UN rights council's resolution against Myanmar welcomed
New York, Oct. 3 (PTI): UN Watch has welcomed the adoption of a resolution by UN Human Rights Council strongly deploring the "violent repression" of peaceful demonstrations in Myanmar.
However, Executive Director of the Geneva-based NGO Hillel Neuer expressed disappointment that the final text was watered down, which "sends the wrong message to the murderers of innocent monks."
The EU-authored text was softened several times to ensure that all countries, including China and Russia, join the consensus.
"Strongly condemns" in the original text was changed to "condemns," and then weakened again to "strongly deplores." "We hope Tuesday's session becomes more than an exception and sets a precedent for future council action on the full range of gross abuses occurring around the world," said Neuer.
"Regrettably, the record of the council thus far has been the opposite -- to eliminate mechanisms of scrutiny for Cuba, Belarus, Iran, and others."
Some countries chose to divert the session on human rights in Myanmar to other topics, with the Islamic bloc, represented by Pakistan's Ambassador Masood Khan, contending that "more innocent civilians have died in Palestine a few days ago in 24 hours as a result of Israeli military action than in the whole of Myanmar" but this "has not received the same degree of attention from the media or this Council," Neuer said.
"A political stranglehold has for too long prevented the council from helping human rights victims around the world," said Neuer, "and it is regrettable that the Islamic bloc now seeks to hold the freedom of Aung San Su Kyi and the Buddhist monks hostage to their narrow and hardline agenda."
In its statement to the plenary, the government of Myanmar said the international media "blew the situation out of proportion" and accused the West of manipulating events in order to intervene.
