Swiss perspectives in 10 languages

Red Cross president meets Myanmar junta leader

Anti-coup protesters took to the streets on Thursday, June 3, 2021, in Yangon, Myanmar.
Anti-coup protesters took to the streets in Yangon, Myanmar, on June 3, 2021. Mg_ny@n

The head of the Geneva-based International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) held talks with Myanmar junta leader Min Aung Hlaing on Thursday as the coup-stricken nation enters its fifth month of crippling unrest.

Peter Maurer travelled to the Myanmar capital Naypyidaw to make the case for better aid access and prison visits as well as raising the issue of the use of force during security operations, the ICRC said.

“This visit aimed to share ICRC’s concerns on the current humanitarian situation and reinforce ongoing efforts to ensure space for neutral and impartial humanitarian action,” the ICRC president said in a statementExternal link on June 3.

Maurer called for broader humanitarian access including in Chin, Kachin, Kayah, Kayin, Shan and Rakhine States.

He underlined the importance of the ICRC being able to resume its humanitarian visits and activities in places of detention, which have been on hold since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The leader of the junta was “noncommittal” but did not refuse Maurer’s requests, Japan’s Nikkei newspaper said, citing people familiar with the meeting.

Two Southeast Asian envoys from the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) have also arrived for talks on ending the turmoil since the February 1 coup. They are expected to meet Min Aung Hlaing on Friday, the local Delta News Agency reported.

The United Nations, western countries and China all support ASEAN’s mediating role, but some western powers have also initiated sanctions to target the junta members and their economic interests.

Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military overthrew civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy (NLD) government in a February 1 coup. A brutal crackdown by the junta has since killed more than 800 people, according to a local monitoring group.

More

Popular Stories

Most Discussed

News

No Swiss bank in phase with environmental objectives

More

Swiss banks failing environment, says WWF

This content was published on None of the 15 major Swiss retail banks is meeting international climate and biodiversity targets, according to a ranking by WWF Switzerland.

Read more: Swiss banks failing environment, says WWF
UNRWA provides emergency assistance to just over one million Palestine refugees, or about 75 per cent of all Palestine refugees in Gaza, who lack the financial means to cover their basic food.

More

Lazzarini: no alternative to UNRWA in Gaza

This content was published on The only alternative to the UN Palestinian agency’s work in Gaza is to allow Israel to run services there, Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA Commissioner-General, told reporters in Geneva on Monday.

Read more: Lazzarini: no alternative to UNRWA in Gaza

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR