Foreign Minister Marise Payne has strongly condemned the continued & horrific use of lethal force against civilians in Myanmar.
Myanmar security forces killed 114 people, including some children, in a brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protesters on Saturday, the bloodiest day of violence since last month’s military coup.
“We urgently call on the Myanmar security forces to exercise restraint, uphold the rule of law & allow the Myanmar people to exercise their rights to peaceful protest”, Ms Payne tweeted on Sunday.
Chief of the Defence Force General Angus J. Campbell has also condemned the use of lethal force against unarmed people by the Myanmar Armed Forces and associated security services.
In a joint statement of the Chiefs of Defense of Australia, Canada, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, the Kingdom of Denmark, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America, General Angus maintained that a professional military follows international standards for conduct and is responsible for protecting – not harming – the people it serves.
Defense Chiefs urged 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.
Earlier, Ms Payne told a Senate estimates on Thursday that Australian government is seriously considering to expand sanctions against the military officials behind Myanmar’s violent coup.
