UN expert calls Myanmar's pledge for clean elections 'preposterous'
Military-ruled Myanmar's promise of free and
fair elections next year is "preposterous,'' a U.N. expert said Thursday
as he warned the international community not to fall for the army regime's
propaganda to legitimize its rule.
Tom Andrews, the U.N. special rapporteur on
the situation of human rights in Myanmar, said the military has been working
hard to "create an impression of legitimacy" after ousting the
government of civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi in a February 2021 takeover.
"Any suggestion that there could be any
possibility of a free and fair election in Myanmar in 2023 is frankly
preposterous. You can't have a free and fair election if you locked up your
opponents. You can't have a free and fair election if you put your opponents on
death row. This is outrage,'' he told a news conference during a visit to
Malaysia.
"Their propaganda machine works around
the clock and they'll take any shred of evidence that they could find to make
it appear as if the international community recognizes them as legitimate. That
is something that we are very cautious about and very careful not (to) fall
into that propaganda trap," Andrews added.
The army seized power citing widespread fraud
in the 2020 general election. It appointed new members to the election
commission, which said that new multiparty polls next year would be free and
fair.
Andrews said ASEAN must ratchet up pressure
on the Myanmar army to halt its violence and release all political prisoners.
He said ASEAN's five-point consensus plan should be stepped up to include clear
actions and time frames.
"The five-point consensus is meaningless
if it is just sitting on a piece of paper,'' he said. "Its only chance of
making a difference is to put it into meaningful action with a strategy, with
an action plan, with a time frame."
Andrews praised Malaysia for engaging
Myanmar's opposition National Unity Government, which was set up by elected
lawmakers who were denied their seats in Parliament by the army coup.
He urged other countries to do the same,
calling the NUG a "legitimate entity" fighting a brutal military.
He said the NUG could also offer resources in
delivering humanitarian aid to Myanmar so the junta can't use the aid as a
"weapon of war."
The military has faced widespread opposition
to its rule. After soldiers and police used deadly force to crush peaceful
demonstrations, a low-level armed insurrection has emerged in both the cities
and countryside.
According to Myanmar's Assistance Association
for Political Prisoners, more than 2,007 protesters and bystanders have been
killed in the junta's crackdown, though the government puts the death toll at
about a third of that.
Rohingya, but voiced concern over their
treatment in the country. He said refugees he spoke to in Malaysia cited fears
of being sent to migration detention, insufficient education opportunities for
children and instances of extortion by police.
Andrews said he was deeply worried about
reports that hundreds of children, including victims of trafficking, may be
held in detention facilities. The UN refugee agency has been denied access to
these facilities since 2019.
On Malaysia's plan to issue its own refugee
card, Andrews said the process should be transparent. Andrews said government
officials should be willing to engage in discussions and partner with the U.N.
refugee agency to map out clear and consistent policies.
Malaysia's Home Ministry said in April it
should determine who can stay in the country by issuing its own cards to
refugees.
Although it doesn't grant refugee status,
Malaysia houses about 180,000 refugees and asylum seekers accredited with the
U.N. refugee agency, including more than 100,000 Rohingya and other Myanmar
ethnic groups.
Thousands more remain undocumented after
arriving in the country illegally by sea.
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