BURMA BLASTED
Executed activists' families left to grieve as international community puts pressure on MyanmarPhyo Zeya Thaw's family says the junta is refusing to return his body.
(AP)
In the wake of Myanmar's execution of four democracy advocates accused of aiding "terror acts", the men's families have been left without answers about their loved ones' deaths — or even their bodies.
Key points:
In the wake of Myanmar's execution of four democracy advocates accused of aiding "terror acts", the men's families have been left without answers about their loved ones' deaths — or even their bodies.
Key points:
Families of the executed men say the junta will not return their loved ones' bodies
Some relatives were able to speak with the men but were not told of their impending execution
The UN and international community have condemned Myanmar for the executions
Sentenced to death in secretive trials in January and April, the four men were accused of helping a civilian resistance movement that has fought the military since last year's coup and bloody crackdown on nationwide protests.
Among those executed were democracy campaigner Kyaw Min Yu, better known as Jimmy, and former politician and hip hop artist Phyo Zeyar Thaw, an ally of ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi with close ties to Australia. The two others executed were Hla Myo Aung and Aung Thura Zaw.
State media reported the country's first executions in over three decades had been carried out, saying "the punishment has been conducted", but did not say when, or by what method. However, previous executions in Myanmar have been by hanging.
Families of the executed men were denied the opportunity to retrieve their loved ones' bodies, Thazin Nyunt Aung, the wife of Phyo Zeya Thaw, said, comparing it to murderers covering up their crimes.
"This is killing and hiding bodies away," she said.
"They disrespected both Myanmar people and the international community."
Nilar Thein, Kyaw Min Yu's wife, said she would not hold a funeral without a body.
"We all have to be brave, determined and strong," she posted on Facebook.
Social media videos show people have been protesting in the wake of the junta's executions.
(Reuters: Lu Nge Khit)
The men were held in Yangon's Insein prison, where families visited last Friday, according to a person with knowledge of the events, who said prison officials allowed only one relative to speak to the detainees via video call.
"I asked then, 'Why didn't you tell me or my son that it was our last meeting?'" Khin Win May, the mother of Phyo Zeya Thaw, told BBC Burmese.
The junta made no mention of the executions on its nightly television news bulletin on Monday.
International condemnation, possible sanctions
While a spokesperson for the junta last month defended the death sentences as justified and said capital punishment was used in many countries, the executions drew widespread international criticism.
United Nations secretary-general Antonio Guterres strongly condemned the executions and called for the immediate release of all arbitrarily detained prisoners.
"Including President Win Myint and State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi," a deputy UN spokesperson said.
The US says it will work with regional allies to hold the military accountable.
It called for a cessation of violence and the release of political detainees.
"The United States condemns in the strongest terms the Burmese military regime's heinous execution of pro-democracy activists and elected leaders," a White House spokesperson said.
Washington is considering further measures against the junta, according to a US State Department spokesperson who added "all options" were on the table.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, sent a letter to junta chief Min Aung Hlaing last month appealing to him not to carry out the executions.
The men were held in Yangon's Insein prison, where families visited last Friday, according to a person with knowledge of the events, who said prison officials allowed only one relative to speak to the detainees via video call.
"I asked then, 'Why didn't you tell me or my son that it was our last meeting?'" Khin Win May, the mother of Phyo Zeya Thaw, told BBC Burmese.
The junta made no mention of the executions on its nightly television news bulletin on Monday.
International condemnation, possible sanctions
While a spokesperson for the junta last month defended the death sentences as justified and said capital punishment was used in many countries, the executions drew widespread international criticism.
United Nations secretary-general Antonio Guterres strongly condemned the executions and called for the immediate release of all arbitrarily detained prisoners.
"Including President Win Myint and State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi," a deputy UN spokesperson said.
The US says it will work with regional allies to hold the military accountable.
It called for a cessation of violence and the release of political detainees.
"The United States condemns in the strongest terms the Burmese military regime's heinous execution of pro-democracy activists and elected leaders," a White House spokesperson said.
Washington is considering further measures against the junta, according to a US State Department spokesperson who added "all options" were on the table.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, sent a letter to junta chief Min Aung Hlaing last month appealing to him not to carry out the executions.
Meanwhile, France condemned the executions and called for dialogue among all parties, while Japan's Foreign Minister said the executions would further isolate Myanmar.
China's foreign ministry urged all parties in Myanmar to resolve conflicts within its constitutional framework.
Myanmar has been in chaos since the coup, with the military, which has ruled the former British colony for five of the past six decades, engaged in battles on multiple fronts with newly formed militia groups.
The Assistance Association of Political Prisoners says more than 2,100 people have been killed by security forces since the coup. The junta says that figure is exaggerated.
The true picture of violence has been hard to assess, as clashes have spread to more remote areas where ethnic minority insurgent groups are also fighting the military. Close to a million people have been displaced by post-coup unrest.
ABC/wires
China's foreign ministry urged all parties in Myanmar to resolve conflicts within its constitutional framework.
Myanmar has been in chaos since the coup, with the military, which has ruled the former British colony for five of the past six decades, engaged in battles on multiple fronts with newly formed militia groups.
The Assistance Association of Political Prisoners says more than 2,100 people have been killed by security forces since the coup. The junta says that figure is exaggerated.
The true picture of violence has been hard to assess, as clashes have spread to more remote areas where ethnic minority insurgent groups are also fighting the military. Close to a million people have been displaced by post-coup unrest.
ABC/wires
Myanmar junta puts four democracy activists to death in first executions in decades
Myanmar's military junta has executed four democracy activists accused of helping carry out "terror acts", the South-East Asian nation's first executions in decades.
Key points:
The junta seized control after ousting the government in a coup last year
One of the men executed has received political training in Australia and has close ties here
Among those executed was former hip-hop artist and ousted MP Phyo Zeya Thaw, who has close ties to Australia and whose death has sent a ripple of shock through the diaspora community here.
Thazin Nyunt Aung, the wife of Phyo Zeyar Thaw, said she had not been told of her husband's execution.
Prominent democracy figure Kyaw Min Yu, better known as Jimmy, was also executed. The other two men put to death were Hla Myo Aung and Aung Thura Zaw, the Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper said.
Sentenced to death in closed-door trials in January and April, the four men had been accused of helping militias fight the army that seized power in a coup last year and unleashed a bloody crackdown on its opponents.
Australia has imposed no new sanctions on Myanmar's military generals since the coup, despite steps from the US, the UK and Canada.
The new government has been repeatedly urged to take a stronger stance due to the ongoing detention of Australian economist Sean Turnell. Senator Wong has previously said Professor Turnell is Australia's top priority.
Mr Yates said Phyo Zeya Thaw had also met with Barack Obama and was a hard-working MP for his constituents in Nay Pyi Taw.
"It's definitely shocking. I think we'd all hoped that the death sentence was a political act by the junta, rather than something they were going to follow through with … [I'm] so deeply saddened and shocked by this horrible decision," he said.
By Erin Handley with wires
Former rapper turned politician Phyo Zeya Thaw, pictured in 2012, has been executed in Myanmar.(Reuters: Soe Zeya Tun )
Myanmar's military junta has executed four democracy activists accused of helping carry out "terror acts", the South-East Asian nation's first executions in decades.
Key points:
In the first executions in more than 30 years, four people have been put to death in Myanmar
The junta seized control after ousting the government in a coup last year
One of the men executed has received political training in Australia and has close ties here
Among those executed was former hip-hop artist and ousted MP Phyo Zeya Thaw, who has close ties to Australia and whose death has sent a ripple of shock through the diaspora community here.
Thazin Nyunt Aung, the wife of Phyo Zeyar Thaw, said she had not been told of her husband's execution.
Prominent democracy figure Kyaw Min Yu, better known as Jimmy, was also executed. The other two men put to death were Hla Myo Aung and Aung Thura Zaw, the Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper said.
Sentenced to death in closed-door trials in January and April, the four men had been accused of helping militias fight the army that seized power in a coup last year and unleashed a bloody crackdown on its opponents.
Kyaw Min Yu, known as Jimmy, pictured in 2012, was among those executed.
(AFP: Soe Than Win)
Kyaw Min Yu, 53, and Phyo Zeya Thaw, a 41-year-old ally of ousted Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi, lost their appeals against the sentences in June.
The four had been charged under the counter-terrorism law and the penal code, and the punishment was carried out according to prison procedure, the paper said, without elaborating.
Previous executions in Myanmar have been by hanging.
Sydney-based activist Sophia Sarkis said Phyo Zeya Thaw was a close friend and he came to Australia for a charity event she organised in 2019.
"I didn't know that would be the last time I was going to see him," she told the ABC.
Kyaw Min Yu, 53, and Phyo Zeya Thaw, a 41-year-old ally of ousted Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi, lost their appeals against the sentences in June.
The four had been charged under the counter-terrorism law and the penal code, and the punishment was carried out according to prison procedure, the paper said, without elaborating.
Previous executions in Myanmar have been by hanging.
Sydney-based activist Sophia Sarkis said Phyo Zeya Thaw was a close friend and he came to Australia for a charity event she organised in 2019.
"I didn't know that would be the last time I was going to see him," she told the ABC.
Sophia Sarkis says her friend will be remembered as a role model. (Supplied)
She said while he was a famous rapper in Myanmar, he chose to get into politics because he believed in justice.
She said the charges were unfounded and he had been used as a scapegoat, and she knew many in Myanmar "who are living in fear of who is going to be next".
She said while he was a famous rapper in Myanmar, he chose to get into politics because he believed in justice.
She said the charges were unfounded and he had been used as a scapegoat, and she knew many in Myanmar "who are living in fear of who is going to be next".
Phyo Zeya Thaw embraces the daughter of Sophia Sarkis.
(Supplied: Sophia Sarkis)
She said his life was cut short and he was a role model for the younger generation whose legacy will live on.
"He lives in our hearts forever and we will remember him as a hero," she said.
"He will be remembered as a young and free spirit, a loving and caring person, and brave — very brave. I am so proud to know him."
Myanmar's state media reported the executions on Monday and junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun later confirmed the executions to the Voice of Myanmar. Neither gave details of timing.
"My heart goes out to their families, friends and loved ones and indeed all the people in Myanmar who are victims of the junta's escalating atrocities," the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar, Tom Andrews, said in a statement.
Former rapper had political training in Australia
Phyo Zeya Thaw's connection to Australia stretches back to 2012, according to Peter Yates, a policy adviser to the Minister for International Development in the former Labor government.
After his election but before he was sworn in, he was brought to Australia on AusAid funds for a political advisers' course, and he met then-prime minister Julia Gillard during the trip.
"Australia has supported this really important democracy activist who has now been executed," he said.
"It's symbolic of the situation in Myanmar at the moment, where not only are the extrajudicial killings going on by the junta, but obviously now, judicial killings going on too," he said, adding the military had crushed a decade of hope for a democratic future.
She said his life was cut short and he was a role model for the younger generation whose legacy will live on.
"He lives in our hearts forever and we will remember him as a hero," she said.
"He will be remembered as a young and free spirit, a loving and caring person, and brave — very brave. I am so proud to know him."
Myanmar's state media reported the executions on Monday and junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun later confirmed the executions to the Voice of Myanmar. Neither gave details of timing.
"My heart goes out to their families, friends and loved ones and indeed all the people in Myanmar who are victims of the junta's escalating atrocities," the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar, Tom Andrews, said in a statement.
Former rapper had political training in Australia
Phyo Zeya Thaw's connection to Australia stretches back to 2012, according to Peter Yates, a policy adviser to the Minister for International Development in the former Labor government.
After his election but before he was sworn in, he was brought to Australia on AusAid funds for a political advisers' course, and he met then-prime minister Julia Gillard during the trip.
"Australia has supported this really important democracy activist who has now been executed," he said.
"It's symbolic of the situation in Myanmar at the moment, where not only are the extrajudicial killings going on by the junta, but obviously now, judicial killings going on too," he said, adding the military had crushed a decade of hope for a democratic future.
Peter Yates says Phyo Zeya Thaw was a hardworking MP who received training in Australia.(Supplied: Peter Yates)
He added Australia could do more to support Myanmar's people, including sanctions, which have been flagged as a possibility by Foreign Minister Penny Wong.
In a statement on Tuesday, Senator Wong said Australia opposed the death penalty in all circumstances and called on the regime in Myanmar to cease violence and release all those who were unjustly detained.
"Australia is appalled by the execution of four pro-democracy activists in Myanmar and strongly condemns the actions of the Myanmar military regime," she said.
"Sanctions against members of Myanmar's military regime are under active consideration.
"We extend sincere condolences to the families and loved ones of those who have lost their lives since the coup."
He added Australia could do more to support Myanmar's people, including sanctions, which have been flagged as a possibility by Foreign Minister Penny Wong.
In a statement on Tuesday, Senator Wong said Australia opposed the death penalty in all circumstances and called on the regime in Myanmar to cease violence and release all those who were unjustly detained.
"Australia is appalled by the execution of four pro-democracy activists in Myanmar and strongly condemns the actions of the Myanmar military regime," she said.
"Sanctions against members of Myanmar's military regime are under active consideration.
"We extend sincere condolences to the families and loved ones of those who have lost their lives since the coup."
Professor Sean Turnell, pictured with his wife Ha Vu,
faces trial under the Official Secrets Act.(Supplied)
Australia has imposed no new sanctions on Myanmar's military generals since the coup, despite steps from the US, the UK and Canada.
The new government has been repeatedly urged to take a stronger stance due to the ongoing detention of Australian economist Sean Turnell. Senator Wong has previously said Professor Turnell is Australia's top priority.
Mr Yates said Phyo Zeya Thaw had also met with Barack Obama and was a hard-working MP for his constituents in Nay Pyi Taw.
"It's definitely shocking. I think we'd all hoped that the death sentence was a political act by the junta, rather than something they were going to follow through with … [I'm] so deeply saddened and shocked by this horrible decision," he said.
Official documents reveal an Australian embassy spent $750,000 at a luxury hotel built on land owned and leased by Myanmar's military junta, with activists saying taxpayer dollars should not have been used.
Myanmar's National Unity Government (NUG), a shadow administration outlawed by the ruling military junta, condemned the executions.
"This is the signal and trigger to international community," NUG's Australian representative Dr Tun Aung Shwe.
"Under the military regime, there is no law … the Myanmar judicial system under military regime is just for show.
"Our commitment is getting stronger than before because of their sacrifice … They sacrificed their lives."
More than 2,000 extrajudicial killings since coup
The sentences drew international condemnation, with two UN experts calling them a "vile attempt at instilling fear" among the people.
The Assistance Association of Political Prisoners (AAPP) said Myanmar's last judicial executions were in the late 1980s.
Myanmar's military has been accused of human rights abuses.
(AP: Amnesty International)
A military spokesman did not immediately respond to telephone calls to seek comment.
Last month military spokesman Zaw Min Tun defended the death penalty, saying it was used in many countries.
"At least 50 innocent civilians, excluding security forces, died because of them," he told a televised news conference.
"How can you say this is not justice? Required actions are needed to be done in the required moments."
A military spokesman did not immediately respond to telephone calls to seek comment.
Last month military spokesman Zaw Min Tun defended the death penalty, saying it was used in many countries.
"At least 50 innocent civilians, excluding security forces, died because of them," he told a televised news conference.
"How can you say this is not justice? Required actions are needed to be done in the required moments."
Many young people became guerilla fighters after the coup on February 1 last year.(Reuters)
Myanmar has been in chaos since last year's coup, with conflict spreading nationwide after the army crushed mostly peaceful protests in cities.
The AAPP says more than 2,100 people have been killed by the security forces since the coup, but the junta says the figure is exaggerated.
The true picture of violence has been hard to assess as clashes have spread to more remote areas where ethnic minority insurgent groups are also fighting the military.
The latest executions close off any chance of ending the unrest, said Myanmar analyst Richard Horsey, of the International CRISIS group.
"Any possibility of dialogue to end the crisis created by the coup has now been removed," Mr Horsey told Reuters.
"This is the regime demonstrating that it will do what it wants and listen to no one. It sees this as a demonstration of strength, but it may be a serious miscalculation."
Myanmar has been in chaos since last year's coup, with conflict spreading nationwide after the army crushed mostly peaceful protests in cities.
The AAPP says more than 2,100 people have been killed by the security forces since the coup, but the junta says the figure is exaggerated.
The true picture of violence has been hard to assess as clashes have spread to more remote areas where ethnic minority insurgent groups are also fighting the military.
The latest executions close off any chance of ending the unrest, said Myanmar analyst Richard Horsey, of the International CRISIS group.
"Any possibility of dialogue to end the crisis created by the coup has now been removed," Mr Horsey told Reuters.
"This is the regime demonstrating that it will do what it wants and listen to no one. It sees this as a demonstration of strength, but it may be a serious miscalculation."
Sophia Sarkis (right) says she was in shock after hearing her friend Phyo Zeya Thaw (second from right) had been executed. (Supplied: Sophia Sarkis)
Elaine Pearson, acting Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said the "junta's barbarity and callous disregard for human life aims to chill the anti-coup protest movement".
"The Myanmar junta's execution of four men was an act of utter cruelty," she said.
"These executions … followed grossly unjust and politically motivated military trials. This horrific news was compounded by the junta's failure to notify the men's families, who learned about the executions through the junta's media reports."
Amnesty International regional director Erwin van der Borght called for an immediate moratorium on executions.
"The international community must act immediately as more than 100 people are believed to be on death row after being convicted in similar proceedings," he said.
"For more than a year now, Myanmar's military authorities have engaged in extrajudicial killings, torture and a whole gamut of human rights violations. The military will only continue to trample on people's lives if they are not held accountable."
ABC/Reuters
Elaine Pearson, acting Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said the "junta's barbarity and callous disregard for human life aims to chill the anti-coup protest movement".
"The Myanmar junta's execution of four men was an act of utter cruelty," she said.
"These executions … followed grossly unjust and politically motivated military trials. This horrific news was compounded by the junta's failure to notify the men's families, who learned about the executions through the junta's media reports."
Amnesty International regional director Erwin van der Borght called for an immediate moratorium on executions.
"The international community must act immediately as more than 100 people are believed to be on death row after being convicted in similar proceedings," he said.
"For more than a year now, Myanmar's military authorities have engaged in extrajudicial killings, torture and a whole gamut of human rights violations. The military will only continue to trample on people's lives if they are not held accountable."
ABC/Reuters
Human rights advocates and members of the Myanmar shadow government condemned the execution of four Myanmar activists, the nation's first executions in decades.
In a World of Crises, Don’t Forget Myanmar
The world is replete with crises ranging from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to China’s saber-rattling over Taiwan. With the U.S. economy still reeling from persistent inflation and new COVID-19 cases on the rise, American interest in distant conflicts in seemingly remote parts of the globe is waning.
However, the United States should not lose sight of the escalating humanitarian and political crisis in Myanmar. There are clear national and moral interests at stake.
Although the February 2021 coup d’état that overthrew the democratically elected civilian government in Myanmar served as the Biden administration’s first foreign policy crisis, it was soon subsumed by others. The withdrawal from Afghanistan last year and then Russia’s invasion of Ukraine a year after the coup have dominated Washington policymakers’ attention.
Beyond targeted sanctions on the junta, the occasional diplomatic engagement, and humanitarian aid, Washington has provided relatively little material assistance to Myanmar’s resistance or the National Unity Government (NUG), which formed following the coup. Amid a widening civil war in Myanmar, the United States allocated $136 million in the Consolidated Appropriations Act for “assistance” to Myanmar, while the National Defense Authorization Act for 2022 called for Washington to “support and legitimize the National Unity Government… the Civil Disobedience Movement… and other entities promoting democracy.”
US: 'All Options on Table' to Punish Myanmar Junta Over Executions
July 25, 2022
Nike Ching
People protest in the wake of executions, in Yangon, Myanmar, July 25, 2022 in this screen grab obtained from a social media video. (Lu Nge Khit/via Reuters)
WASHINGTON —
The United States on Monday condemned Myanmar's execution of political activists and elected officials and called on the military government to immediately end the violence.
U.S. officials said that "all options are on the table," including economic measures to cut off the military junta's revenues that it uses to commit the violence.
Myanmar state media said the Southeast Asian country executed four democracy activists it had accused of helping carry out "terror acts" against the government that seized power last year in a coup. The four had been sentenced to death in closed-door trials in January and April.
Those executed were democracy figure Kyaw Min Yu, better known as Ko Jimmy; former lawmaker and hip-hop artist Phyo Zeya Thaw, an ally of ousted Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi; and two others, Hla Myo Aung and Aung Thura Zaw.
"The United States condemns in the strongest terms the Burmese military regime's heinous execution of pro-democracy activists and elected leaders," the White House National Security Council said in a statement. Myanmar is also known as Burma.
The U.S. called on Myanmar's rulers to "release those they have unjustly detained and allow for a peaceful return to democracy in accordance with the wishes of the people of Burma."
At the State Department, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that "these reprehensible acts of violence further exemplify the regime's complete disregard for human rights and the rule of law."
Myanmar remains mired in civil unrest since a military coup toppled the country's civilian-led government in February 2021.
The junta has killed more than 2,100, displaced more than 700,000, and detained members of civil society and journalists since the coup, the State Department said.
"There can be no business as usual with this regime," State Department spokesperson Ned Price said during Monday's briefing.
"We urge all countries to ban the sale of military equipment to Burma, to refrain from lending the regime any degree of international credibility, and we call on ASEAN [Association of Southeast Asian Nations] to maintain its important precedents, only allowing Burmese nonpolitical representation at regional events."
In the U.S. Congress, Senate Committee on Foreign Relations Chair Bob Menendez urged President Joe Biden's administration to step up actions against the junta after the executions over the weekend, which were the first such executions in Burma since 1988.
"The Biden administration must exercise the authorities that Congress has already granted it to impose additional targeted sanctions on the Naypyidaw regime—including on Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise," Menendez said.
China is among the major suppliers to the Myanmar military and has maintained close ties with the junta. In Beijing, Chinese officials refrained from condemning the Burmese military publicly.
"China always adheres to the principle of noninterference in other countries' internal affairs," said Zhao Lijian, China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson, during a Monday briefing.
"All parties and factions in Myanmar should properly handle their differences and conflicts within the framework of the constitution and laws," Zhao said.
WASHINGTON —
The United States on Monday condemned Myanmar's execution of political activists and elected officials and called on the military government to immediately end the violence.
U.S. officials said that "all options are on the table," including economic measures to cut off the military junta's revenues that it uses to commit the violence.
Myanmar state media said the Southeast Asian country executed four democracy activists it had accused of helping carry out "terror acts" against the government that seized power last year in a coup. The four had been sentenced to death in closed-door trials in January and April.
Those executed were democracy figure Kyaw Min Yu, better known as Ko Jimmy; former lawmaker and hip-hop artist Phyo Zeya Thaw, an ally of ousted Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi; and two others, Hla Myo Aung and Aung Thura Zaw.
"The United States condemns in the strongest terms the Burmese military regime's heinous execution of pro-democracy activists and elected leaders," the White House National Security Council said in a statement. Myanmar is also known as Burma.
The U.S. called on Myanmar's rulers to "release those they have unjustly detained and allow for a peaceful return to democracy in accordance with the wishes of the people of Burma."
At the State Department, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that "these reprehensible acts of violence further exemplify the regime's complete disregard for human rights and the rule of law."
Myanmar remains mired in civil unrest since a military coup toppled the country's civilian-led government in February 2021.
The junta has killed more than 2,100, displaced more than 700,000, and detained members of civil society and journalists since the coup, the State Department said.
"There can be no business as usual with this regime," State Department spokesperson Ned Price said during Monday's briefing.
"We urge all countries to ban the sale of military equipment to Burma, to refrain from lending the regime any degree of international credibility, and we call on ASEAN [Association of Southeast Asian Nations] to maintain its important precedents, only allowing Burmese nonpolitical representation at regional events."
In the U.S. Congress, Senate Committee on Foreign Relations Chair Bob Menendez urged President Joe Biden's administration to step up actions against the junta after the executions over the weekend, which were the first such executions in Burma since 1988.
"The Biden administration must exercise the authorities that Congress has already granted it to impose additional targeted sanctions on the Naypyidaw regime—including on Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise," Menendez said.
China is among the major suppliers to the Myanmar military and has maintained close ties with the junta. In Beijing, Chinese officials refrained from condemning the Burmese military publicly.
"China always adheres to the principle of noninterference in other countries' internal affairs," said Zhao Lijian, China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson, during a Monday briefing.
"All parties and factions in Myanmar should properly handle their differences and conflicts within the framework of the constitution and laws," Zhao said.
This combination photo created on June 3, 2022 shows undated handout photographs released by Myanmar's Military Information Team of democracy activist Kyaw Min Yu, left, and former lawmaker Maung Kyaw, who also goes by the name Phyo Zeya Thaw.
The mother of Phyo Zeya Thaw told VOA Burmese that she had been able to meet her son virtually on Friday.
She said that prison authorities had refused to provide details about her son's execution, including the exact day and time of her son's death, which are critical in planning for traditional funeral rituals. Prison officials also told her there was no precedent in Insein Prison of returning bodies to families.
The executions appeared to be a direct rebuke of ASEAN members' appeals.
In a June letter to the junta, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, who chairs this year's ASEAN, had expressed deep concerns and asked junta chief Min Aung Hlaing not to carry out the executions.
Others, including Malaysian lawmaker Charles Santiago, chair of the ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights, also weighed in.
"Not even the previous military regime, which ruled between 1988 and 2011, dared to carry out the death penalty against political prisoners," Santiago said.
The United Nations was among numerous critics of the executions.
"I am dismayed that despite appeals from across the world, the military conducted these executions with no regard for human rights," U.N. human rights chief Michelle Bachelet said. "This cruel and regressive step is an extension of the military's ongoing repressive campaign against its own people."
She added: "These executions—the first in Myanmar in decades—are cruel violations of the rights to life, liberty and security of a person and fair trial guarantees. For the military to widen its killing will only deepen its entanglement in the crisis it has itself created."
Myanmar's National Unity Government, a shadow administration outlawed by the ruling military junta, said it was "extremely saddened. ... The global community must punish their cruelty."
Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said, "This goes against our repeated calls for all detainees to be freed. It also will sharpen the feelings of the [Myanmar] people and worsen the conflict as well as deepening Myanmar's isolation from the international community. It is a matter of deep concern."
Richard Horsey, a senior adviser on Myanmar at the International Crisis Group, said, "Any possibility of dialogue to end the crisis created by the coup has now been removed. This is the regime demonstrating that it will do what it wants and listen to no one. It sees this as a demonstration of strength, but it may be a serious miscalculation."
Amnesty International Regional Director Erwin van der Borght said the "executions amount to arbitrary deprivation of lives and are another example of Myanmar's atrocious human rights record. … The international community must act immediately, as more than 100 people are believed to be on death row after being convicted in similar proceedings."
Margaret Besheer, VOA Burma and Reuters contributed to this report.
The mother of Phyo Zeya Thaw told VOA Burmese that she had been able to meet her son virtually on Friday.
She said that prison authorities had refused to provide details about her son's execution, including the exact day and time of her son's death, which are critical in planning for traditional funeral rituals. Prison officials also told her there was no precedent in Insein Prison of returning bodies to families.
The executions appeared to be a direct rebuke of ASEAN members' appeals.
In a June letter to the junta, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, who chairs this year's ASEAN, had expressed deep concerns and asked junta chief Min Aung Hlaing not to carry out the executions.
Others, including Malaysian lawmaker Charles Santiago, chair of the ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights, also weighed in.
"Not even the previous military regime, which ruled between 1988 and 2011, dared to carry out the death penalty against political prisoners," Santiago said.
The United Nations was among numerous critics of the executions.
"I am dismayed that despite appeals from across the world, the military conducted these executions with no regard for human rights," U.N. human rights chief Michelle Bachelet said. "This cruel and regressive step is an extension of the military's ongoing repressive campaign against its own people."
She added: "These executions—the first in Myanmar in decades—are cruel violations of the rights to life, liberty and security of a person and fair trial guarantees. For the military to widen its killing will only deepen its entanglement in the crisis it has itself created."
Myanmar's National Unity Government, a shadow administration outlawed by the ruling military junta, said it was "extremely saddened. ... The global community must punish their cruelty."
Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said, "This goes against our repeated calls for all detainees to be freed. It also will sharpen the feelings of the [Myanmar] people and worsen the conflict as well as deepening Myanmar's isolation from the international community. It is a matter of deep concern."
Richard Horsey, a senior adviser on Myanmar at the International Crisis Group, said, "Any possibility of dialogue to end the crisis created by the coup has now been removed. This is the regime demonstrating that it will do what it wants and listen to no one. It sees this as a demonstration of strength, but it may be a serious miscalculation."
Amnesty International Regional Director Erwin van der Borght said the "executions amount to arbitrary deprivation of lives and are another example of Myanmar's atrocious human rights record. … The international community must act immediately, as more than 100 people are believed to be on death row after being convicted in similar proceedings."
Margaret Besheer, VOA Burma and Reuters contributed to this report.
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