The UN Special Envoy on Myanmar,
Christine Schraner Burgener, appealed to the Security Council on February 2 to unite in support of democracy in Myanmar in the wake of a power grab by the military and the declaration of a one-year state of emergency.
Bagan, Myanmar, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Credit: World Bank/Markus Kostner
UNITED NATIONS, Feb 4 2021 (IPS) - When million-dollar arms sales knock on the door, human rights violations and war crimes fly out of the window.
As the United Nations grapples for a reaction to the military coup in Myanmar, both China and Russia, two veto-wielding permanent members of the UN Security Council (UNSC), refused to support a statement condemning the army takeover a collective statement that warrants consensus from all 15 members.
YANGON: Cardinal Charles Maung Bo urged Burma’s military on Wednesday to release Aung San Suu Kyi after its “shocking” coup on Feb. 1.
In a statement published Feb. 3 on the website of the Archdiocese of Yangon, the cardinal appealed to the armed forces to free the country’s elected civilian leader.
Aung San Suu Kyi was detained after the military seized power in the early hours of Monday, along with Burma’s President Win Myint.
Addressing Aung San Suu Kyi, Win Myint, and other members of their party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), directly, Bo said: “You are in this plight in your unending struggle to bring democracy to this nation. The unexpected turn of events has made you prisoners. We pray for you and urge all concerned to release you at the earliest.”
The Tablet February 4, 2021
YANGON, Myanmar (CNS) Cardinal Charles Maung Bo of Yangon has appealed to the people of Myanmar including the army, which staged a coup Feb. 1 to remain calm and to work for open lines of communication so democracy can prevail.
“When, in 2015, a peaceful transition to the elected government was effected by the army, that won the admiration of the world. Today, the world tries to understand what went wrong in the following years. Was there a lack of dialogue between the elected civilian authorities and the Tatmadaw?” he asked, using the official term for Myanmar’s armed forces.
UK Bishops urge Indian government to release Fr Swamy
The President of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, joins calls for the government of India to release Fr Stan Swamy, the 83-year-old Indian Jesuit priest and social activist who has been imprisoned for over 100 days on unfounded charges of sedition and terrorism.
By Lisa Zengarini
In an open letter published on India’s Republic Day, 26 January, the Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, and Fr Damian Howard SJ, Provincial of the Jesuits in Britain, urge Indian authorities to release Fr. Stan Swamy, SJ on bail, on humanitarian grounds.
Jan 26, 2021 contributor
A young woman is pictured in a file photo near her hostel in Yangon, Myanmar. (Credit: Myat Thu Kyaw/Reuters via CNS.)
Myanmar’s top prelate is calling on the government to “create the conditions for peace” in the troubled country.
MUMBAI, India – Myanmar’s top prelate is calling on the government to “create the conditions for peace” in the troubled country.
Cardinal Charles Maung Bo, the Archbishop of Yangon and president of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences, made his comments in a letter to Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who is the State Counsellor of Myanmar.