UN to vote on resolution demanding end to Myanmar violence

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Security Council has scheduled a vote on a draft resolution demanding an immediate end to violence in Myanmar, urging its military rulers to immediately release all “arbitrarily detained” prisoners including former leader Aung San Suu Kyi, and reiterating its call to uphold democratic institutions and respect human rights.

If approved by the council late Wednesday, the resolution would be the first adopted by the U.N.’s most powerful body since the country formerly known as Burma joined the United Nations in 1948, according to the United Kingdom which drafted it.

U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Wednesday that Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is “extremely concerned” about the deteriorating humanitarian situation and human rights in Myanmar.

“Any opportunity for the Security Council to speak with one strong, united voice on any issue and especially on Myanmar would be much welcomed,” he said.

Myanmar for five decades had languished under strict military rule that led to international isolation and sanctions. As the generals loosened their grip, culminating in Suu Kyi’s rise to leadership in 2015 elections, the international community responded by lifting most sanctions and pouring investment into the Southeast Asian nation.

That ended with the military’s Feb. 1, 2021, coup following the November 2020 elections in which Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party won overwhelmingly and the military contested as fraudulent.

The takeover was met with massive public opposition, which has since turned into armed resistance that some U.N. experts have characterized as civil war.

Last month, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, a rights monitoring organization, said over 16,000 people had been detained on political...