ASIA/MYANMAR - The army accused of war crimes against civilians; the Church: respect human dignity

Friday, 18 June 2021 human rights   violence   civil war   wars   war crimes  

Mandalay (Agenzia Fides) - "There is great discouragement and sadness. We live with great concern for the violence that continues and for the civil war that is spreading. The episode of the destruction of the village of Kin Ma, in the municipality of Pauk, has left everyone shocked and astonished. The nation needs peace and the civilian population is now suffering a lot", Fr. Peter Htwal Sei Myint, Catholic priest of the Archdiocese of Mandalay tells Fides, focusing on the serious episode that took place on June 15 in the territory of the diocese. After clashes with opposition groups, Myanmar security forces set fire to the village of Kin Ma, where about 800 people lived, leaving about 200 houses reduced to piles of rubble. Most of the villagers fled and hid in the nearby forests.
According to the villagers themselves, located in the Magway region, two elders who could not escape were burned alive.
"The army blames the resistance groups of the People's Defense Forces, but the population accuses the army of exercising violence against civilians in other episodes as well. It is a very serious and painful situation that our country is experiencing. We pray and ask all parties involved to respect human dignity and preserve the weak and vulnerable", says the priest. Thin Ling Aung, representative of the "Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw" (CRPH), the Burmese parliament in exile, has described this action as "a war crime", reporting that the CRPH will file a complaint in the appropriate international forums. Burmese lawyer Kyi Myint adds that "the military is committing inhuman attacks against civilians". In a public statement, the UN office in Myanmar expressed its "concern about the escalation of human rights violations" in the country, citing abuses committed by both parties and has launched an appeal to "all the actors in the current crisis to ensure that international human rights norms and standards are respected". "This includes compliance with the obligation to minimize collateral damage to the civilian population and civil infrastructure and the prohibition of applying collective punishments against communities, families or individuals", says the UN office. The statement calls for "those responsible for human rights violations to be held accountable, including the perpetrators and their chain of command". The government and its opponents today address each other as "terrorists". What had initially been a non-violent "civil disobedience movement" has evolved into a nascent armed resistance force, in response to harsh repression by the army, which has killed hundreds of peaceful protesters. (PA-JZ) (Agenzia Fides, 18/6/2021)


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