Embassies in Yangon speak out on crackdown

20 March 2021
Embassies in Yangon speak out on crackdown
Demonstrators takes cover behind metal shields during a protest against the military coup in Hlaingthaya (Hlaing Tharyar) Township, outskirts of Yangon, Myanmar, 14 March 2021. Photo: EPA

A number of embassies have spoken out on the brutal crackdown on civilians by the Myanmar authorities in a statement issued yesterday.

Here is the statement:

Statement by Ambassadors to Myanmar

The brutal violence against unarmed civilians by the security forces in Hlaing Tharyar and elsewhere in Myanmar, often under the cover of darkness, is immoral and indefensible.

We call on Myanmar’s military to cease all violence against people of Myanmar, release all detainees, lift martial law and the nationwide state of emergency, remove telecommunications restrictions, and restore the democratically elected government. We support the right of the people of Myanmar to protest peacefully and support their right to freely access information. Internet blackouts and the suppression of the media will not hide the military’s abhorrent actions.

Signed by the Ambassadors to Myanmar from the Delegation of the EU and European Union Member States with presence in Myanmar: Denmark, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, and Sweden; the United Kingdom; and the United States.