US condemns assassination plot on Myanmar’s UN envoy Kyaw Moe Tun

New York [US], August 8 (ANI): US Permanent Representative to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield on Saturday (local time) condemned the assassination attempt on Myanmar’s UN envoy Kyaw Moe Tun, who is currently pressured to resign by the country’s military junta.

“We unequivocally condemn this threat to Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun, which fits a disturbing pattern of authoritarian leaders and their supporters reaching across the globe – including into the United States – to persecute and repress journalists, activists, and others who dare speak or stand against them,” Thomas-Greenfield said in a statement, reported Sputnik.

The US officials have arrested two men – Phyo Hein Htut and Ye Hein Zaw for the assassination plot. Htut and Zaw, both are citizens of Myanmar and were currently residing in New York.

In an attempt to kill Myanmar’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Htut had communicated with an arms dealer in Thailand, who sells weapons to the Burmese military, which overthrew Myanmar’s civilian government in February 2021.

She further expressed her solidarity with Myanmar’s envoy, who “continues to demonstrate remarkable courage and bravery in speaking on behalf of the people of Burma [Mynamar] who demand a return to democracy,” reported Sputnik.

Kyaw Moe Tun had denounced the military takeover of the country and sided with the government in exile.

On February 1, the Myanmar military overthrew the civilian government and declared a year-long state of emergency. The coup triggered mass protests, which were quashed with deadly violence in the country.

Earlier on Sunday, Myanmar’s military leader Min Aung Hlaing declared himself prime minister of the country and said that he plans to be in charge for two years during an extended state of emergency before holding an election in 2023.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) foreign ministers have appointed Brunei’s second Foreign Minister Erywan Yusof as a special envoy to Myanmar to facilitate mediation among the stakeholders and to find a peaceful resolution of the political crisis in the country.

Over 945 people have been confirmed to be killed since the military takeover on February 1, according to Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP). (ANI)