After Horror in Bago the United Nations Secretary General Must Act
12 April 2021: After soldiers from the Myanmar military, or Tatmadaw, massacred at least 82 people during a siege on the town Bago, the Special Advisory Council for Myanmar (SAC-M) says the country is in a state of terror and lawlessness and calls for the United Nations Secretary General to act immediately.
On Friday 9 April, Tatmadaw soldiers launched a pre-dawn attack on a protest camp in Bago, a town near Yangon. The soldiers surrounded the area and began firing continuously, shooting at anyone.
They dragged away the bodies of those killed and piled them in the compound of a pagoda, along with others who were injured and were refused medical treatment. By Saturday morning the bodies had been removed.
“It is hard to imagine the horror that took place in Bago,” says Yanghee Lee, founding member of SAC-M. “Pre-dawn attacks, massacre, piles of bodies, bodies desecrated and evidence destroyed – this is what a Tatmadaw clearance operation looks like. The junta is on a killing spree, murdering the people they are supposed to protect and serve.”
Electricity was shut off for several hours in Bago on Friday evening while soldiers raided homes arresting people, as well as looting and destroying property.
“Myanmar is in a state of terror and lawlessness,” says Chris Sidoti, founding member of SAC-M. “The Secretary General must use all the authority vested in his office to pursue ways to stop the killing.”
SAC-M is calling on the United Nations Secretary General to make a personal trip to Myanmar and other countries in the South East Asia region. He should call for a special session of the Security Council and seek to have the Security Council act under the United Nation’s Responsibility to Protect.
At least 82 people were murdered during the siege in Bago, with many more still missing. More than 700 people have been murdered in the two and a half months since the Tatmadaw launched the coup, and over 3000 people have been detained.
“The junta is murdering people by the hour,” says Marzuki Darusman, founding member of SAC-M. “We demand the junta stop these atrocities. The day will come when you are held to account for your unspeakable actions.”
