Twelve members of the U.N. Security Council voted in favour of the resolution, while China, Russia and India abstained.
[File Photo]
The United Nations Security Council resolution on Wednesday (local time) urged Myanmar’s Junta to “immediately release all arbitrarily detained prisoners”, including Aung San Suu Kyi and ex-president Win Myint.
Under the Indian Presidency of the UNSC, voting on a resolution on Myanmar took place. The resolution was proposed by the UK. The UNSC called for Myanmar’s Junta to release Aung San Suu Kyi as it adopted its first-ever resolution on the situation in the turmoil-ridden Southeast Asian country.
The 15-member Council has been split on Myanmar for decades and was previously only able to agree on formal statements about the country, which has been under military rule since February 2021.
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Twelve members of the U.N. Security Council voted in favour of the resolution demanding an immediate end to violence in Myanmar, while China, Russia and India abstained.
US envoy to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said this resolution only represents a step toward ending the bloodshed, adding that ”much more must be done”.
China’s UN Ambassador Zhang Jun said there is no quick fix to the issue.
On February 1, 2021, Suu Kyi’s government was deposed in a military coup after her National League for Democracy party’s victory in national elections the previous year.
For five decades, Myanmar had been under strict military rule, leading to international isolation and sanctions. As the generals loosened their grip, culminating in Suu Kyi’s rise to leadership in the 2015 elections, the international community responded by lifting most sanctions and pouring investment into the country.
The coup was met with widespread civic unrest as people denounced her removal and the introduction of military rule. The Junta detained Suu Kyi and other officials and repressed protests violently, with the UN warning that the country had descended into civil war.
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