FROM THE DVB NEWSROOM

Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun, Myanmar’s permanent representative to the U.N., will retain his position for another year despite Naypyidaw trying to replace him with a pro-military representative. Kyaw Moe Tun was appointed to the U.N. post prior to the 2021 military coup and remains loyal to the National Unity Government (NUG), a group of elected lawmakers, community leaders, and ethnic resistance organizations opposing the military regime.

The spokesperson for the president of the U.N. General Assembly, Monica Grayley, told RFA that the credentials committee declined to meet this year, which means Kyaw Moe Tun will continue in his post. “Whoever sat last year will sit this year,” she said. 

There are nine members of the U.N. Credentials Committee, including China and Russia. Beijing and Moscow have worked closely with Naypyidaw since the 2021 military coup. The Myanmar Accountability Project (MAP) welcomed the decision to keep Kyaw Moe Tun in his post. It works with civil society groups in Myanmar to hold the military accountable for the crimes it has committed against the people. 

“The nine-member committee’s decision in favor of Myanmar’s National Unity Government is all the more remarkable, as Russia and China, both close allies of the [military] junta, are committee members,” stated MAP. It called on international organizations like the U.N. Human Rights Council (OHCHR) and the International Criminal Court (ICC) to legitimize the NUG – and disregard the military – as the sole government of Myanmar. 

The military regime in Naypyidaw has had difficulties gaining legitimacy among the international community besides support from China, Russia and members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which has barred it from high-level meetings and summits.