Naypyidaw: The European Union’s top diplomat said that Russia and China were hampering a united international response to Myanmar’s military coup, as the death toll from a military crackdown climbed past 700. “It comes as no surprise that Russia and China are blocking the attempts of the UN Security Council, for example to impose an arms embargo,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in a blog post. “Geopolitical competition in Myanmar will make it very difficult to find common ground,” said Borrell. “But we have a duty to try.”
Security forces have killed more than 700 unarmed protesters, including 46 children, since the military seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in a February 1 coup, according to a tally by the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners activist group. That included 82 people killed in the town of Bago, near Yangon, on Friday.
“The world watches in horror, as the army uses violence against its own people,” Borrell said. China and Russia both have ties to Myanmar’s armed forces, as the first and second largest suppliers of weapons to the country, respectively. While EU economic leverage in the country is relatively small, Borrell said the EU could offer to increase its economic ties with Myanmar if democracy is restored. That could include more trade and investments in sustainable development, he said. EU foreign direct investment in Myanmar totalled $700 million in 2019, compared with $19 billion from China.
Despite the bloodshed, protesters continued to rally across Myanmar. University students and their professors marched through Mandalay and the city of Meiktila on Sunday, according to local media. Some carried stems of Eugenia flowers — a symbol of victory. In Yangon, protesters carried a banner that read: “We will get victory, we will win.”
