“The airstrike is the latest atrocity committed by the Myanmar military against its people. Initial reports of this attack stated that many civilian lives were taken, people were injured, and their homes were destroyed,” said Deputy Director of Amnesty International Indonesia Wirya Adiwena, Thursday, April 13, 2023.
“It is ironic that this airstrike was carried out ahead of the two year anniversary of the issuance of ASEAN's five-point consensus on Myanmar, which had failed to stop military atrocities there,” Wirya added.
Last week the Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs said that "everything is on the right track so far" related to the efforts made by Indonesia as Chair of ASEAN this year, including in dealing with the Myanmar issue.
However, the air attack carried out by the Myanmar military a few days later seemed to show that they were not heeding the efforts being carried out by ASEAN and Indonesia as Chair of ASEAN 2023.
Indonesia as Chair of ASEAN this year must take advantage of the ASEAN Summit, which will be held in May, as a moment to encourage ASEAN to take a firmer stance to stop the atrocities that the Myanmar military continues to commit against its citizens.
The five points of consensus that have been pushed so far have clearly been ignored by the Myanmar junta. ASEAN must immediately push for new, more assertive efforts to end the human rights crisis in Myanmar.
The attack
On the morning of April 11, 2023, the Myanmar military carried out an airstrike on a village in Kanbalu Township, Sagaing Region. International media reports revealed that the attacks aimed at opposition bases left at least 53 people dead, 40 injured, but the death toll is expected to rise.A number of local media expressed fears of local residents that the death toll could reach 100 people. However, Amnesty has not been able to independently verify the details of the victims of this attack.
Since the coup on 1 February 2021, Amnesty International has documented widespread human rights violations, including alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity as part of the military crackdown on the opposition across Myanmar.
In November 2022, Amnesty International launched a campaign calling for the suspension of the supply of aviation fuel to prevent the Myanmar military from carrying out unlawful airstrikes. Amnesty's investigation also identified companies involved throughout the fuel supply chain. (Kevin Omar Schreiber)
Cek Berita dan Artikel yang lain di Google News
