4 April 2024
I shall now make a statement in my capacity as the representative of Malta.
I begin by thanking ASG Khiari [DPPA] and Director Doughten [OCHA] for their briefings.
Only two months ago, this Council convened to consider the dire situation in Myanmar three years after the coup. Since then, the Junta’s atrocities have escalated, inflicting untold suffering upon civilians, particularly in Rakhine state.
We are deeply alarmed by the escalation of the conflict in Rakhine State. Reports of indiscriminate airstrikes by the military, including those in Minbya township three weeks ago that reportedly killed and injured many civilians, including children, are extremely troubling. We strongly condemn such actions.
This brutality is made possible by the continuous inflow of arms, weapons, and technology from external sources into Myanmar. We continue to call on this Council to continue to reassess the situation in Myanmar and to interrupt the military’s access to weapons and related material, including jet fuel, that are used to carry out these crimes.
The activation of the conscription law marks a new low in the Junta’s campaign against the very people it is supposed to protect. By forcibly recruiting young men and women, the Junta not only perpetuates its reign of terror but also enhances its capacity to carry out more atrocities while terrorising the population.
The humanitarian situation is deteriorating by the hour as young persons are forced to flee the country to avoid conscription. Women and girls are increasingly vulnerable to early marriage, trafficking, and other forms of exploitation and gender-based violence.
Women’s human rights defenders and civil society organisations in Myanmar are on the front lines of the response. They need urgent support and the substantial restrictions on their operations must be lifted.
In Rakhine State, the Rohingya are now being coerced into fighting for an institution that has systematically stripped them of their rights, persecuted them, and denied their access to basic services.
Malta reiterates its calls for accountability and its support for the role of the Independent Investigate Mechanism for Myanmar, and of investigations or proceedings by national, regional, or international courts and tribunals, including by the ICJ and ICC. Malta thanks Bangladesh for offering shelter to almost one million displaced Rohingya refugees.
Today we join others in reaffirming once again the centrality of ASEAN’s role in this process and re-affirm our support for its mediation efforts in line with the Five Point Consensus. However, the recent events have demonstrated the need for this Council to do more.
The violence we continue to witness across Myanmar requires meaningful follow up by the Security Council. Sixteen months after the adoption of resolution 2669, the Council’s call for an immediate end to all violence in Myanmar has not been respected. We must not be under any illusions: effective solutions demand the Security Council’s decisive action. We look forward to the appointment of a Special Envoy in the coming days.
It is incumbent upon this Council to unequivocally stand with the people of Myanmar. The Council needs to ensure that this violence ends once and for all, followed by the return of civilian rule, inclusive of democracy and the rule of law. The time for decisive action is now.
I now resume my functions as President of the Council.