12 defence chiefs condemn Myanmar army after day of ‘mass murder’ | Al Jazeera

The defence chiefs of 12 countries have condemned the Myanmar military for its deadly crackdown on demonstrators, as people across the Southeast Asian country mourned those who lost their lives in the bloodiest day since the February 1 coup.

The United States, United Kingdom, Japan and South Korea signed onto Sunday’s joint statement.

“A professional military follows international standards for conduct and is responsible for protecting – not harming – the people it serves,” the defence chiefs said. “We urge 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.”

The other countries that signed the statement were Australia, Canada, Germany, Greece, Italy, Denmark, the Netherlands, and New Zealand.

The rare joint condemnation came as security forces killed at least 114 people on Saturday, Myanmar’s Armed Forces Day, in a crackdown that a United Nations investigator called “mass murder”.