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A6 WORLD NEWS
Thursday 17 March 2022
U.N. human rights council asked to act against Myanmar army

By GRANT PECK population, imprisonment,
Associated Press torture, persecution on
BANGKOK (AP) — The main political grounds and en-
opposition organization in forced disappearances.
military-ruled Myanmar on "The appalling breadth
Wednesday urged the Unit- and scale of violations of
ed Nations Human Rights international law suffered
Council to act strongly to by the people of Myanmar
restore democracy in the demand a firm, unified,
Southeast Asian nation, and resolute international
saying that the internation- response," Bachelet said.
al community should put The report says that more
sanctions and other pres- than one-fifth of the more
sures on the country's gen- than 1,500 deaths credibly
erals. attributed to the actions
The council, at its meet- of the security forces were
ing in Geneva, received a people who died in deten-
similar appeal from Thomas tion, "either from lack of ad-
Andrews, the U.N. special equate medical attention
rapporteur on human rights In this image taken from drone video provided by Free Burma Rangers, smoke arises from burning to victims' injuries suffered
in Myanmar. buildings in Waraisuplia village in Kayah State, Myanmar on Feb. 18, 2022. consequent to crackdowns
A report submitted a day Associated Press and raids, or as result of cru-
earlier by U.N. High Com- el and inhuman treatment
missioner for Human Rights were not allowed to take nations have imposed It charged that the tactics and torture especially dur-
Michelle Bachelet said evi- their seats, considers itself sanctions against Myan- of the military — known as ing interrogation."
dence suggests Myanmar's the country's legitimate ad- mar's military rulers, wider the Tatmadaw — including In cases where the victims'
military rulers bear responsi- ministrative body though it international pressure on targeted shots-to-the-head bodies were returned to
bility for abuses constituting is forced to operate under- them has been forestalled and immolation of victims, their families, they exhib-
crimes against humanity ground. Initial efforts are by Russia and China, who "suggest that such conduct ited signs of abuse.
and war crimes. The army underway to bring the issue provide the generals with is not misconduct or misbe- In addition to repressing its
seized power a year ago to the International Crimi- diplomatic and material havior of a few, but rather opponents in the cities, the
from the elected govern- nal Court. support. the result of instructions army is conducting large-
ment of Aung San Suu Kyi Andrews, in a report cov- The report from Bachelet's handed down through the scale offensive in the coun-
and since then has ruth- ering much of the same human rights office ac- command structure to use tryside to wipe out home-
lessly sought to suppress ground as Bachelet's, not- cused Myanmar security lethal force targeting civil- grown militias opposed to
the widespread opposition ed "the strong and swift ac- forces of showing "a fla- ians." military rule.
to its rule. tion taken by (U.N.) Mem- grant disregard for human "Taking into consideration The offensives are conduct-
The National Unity Govern- ber States on behalf of life, bombarding populat- the extent, type, and level ed with airstrikes, helicop-
ment said it would like the the people of Ukraine and ed areas with airstrikes and of atrocity of Tatmadaw's ter gunships, artillery, and
international community implores the international heavy weapons and delib- actions, it is highly improb- mortars, and are reported
to take action against the community to act similarly erately targeting civilians, able that soldiers acted to include "indiscriminate
military, including sanctions to protect the people of many of whom have been independently outside the attacks often in populated
and prosecutions under in- Myanmar. They too are un- shot in the head, burned to chain of command." said areas, in flagrant disregard
ternational law. The group, der siege by a brutal and death, arbitrarily arrested, the report. for human life and prop-
established by elected relentless military attack." tortured or used as human The alleged crimes include erty," according to the
Myanmar lawmakers who Although many Western shields." killings, forcible transfer of report.q

WHO Chief: World's worst health crisis is in Ethiopia

of the World Health Orga- been destroyed. He said month.
nization said Wednesday there was no treatment for WHO has now opened sup-
there's "nowhere on earth about 40,000 people with ply lines to many cities in
where the health of mil- HIV in the region. Ukraine, but some access
lions of people is more un- "Yes, I'm from Tigray and this challenges remained. The
der threat" than Ethiopia's crisis affects me, my family agency continued to call
Tigray region. and my friends very person- for attacks on health work-
WHO director-general ally," Tedros said. "But I, the ers and facilities to stop.
Tedros Adhanom Ghe- director general of WHO, I But Tedros said the crisis in
breyesus said the situation have a duty to protect and Ukraine was "far from the
in Tigray from where he promote health wherever only crisis to which WHO is
hails was "catastrophic," it's under threat," he said. responding," citing ongo-
saying the region had been "And there is nowhere on ing problems in Yemen,
"sealed off from the outside earth where the health of Syria and Ethiopia.
world" for about 500 days. millions of people is more Earlier this year, the gov-
"No food aid has been de- under threat than Tigray." ernment of Ethiopia sent a
World Health Organization director-general Tedros Adhanom
Ghebreyesus speaks during a media conference at an EU Af- livered since the middle of Tedros said the U.N. health letter to the World Health
rica summit in Brussels, Feb. 18, 2022. December," Tedros told a agency had now docu- Organization, accusing
Associated Press press briefing, adding that mented 43 attacks on Tedros of "misconduct" af-
about three quarters of health care workers and ter his sharp criticism of the
GENEVA (AP) — As much is focused on the blood- health facilities assessed facilities in Ukraine since the war and humanitarian crisis
of the world's attention shed in Ukraine, the head by WHO in the region had Russian invasion began last in the country.q