Myanmar Ambassador to UN: “We All Feel Helpless”

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR: Yes, well, it was certainly courageous. So, now, partly because of your courage, partly because of what’s happening on the ground and civilians being killed, we have seen that the U.N. Security Council has had the meeting. It’s made the statement. We have also seen the reaction from the junta in Myanmar, saying, OK, you international community, thanks a lot, but we’re just carrying on with what our plan is. They say their plan is to hold free and fair elections. What do you think is actually the plan? What will happen?

KYAW MOE TUN, MYANMAR AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS: Thank you so much. First of all, I would like to thank the members of the Security Council. Yesterday, the presidential statement issued by the Security Council is behind the consensus one. And so it’s every member state had a veto. But that is why I would like to thank the — all member state, especially the (INAUDIBLE) and the ambassador Barbara of the United Kingdom for her efforts to bring up the strongest possible messages from the Security Council. The thing that I like to say thanks is that we have the unified voice from the Security Council. Of course, that did not meet our expectation. When I mean ours, I mean the people’s expect — the peoples — expectation from the peoples of Myanmar, because, as you know, as you just mentioned, more than 88 people die, killed, murdered. So, we all feel helpless. So, we keep telling the international community that we need protection, so that — because, at that point, the statement issued, even though it’s thanking all the member states of the Security Council, we’d like to have a stronger than what we have now. So, with regard to the write plans…With regard to the plan, I don’t think we need to have the reelection, because the election that we have on the 8th of November is very clear it is a free and fair election. And it is — the NLD have the landslide victory. So, right after the election, and right after the announcement of the result, many leaders of the world extended their congratulatory message to Aung San Suu Kyi and the NLD. So, to me, there’s no need to have the reelection.