Russia and China defend Myanmar’s military at UN as EU rejects the elections behind Min Aung Hlaing’s presidency

Mizzima

Russia and China defended Myanmar’s military authorities at the UN General Assembly on 27 October, while the European Union rejected the elections that preceded junta leader Gen. Min Aung Hlaing’s move into the “presidency.

The positions emerged during a Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) dialogue in New York. There, UN experts reported that more than 100,000 people have been killed in conflict since the military seized power in February 2021, ousting the elected National League for Democracy (NLD) government. Min Aung Hlaing, who declared himself “president”, took office after military-run elections.

UN Special Rapporteur Kelley Anne Eckels-Currie told the session that the regime had used new coercion and surveillance technologies, supplied by its Chinese and Russian allies, to shut down dissent.

Russia’s representative rejected the UN assessments as seriously imbalanced, saying “it is unacceptable to brand Naypyidaw as being to blame” for the crisis. China’s representative cautioned Currie against misleading the public. He said the international community should help bridge differences rather than intensify tensions.

The European Union, speaking as an observer, said the military’s elections could not confer legitimacy, describing them as a “rebranding of the military rule under a nominally civilian administration.”

Japan’s Deputy Permanent Representative, Ambassador Shigeru Umetsu, called on the military to end violence against civilians and to release those arbitrarily detained, including Aung San Suu Kyi. He also pledged support for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ (ASEAN) Five-Point Consensus. He said Japan has provided about $241.5 million in humanitarian assistance for the Rohingya since March 2017, including $17.5 million this year. His statement made no reference to the elections or the new presidency.

Among Myanmar’s neighbors, Thailand’s representative highlighted humanitarian assistance delivered through ASEAN channels and the repatriation of more than 13,700 people rescued from scam centers in Myanmar. Bangladesh’s representative warned of sexual violence and forced recruitment in Rakhine State. He said prolonged displacement cannot become a permanent solution for Rohingya refugees and called for predictable international funding.

Myanmar’s representative to the UN held up a scarf bearing the names and ages of civilians killed in the conflict. He urged states to stop supplying jet fuel, weapons and money to the military.