Response by Myanmar to informal meeting of the General Assembly to hear a briefing by the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General on Myanmar
(17-6-2022, Nay Pyi Taw)
It is learnt that the informal meeting of the United Nations General Assembly to hear a briefing by the Special Envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General on Myanmar was held on 13 June 2022 in New York, the United States. The origin of that so-called briefing itself was formulated by resolution with document No. A/ RES/76/180, which was rejected and dissociated by Myanmar, as a matter of principle of opposing selectively targeting a country.
Myanmar suggests the Special Envoy to be cautious about the information, numbers and figures and verify them to the best extent possible and to reflect the views of the Government in her public statements which is essential part of the work of the expert to ensure the viewers can have informed conclusion.
While there are many elements Myanmar cannot agree with, it wishes to highlight some points which are far from reality. This year school enrollment rate represents how much Myanmar society values children’s education which was significantly disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. While there is a total of 5.2 million students (over 90 percent of enrollment rate) who have already enrolled at schools up to 31 May 2022, the reference made by the Special Envoy is totally wrong and misleading.
It is also the case for the figure of 14.4 million population reportedly in need of humanitarian assistance in Myanmar. It is observed in Myanmar: Humanitarian Response Plan (2022) that 13.3 million out of 14.4 million population are neither displaced persons nor affected population but are city-dwellers and the exaggerated figure makes the appeal for over 800 million USD which is four times higher than that of previous year.
The Government has, in its own efforts, been providing humanitarian provision to those who are in need and it has also been facilitating the assistance provided through the AHA Centre. As Phase-I ASEAN humanitarian assistance has come to an end, Myanmar has been working closely with Cambodia, current Chair of the ASEAN in support of Phase-II assistance. Myanmar further stresses that humanitarian assistance should not be used for other purposes including to destabilize the border areas where certain armed groups are active.
While there is very evidence that there are massive killings committed by the terrorist NUG, CRPH and PDF groups, understating their terrorist acts by the Special Envoy is inappropriate. From 1 February 2021 to 30 April 2022, the terrorist groups brutally killed 2,734 individuals, including 65 children, 35 teachers, 9 health personnel and over 2000 civilians.
It is regrettable to witness that certain UN members made one-sided and intruding remarks on Myanmar’s repatriation process which is gaining momentum in reality. The fifth meeting of Myanmar-Bangladesh Joint Working Group (JWG) on the repatriation of displaced persons from Rakhine State was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Nay Pyi Taw on 14 June 2022. The two sides agreed to regularly convene the Joint Working Group meetings and Ad Hoc Task Force for verification meetings. In the case of obtaining citizenship, the 1982 Myanmar Citizenship Law grants appropriate citizenship status to those who met criteria set out in the Law upon application. The Law applies to everyone without any discrimination within the country.
Myanmar also observed intrusive statements from certain countries blatantly interfere in the internal affairs of Myanmar. One-sided remarks with no knowledge of factual accounts on the ground and with politicized motives are not acceptable, as they do not bring any solution but only pose hindrance to the work of the Government.
It is further observed that the said informal meeting allowed Kyaw Moe Tun, a dismissed civil servant who has been facing the charge of high treason, to participate and give unfounded statement. In this regard, the Ministry reiterates that his statement does not totally represent Myanmar and registers its objection with the relevant United Nations Office.
Myanmar highly appreciates the constructive statements made by friendly countries during the informal meeting. On the other hand,Myanmar hereby categorically rejects the politically motivated statements and such action would lead further incitement of violence and instability in Myanmar.
