity to apprise the Council of the situation obtaining on the ground and of our efforts to end the violence, assist all innocent civilians affected by the turmoil and plans to find a lasting solution to the daunting challenges we face. First, we recognize that there is a serious situation that needs to be addressed.”
2017-09-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8060 (2017) · source
“Mr. Tun: I thank you for this opportunity to address the Security Council with regard to the violence and turmoil that have recently engulfed Myanmar's Rakhine state and the ensuing humanitarian situation. I have listened carefully to the statements made by the Secretary-General and the representatives of the States members of the Council. The common thread that runs through the commentaries is that "something is rotten in the state of Rakhine". Assertions in the media that a campaign of terror has been unleashed in northern Rakhine and that unspeakable crimes have been committed against innocent people have only served to heighten the concern of the international community.”
2017-09-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8060 (2017) · source