KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 2 — Several non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have condemned the early Monday military coup in Myanmar, which saw State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, President U Win Myint and other senior officials detained in the capital city of Naypyidaw.
Malaysia Youth Council (MBM) president Jufitri Joha, in a statement, said that the people of Myanmar have voted, therefore democracy must be respected and the rights of the people upheld.
“MBM strongly condemns the coup led by Senior General Min Aung Hlaing. Though MBM consistently disagrees with what has been done by Suu Kyi towards the minority Rohingyas, we urge the detained State Counsellor of Myanmar and other democratically elected leaders to be released immediately.
“Furthermore, the safety and well-being of the people is the utmost priority amidst the current pandemic and regrettably, this coup puts the people at risk. May the people of Myanmar remain safe and strong in these turbulent times,” he said.
Meanwhile, in a separate statement, the Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia (ABIM) president Muhammad Faisal Abdul Aziz also condemned the coup by the Myanmar military junta to detain Suu Kyi and other leaders who were democratically elected by the people of the country.
Muhammad Faisal said that the openness of democracy should be emphasised as an important element that determines the socio-economic ups and downs of a modern country, while stressing that Myanmar people will become the victims if their democratic rights are denied.
“It should be stressed that the Myanmar military junta’s human rights record against other ethnic groups and the people of Myanmar as a whole has been dubious and worrying. Hence, the latest actions will only aggravate the wave of humanitarian crisis in the Southeast Asian region.
He said ABIM also urged ASEAN member countries to unanimously voice their opposition to the Myanmar junta government.
Apart from that, he said that the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) should also put pressure on the Myanmar junta, which clearly violated human rights principles in the region, in the 32nd AICHR meeting, scheduled to take place from today until Feb 5.
Meanwhile, the Movement for an Informed Society Malaysia (WADAH) president Ahmad Azam Ab Rahman, in a statement, expressed regrets over the unfortunate military coup in Myanmar.
He said that the military elites have refused to accept the outcome of Myanmar’s November 2020 general election that saw Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD), a leading civilian political party, winning more than 80 per cent of the parliamentary seats.
The parliament is scheduled to convene this week to endorse the election results and the new government, whilst the military establishment has argued in the Supreme Court that the election results were fraudulent.
“We urge all ASEAN member countries collectively to continue engaging with the military junta in Myanmar to seek a peaceful political solution. ASEAN can no longer be a mere bystander and compliant observer, instead it should take charge and become a regional peacemaker,” he said.
Full article: https://www.bernama.com/en//news.php?id=1927815
