The United Nations has deferred a decision on who will represent Myanmar at the world body in an apparent diplomatic win for the country\u2019s shadow National Unity Government (NUG), which will continue to hold the seat despite the ruling military junta\u2019s efforts to install its own envoy.<\/p>\n
Following a meeting on Wednesday in New York, the U.N. Credentials Committee announced that it would indefinitely postpone the decision, allowing NUG representative Kyaw Moe Tun to retain his seat at least until the end of his term on Dec. 31, in what observers called a serious blow to Myanmar\u2019s junta on the world stage.<\/p>\n
Swedish Ambassador Anna Karin Enestr\u00f6m, the current president of the U.N. Credentials Committee, told reporters on Wednesday that the decision to postpone was due to \u201cthe ongoing situation in Myanmar.\u201d But she declined to comment on whether the current envoy will be allowed to continue attending U.N. meetings on Myanmar\u2019s behalf.<\/p>\n
On Thursday, junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun told RFA\u2019s Myanmar Service that the deferral is neither in line with U.N. principles nor international law and urged the committee to appoint Colonel Aung Thurein \u2014 its military attach\u00e9 at the Myanmar Embassy in Washington \u2014 in Kyaw Moe Tun\u2019s stead.<\/p>\n
\u201cSovereignty is defined in international law as the freedom of a country to make its own decisions in its internal and external affairs,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe principle of equality for sovereign states is also enshrined in \u2026 the U.N. Charter, which states that the United Nations is based on the sovereignty and equality of all members. This decision is not in line with that treaty.\u201d<\/p>\n
The announcement follows three recent snubs of the junta at meetings of the regional Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), of which Myanmar is one of 10 members.<\/p>\n
Last week, leaders from some 50 Asian and European countries called on Myanmar to return to the democratic transition that was halted by a military coup, release arbitrarily detained prisoners, and accept a Southeast Asian envoy to mediate the country\u2019s 10-month-old political crisis.<\/p>\n
Myanmar did not attend the two-day virtual Asia-Europe Meeting beginning on Nov. 25 \u2014 the third time the ASEAN had sidelined junta leader Sr. Gen. Min Aung Hlaing over the violence and repression in the wake of the Feb. 1 overthrow of the country\u2019s elected government.<\/p>\n
The sticking point \u2014 which also kept Myanmar out of an ASEAN-China special summit this week and the bloc\u2019s leaders\u2019 meeting in Brunei in October \u2014 was the military regime\u2019s failure to honor a pledge made last April to allow an ASEAN special envoy to meet deposed civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and lawmakers ousted in February\u2019s coup.<\/p>\n
The civilian death toll since the military takeover is more than 1,300 while nearly 7,700 people remained detained, according to the Thailand-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners. Hundreds of thousands are internally displaced in the country of 54 million people, amid food shortages and the coronavirus pandemic.<\/p>\n
The \u2018voice of the people\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n On Thursday, diplomatic experts told RFA that the deferral ensures that Kyaw Moe Tun will remain the legitimate envoy for Myanmar to the U.N. until the Credentials Committee makes a final decision.<\/p>\n Aung Myo Min, NUG\u2019s human rights minister, said the decision allows Kyaw Moe Tun to continue to act as the voice of the people of Myanmar.<\/p>\n \u201cThe main thing is to allow the current incumbent to continue to represent Myanmar at the United Nations,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cSo far, NUG hasn\u2019t been officially recognized, but the voice of the people and NUG can now be heard at the U.N. through Kyaw Moe Tun. It also means we have an official channel that reflects the voice of Myanmar people. This is another step towards recognizing the NUG as a legitimate government.\u201d<\/p>\n The U.N. Credentials Committee is comprised of the U.S., Russia, The Bahamas, Bhutan, Chile, Sierra Leone, Namibia, and Sweden. Aung Myo Min said China and Russia\u2014which have close ties with the junta\u2014also agreed to the decision to defer, which was made following a heated discussion.<\/p>\n Political analyst Dr. Sai Kyi Zin Soe said China and Russia, who have defended Myanmar\u2019s successive military regimes in the past, are no longer standing up for the junta.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a serious blow \u2014 it hurts. [The junta] no longer have a voice in the international arena, especially in diplomacy,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cEven if a country wants to deal with Myanmar, doing so could have other implications, and so it would have to think hard before dealing with the junta.\u201d<\/p>\n It is not yet known when the U.N. Credentials Committee will make its decision on who will officially represent Myanmar. The decision to postpone will soon be submitted to the U.N. General Assembly for approval.<\/p>\n Reported by RFA\u2019s Myanmar Service. Translated by Khin Maung Nyane. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n \n \n
\r\nThis content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia<\/a> and was authored by Radio Free Asia.
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