UN General Assembly President Urges Myanmar Military To Allow Special Envoy To Visit

UN General Assembly (UNGA) President Volkan Bozkir on Tuesday called on the Myanmar military to allow UN Special Envoy Christine Schraner Burgener to visit the country amid reports of the authorities' harsh response to protests

UNITED NATIONS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 16th February, 2021) UN General Assembly (UNGA) President Volkan Bozkir on Tuesday called on the Myanmar military to allow UN Special Envoy Christine Schraner Burgener to visit the country amid reports of the authorities' harsh response to protests.

"I am in contact with UN Special Envoy Christine Schraner Burgener [and] closely following developments in Myanmar. I urge the military to allow Ms. Schraner Burgener to visit, assess the situation [and] brief UNGA accordingly. It's not too late to listen to the will of the people," Bozkir said via Twitter.

On Monday, police fired rubber bullets at protesters who took to the streets in Myanmar's second-largest city of Mandalay in opposition to the coup staged by the military earlier this month.

According to media reports, several protesters were injured and a number of journalists reporting on the demonstration were beaten up.

The UN Special Envoy spoke with Myanmar's Deputy Commander-in-Chief Soe Win on Monday and pressed for a visit under agreeable conditions and reinforced the need to respect the right of peaceful assembly.

On February 1, Myanmar's military overthrew the government and declared a year-long state of emergency hours before the newly-elected parliament was due to convene. State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint, along with other top officials accused of election fraud, have been placed under house arrest.