Special Envoy’s Continuous Betrayal

UN Special Envoy of the Secretary-General on Myanmar Julie Bishop’s recent visit to Moscow stays true to the course of her reprehensible action with absolute lack of regard for the immense suffering of the Myanmar people as well as their efforts to end military tyranny and achieve durable peace. To put an end to harm caused by past and present Special Envoys, it is essential that the UN General Assembly rescind the Special Envoy mandate and for the Secretary-General to assume leadership in addressing the Myanmar crisis immediately.

Julie Bishop’s engagement with Russia last week apparently furthered the Russian pursuit of “establishing constructive interaction with the government of Myanmar”—which in Russia’s distorted narrative refers to the illegal military junta. By actively furthering interaction with Russia—with its continuous supply of weapons and finance that facilitate the Myanmar military junta’s terror campaign, not to mention its staunch support for the junta’s sham election plan—the Special Envoy once again attempts to lend false legitimacy to the junta, reiterating the severe harm she is doing to Myanmar people. Notwithstanding Russia’s aiding and abetting war crimes and crimes against humanity in Myanmar, its leaders are wanted war criminals for the illegal and brutal war on Ukraine. Thus, how the Special Envoy can justify not only engaging with, but helping to foster Russian relations with the junta through her visit—which included meeting with the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister—is beyond comprehension.

This visit was made more jarring as another war criminal Min Aung Hlaing visited Russia and Belarus the very same week. In Russia, the junta delegation discussed investment deals and toured the Ulan-Ude aviation plant—which already provides military aircraft used to bomb civilians across Myanmar and is internationally sanctioned—and sought procurement of more military technology, such as Mi5 helicopters. A recent report by Justice For Myanmar revealed the deepening collusion between Belarus and the Myanmar junta and the purpose of Min Aung Hlaing’s visit: to procure a Belarusian custom-made air defense system and secure military training opportunities for junta personnel in Belarusian universities. A reminder that during the Enhanced Interactive Dialogue session on Myanmar at the 59th session of the Human Rights Council on 27 June, both Russia and Belarus brazenly voiced support for the military junta’s legitimacy and leadership of Myanmar despite the plethora of evidence of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and other heinous human rights abuses evident.

Julie Bishop’s engagement with the military junta’s nefarious foreign supporters has been constant during her tenure—continuously insulting and betraying the Myanmar people. Bishop has met with Chinese officials in Beijing multiple times and is currently under scrutiny for conflicts of interest over her business ties with Chinese state-owned companies operating in Myanmar. As with Russia, China provides the Myanmar junta with extensive military, financial, political, and technical support. Any engagement from the Special Envoy that brings China and Russia closer to the military junta or further entrenches Chinese and Russian involvement in Myanmar’s political affairs or support for the Myanmar military, threatens both the human rights and peaceful democratic aspirations of the Myanmar people and their immense efforts to achieve a federal democracy on the ground.

Time and again, Myanmar people have resolutely called for an end to the mandate of the UN Special Envoy itself—even prior to Julie Bishop’s tenure. For the respect owed to the Myanmar people—and in protection of their human rights and peaceful, democratic objectives—the UN must cease this harmful approach through Special Envoys. As expressed by Khin Ohmar, Chairperson of Progressive Voice, “If the UN’s desire to ‘end the hostilities’ and support the Myanmar people is genuine, it would immediately investigate Julie Bishop’s conflicts of interest, remove her from the position, and abolish the mandate of the UN Special Envoy on Myanmar.”

Yet, despite continuous pleas by the Myanmar people—who are enduring the junta’s unspeakable atrocities—the Special Envoy continues to insult the people of Myanmar with her wishful thinking for a “dialogue” through these engagements. Her signature moves—glossing over the Myanmar military’s international crimes, addressing Myanmar as being in a state of “self-destruction,” and asking the very people who suffer from the military’s atrocities to move beyond a “zero-sum approach”—continues to embolden the perpetrators of these atrocities. Much like those who came before her, Bishop is actively furthering the mandate’s harmful legacy of “peace-brokering” and disregarding the lives of millions in its trail.

It is inexcusable for the Special Envoy—and by affiliation the UN—to go against the democratic, inclusive, and peaceful objectives of Myanmar people through this reprehensible behavior. Myanmar people are building their own future through bottom-up governance and institution building to free Myanmar from military tyranny and achieve inclusive federal democracy. Myanmar people deserve better than a farcical “political” resolution imposed on them by the UN or the wider international community, especially one involving any engagement with actors aiding and abetting the military junta’s campaign of terror. The Myanmar people deserve nothing less than concrete, robust support to their revolution to rebuild sustainable peace and democracy.

There is no time to lose: the Special Envoy’s barefaced betrayals are only continuing and the junta’s violence on Myanmar people is ever-escalating, particularly fueled by the support of Russia and China. A new effective approach with a strong leadership by the UN is long-overdue and as such, it is time for the long trail of harm done to Myanmar people by the Special Envoy to be resolutely ended with its mandate revoked by the UN General Assembly. It is high time for the UN Secretary-General António Guterres himself to take direct responsibility for stopping international crimes committed against the Myanmar people. This action is essential to protect Myanmar civilians across the country and beyond, and support the ever-growing people’s democratic resistance movement against military tyranny by putting an end to the UN’s divestment of responsibility for Myanmar onto ineffective and harmful Special Envoys.

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[1] One year following the 1988 pro-democracy uprising, the former military junta changed the country’s name from Burma to Myanmar overnight. Progressive Voice uses the term ‘Myanmar’ in acknowledgement that most people of the country use this term. However, the deception of inclusiveness and the historical process of coercion by the former State Peace and Development Council military regime into usage of ‘Myanmar’ rather than ‘Burma’ without the consent of the people is recognized and not forgotten. Thus, under certain circumstances, ‘Burma’ is used.

Progressive Voice is a participatory, rights-based policy research and advocacy organization that was born out of Burma Partnership. Burma Partnership officially ended its work on October 10, 2016 transitioning to a rights-based policy research and advocacy organization called Progressive Voice. For further information, please see our press release “Burma Partnership Celebrates Continuing Regional Solidarity for Burma and Embraces the Work Ahead for Progressive Voice.”