UN rights envoy urges halt to attacks on Myanmar town as residents trapped

Myanmar’s military must halt attacks on the town of Loikaw and lift a blockade on those trying to flee, a UN human rights investigator said on Monday (Jan 10), as a shaken resident described constant shelling and airstrikes in the area.

Loikaw is the capital of eastern Myanmar’s Kayah State, which borders Thailand that has often seen intense fighting between the army and rebel groups opposed to last year’s coup.

Since last week, the military had launched airstrikes and fired artillery in the town, forcing several thousand residents to flee, according to a resident and media reports.

In a message on Twitter, Thomas Andrews, UN special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar, said military ruler Min Aung Hlaing “must immediately halt the air and ground attacks that junta forces have unleashed on Loikaw”.

A blockade preventing people from fleeing from the area should also be lifted and humanitarian aid let in, he said.

SOURCE: NEWS AGENCIES