KUALA LUMPUR, April 14 (NNN-Bernama) — The international community must take urgent action to put an end to the crisis in Myanmar and hold the military regime accountable for its actions, said Chairman of Malaysian Advisory Group on Myanmar (MAGM), Syed Hamid Albar.
In condemning the military airstrike Tuesday on a village in Kanbula Township of Sagaing Region, which is reported to have killed up to 100 people including women and children, he said the indiscriminate use of force against civilians is a violation of international law and human rights.
MAGM strongly condemned these airstrikes and called upon the Myanmar regime to end its campaign of violence against the people of Myanmar.
“We stand in solidarity with the people of Myanmar in their struggle for peace, justice, and democracy,” said Syed Hamid, who is also Malaysia’s former foreign minister in a statement Friday.
He pointed out that the failure to stop the escalation of violence against civilians in Myanmar is the clearest sign that ASEAN Five-Point Consensus is failing.
“We call for all ASEAN members states to assert the strongest possible pressure on Myanmar to immediately cease all forms of violence against civilians before more innocent lives are slaughtered,” he said.
Syed Hamid said the conflict in Myanmar has resulted in widespread and systematic attacks on civilians by the security forces.
This includes killing protesters, enforced disappearances, torture, sexual abuse, rape, and mass detentions.
“Many of the 1,200 people killed since the coup were unarmed protesters and bystanders. Security forces have used lethal force, even when there was no apparent threat,” he said.
Syed Hamid said the airstrike on Pazi Gyi Village was followed by several rounds of gunfire from an Mi-35 combat helicopter, causing further damage to the already affected community.
According to local sources, children aged 2 and 3 years old were among the youngest victims of the attack, as they were gathered in the area where the air strikes occurred, he said.
“This horrifying incident is just one example of the violence that has been escalating in Myanmar since the military coup in February 2021, breaching International Humanitarian Law and the Geneva Conventions,” he said.
— NNN-BERNAMA