United Nations special envoy Noeleen Heyzer has condemned an air raid by Myanmar’s military in northern Kachin state that killed as many as 80 people, as she warned that a human rights and humanitarian crisis in the military-ruled country is exacting “a catastrophic toll on the people”.
Heyzer told the UN General Assembly’s human rights committee on Tuesday that more than 13.2 million people do not have enough to eat in Myanmar, 1.3 million are displaced, and the military continues to bomb indiscriminately, burn homes and buildings, and kill civilians.
Making her first briefing at the UN in New York since she visited Myanmar in August and met the head of the military government, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, Heyzer said resistance to military rule was continuing in the country.
“There is a new political reality in Myanmar: a people demanding change, no longer willing to accept military rule,” she said.
Heyzer said she had made several requests during her meeting with Myanmar’s commander-in-chief, including ending aerial bombardments and the burning of civilian infrastructure.
Credit: Aljazeera.com
