• Friday, March 29, 2024

HEADLINE STORY

‘About 10,000 refugees fled to India, Thailand from crisis-hit Myanmar’

United Nations Special Envoy on Myanmar Christine Schraner Burgener (Photo credit by AAS, ERLEND/AFP via Getty Images)

By: Shubham Ghosh

ABOUT 10,000 refugees have fled Myanmar to India and Thailand as conflicts in the country led to “acute” new displacements of several thousands of civilians and the crisis is a real threat to the region, Special Envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General on Myanmar Christine Schraner Burgener said last week.

Burgener told the UN General Assembly on Friday (18): “In my daily contacts with stakeholders in Myanmar, I hear first-hand accounts about the dire situation. People suffer from deprivation, have no hope and live in fear.”

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She added: “Nationwide clashes, including in central Myanmar and regions bordering China, India and Thailand, have led to acute new displacements of around 175,000 civilians, and some 10,000 refugees have fled to India and Thailand. The regional threat of the crisis is real. She also added that “we must continue to call for maximum restraint and condemn all forms of violence. The risk of a large-scale civil war is real.”

'About 10,000 refugees fled to India, Thailand from crisis-hit Myanmar'
Myanmar nationals call for action from the United Nations against violence against anti-coup protesters in Myanmar on March 4, 2021 in Bangkok, Thailand. (Photo by Lauren DeCicca/Getty Images)

Burgener, a former Swiss ambassador to Thailand and Germany, said the civilians were left to form defence forces in the absence of international action. They are using self-made weapons and receiving military training from ethnic armed organisations in their resistance grounded on democratic solidarity. As a result of this, several regions of the county that have not seen armed clashes in decades are suddenly turning into zones of unrest.

The diplomat also said that since the disturbed region is facing a multi-dimensional crisis in the heart of Asia, “timely support and action is paramount”.

Burgener also reminded the international community that the situation of the Rohingyas remain worrying and the General Assembly must continue to address the issue as an integral part of its engagement on Myanmar. “Highlighting persistent challenges, Rohingya continue undertaking risky journeys across the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea,” the UN envoy said.

The UN General Assembly also on Friday adopted a draft resolution named ‘The situation in Myanmar’ with 119 countries, including Myanmar, voting in its favour. Belarus was the only country that voted against while 36 nations, including India and China, abstained. India said its viewpoints were not reflected in the draft and that the resolution was tabled hastily.

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