The UN special envoy for Myanmar said she was told by a member of the ruling junta that the regime is prepared to weather any sanctions or political isolation imposed on it by the international community in response to its February 1 takeover of the country.
Special Envoy Christine Schraner Burgener relayed the details of her conversation with Vice-Senior General Soe Win—held just days after the coup—during an online press conference on Wednesday. She also reported that security forces had killed 38 people on that day alone, in the most dramatic escalation of violence against protesters since popular resistance to the coup began nearly a month ago.
Burgener said she told the general that member countries of the UN and the UN Security Council could impose heavy sanctions against the military regime for seizing power.
When warned about the international exclusion and isolation the regime would face, she said, he responded that the military had “learned to walk with few friends.”
He also maintained that the State Administration Council (SAC), as the newly installed regime calls itself, plans to implement its own five-point roadmap for the country in the near future, Burgener added.
The UN envoy said the current crisis in Myanmar “hits the stability of the region” and has the potential to fuel war.
While the SAC has yet to gain international recognition, there is speculation that it has support from China. Myanmar military officials have also maintained close relations with Russia.
ASEAN, the regional bloc that includes Myanmar, follows a “non-interference” policy regarding member states, but some, such as Indonesia, have “raised concerns” about the current situation in Myanmar.
Despite violent crackdowns that have left dozens of protesters dead and many more wounded, the nationwide Civil Disobedience Movement continues to grow, employing mass demonstrations, a general strike and the formation of parallel governing structures in a bid to remove the military from power.
