Burmese security forces have torched entire villages, including churches and hundreds of homes, in the country’s embattled Chin state. The United States is gravely concerned over these human rights abuses, atrocities, and the Burmese military’s continued intensification of military operations and violence against the people of Burma.
State Department spokesperson Ned Price “condemn(ed) such brutal actions by the Burmese regime against people, their homes, and places of worship, which lays bare the regime’s complete disregard for the lives and welfare of the people of Burma.”
Spokesperson Price called on the international community “to hold the Burmese military accountable and take action to prevent gross violations and abuses of human rights, including by preventing the transfer of arms to the military.”
Burma’s military overthrew the democratically elected government on February 1 and deposed its leaders, many of whom, including former State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi remain in detention today. Since then, the regime has launched a violent crackdown against the people, killing more than 1,200 people and arresting more than 9,000 others including government officials, activists, journalists, and foreign citizens.
Burma’s military has stepped up offensives in many parts of the country, leading to massive displacement of residents and a serious humanitarian crisis compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ned Price expressed deep concern over “the Burmese security forces’ intensification of military operations in various parts of the country, including in Chin State and the Sagaing Region.” He called on the “regime to immediately cease the violence, release all those unjustly detained, and restore Burma’s path to inclusive democracy.”
The United States will continue to promote accountability for the horrific violence that has been and continues to be perpetrated by the regime against the people of Burma, said spokesperson Price. “We will continue to support the people of Burma and all those working toward a restoration of Burma’s democratic path and a peaceful resolution to the crisis.”
