Harris urges Indo-Pacific support for democracy in Myanmar

HO CHI MINH CITY, Aug 24, 2021, EFE. The vice president of the United States condemned on Tuesday the “violent repression” of Myanmar’s military and urged Indo-Pacific nations to join the US in its “effort” to restore democracy in the country, La Prensa Latina reported.

During a speech in Singapore, Kamala Harris said “the United States remains deeply alarmed by the military coup.”

“We condemn the campaign of violent repression and we are committed to supporting the people there as they work to return their nation to the path of democracy. And we do hope that nations throughout the Indo-Pacific will join us in that effort,” said the vice president, who will travel later Tuesday to Vietnam as part of her tour of Southeast Asia.

The administration of US President Joe Biden has been one of the most critical voices of the Feb. 1 military coup that ousted the elected government of leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

While the Association of Southeast Asian Nations tries to consolidate its efforts as a mediator, so far without success, Western powers such as the US, the European Union, the United Kingdom and Canada have tried to pressure the junta through economic sanctions.

Isolated by the West, the military have found in Russia and China their only footholds in the international scene.

The military junta has repressed street protests with extreme violence and more than 1,000 civilians have died, while more than 7,000 opponents of the regime have been arrested, according to data from the Association for the Assistance of Political Prisoners.