Diplomat Noeleen Heyzer called to a cease-fire ebetween the Burmese military junta and its opponents on the occasion of the New Year. More than 1,300 civilians have been killed in the country since the military coup in early February.
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“Deeply worried”. The new UN special envoy for Burma, Noeleen Heyzer, expressed alarm on Monday, December 27 “Continued escalation of violence in Kayin State and other parts of Burma.” In a statement, thea diplomat called to a cease-fire ebetween the Burmese military junta and its opponents on the occasion of the New Year.
Burma has sunk into chaos since the February 1 putsch that ended a decade-long democratic transition. In ten months, more than 1,300 civilians have been killed, according to a local NGO, the Association for Assistance to Political Prisoners (AAPP), which reports cases of torture and extra-judicial executions.
Diplomatic efforts by the UN and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to resolve the crisis have so far made little progress, with the junta turning a deaf ear. A United Nations official said on Sunday “horrified” after at least 35 civilians were killed and their bodies burned in the east of the country. Two employees of the British NGO Save the Children are still missing after their vehicle was attacked and burned in the incident.