THE UN Security Council is scheduled to sit today to discuss the ongoing violence and ethnic cleansing in Myanmar. The member states will also hear a briefing from the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in this regard. Britain, France, the United States and four other countries have been requested to participate in the meeting in the wake of nearly half a-million Rohingyas being forced to flee Myanmar to escape persecution and killings.
Responsible for maintaining global peace and security, the UNSC member countries are respectively equipped with immense power for either to agree, disagree or veto any important issue, and it is right here where we expect the best of their senses to prevail in resolving the Rohingya crisis. That said — the UN’s role in international collective security is defined by the UN Charter, which authorizes the Security Council to investigate any situation threatening international peace, and therefore recommend procedures for a peaceful resolution to end the dispute.
Given the shocking revelations in the Kofi Annan report, accurate satellite images, investigative findings and horrific tales of barbarity by the fleeing Rohingyas — it is more than clear what’s happening in Myanmar. Like us, the rest of the world too knows the extreme degree of torture and ethnic cleansing taking place in that country, so in tuned with the UN charter’s core principle it is now time to act fast and act effectively – not procrastinate any longer.
The point, however, despite a strong possibility for Russia and China to veto any major resolution, we expect the rest of the leading world powers to remain steadfast to the position in protecting and supporting the Rohingyas.
