March 27, 2021
|
BY Jim Garamone
, DOD News
Army Gen. Mark A. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,
joined fellow chiefs of defense condemning the use of lethal force
against the people of Burma.
The chairman joined with chiefs of defense from Australia, Canada,
Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, the Kingdom of Denmark, the Kingdom of
the Netherlands, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea and the United
Kingdom in calling on the military junta in Burma — also called Myanmar
— to follow international standards of military professionalism.
Navy Adm. Philip Davidson, the commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, also endorsed the statement.
"As Chiefs of Defense, we condemn the use of lethal force against
unarmed people by the Myanmar Armed Forces and associated security
services," the statement says. "A professional military follows
international standards for conduct and is responsible for protecting
— not harming — the people it serves. We urge the Myanmar Armed Forces
to cease violence and work to restore respect and credibility with the
people of Myanmar that it has lost through its actions."
The release of the joint statement follows concerns voiced by other
countries in the region, including recent remarks made by military
leaders in Singapore and Indonesia. The Joint Statement also echoes
White House and U.S. State Department statements condemning the
violence.
The military launched a coup d'etat in Burma on Feb. 1.The junta
arrested the democratically elected government headed by State
Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint. They also arrested
the ministers, deputies and members of Parliament. The military
proclaimed a year-long state of emergency and declared
Commander-in-Chief of Defense Services Senior General Min Aung Hlang as
the government leader.
News reports from the Southeast Asian country indicate that thousands
have been arrested since Feb. 1. The military has violently put down
protests against the coup, and reporting indicates that over 350 people
have been killed, including more than 20 children. This includes reports
this past week that Burmese security forces shot a one-year-old in the
eye with a rubber bullet and shot and killed a seven-year-old girl in
her family home.
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