GENEVA (13 April 2021) – UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet on Tuesday urged States to take
immediate, decisive and impactful measures to push Myanmar’s military leadership into halting its campaign of repression
and slaughter of its people.
“We have witnessed yet another weekend of coordinated bloodshed in many parts of the country, including the reported
mass killing of at least 82 people in Bago between Friday and Saturday. The military seems intent on intensifying its
pitiless policy of violence against the people of Myanmar, using military-grade and indiscriminate weaponry,” Bachelet
said.
“There are clear echoes of Syria in 2011. There too, we saw peaceful protests met with unnecessary and clearly
disproportionate force. The State’s brutal, persistent repression of its own people led to some individuals taking up
arms, followed by a downward and rapidly expanding spiral of violence all across the country. The UN High Commissioner
for Human Rights at the time warned in 2011 that the failure of the international community to respond with united
resolve could be disastrous for Syria and beyond. The past ten years have shown just how horrific the consequences have
been for millions of civilians.”
“I fear the situation in Myanmar is heading towards a full-blown conflict. States must not allow the deadly mistakes of
the past in Syria and elsewhere to be repeated.”
Over the weekend, credible reports indicate that Tatmadaw forces opened fire with rocket-propelled grenades,
fragmentation grenades and mortar fire in Bago in the south of the country. Security forces also reportedly prevented
medical personnel from helping the wounded, as well as charging relatives a “fine” of roughly USD 90 to claim the bodies
of those who were killed. Some individuals are also now resorting to the use of makeshift or primitive weapons in
self-defence.
Clashes between the military and ethnic armed groups have also intensified in several locations in Kachin, Shan and
Kayin states, where the military have been employing airstrikes that have killed and displaced civilians.
As arrests continue, with at least 3,080 people currently detained, there are reports that 23 people have been sentenced
to death following secret trials – including four protesters and 19 others who were accused of political and criminal
offences.
The mass arrests have forced hundreds of people to go into hiding, and reports suggest that many journalists, civil
society activists, celebrities and other public figures are being sought, many simply because of the dissent they have
been expressing on-line. Wireless broadband and mobile data services were cut indefinitely on 2 April, leaving the vast
majority of people without access to vital sources of information and communication.
Meanwhile, the country’s economy, education and health infrastructure have been brought to the brink of collapse,
leaving millions of Myanmar people without livelihood, basic services and, increasingly, food security. Thousands of
internal migrants have left urban centres for their home communities – which once relied on their income. COVID-19
measures have effectively been brought to a standstill.
The High Commissioner called on the Myanmar military and neighbouring States to facilitate humanitarian access to
populations in need. She urged neighbouring States to give temporary protection to people fleeing the violence, and to
refrain from returning people fleeing Myanmar at this time, in accordance with the principle of non-refoulement.
“Statements of condemnation, and limited targeted sanctions, are clearly not enough. States with influence need to
urgently apply concerted pressure on the military in Myanmar to halt the commission of grave human rights violations and
possible crimes against humanity against the people,” Bachelet said.
The High Commissioner made particular reference to the report of the UN Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar, which contains
clear recommendations for impactful action in relation to the military.* Bachelet stressed the need to cut off the
supply of arms and finances to the military leadership that aid its commission of serious human rights violations.
ENDS