Junta attacks displace nearly 250,000: UN

The Myanmar military junta's crackdown on anti-coup protesters has displaced close to a quarter of a million people, a United Nations rights envoy said yesterday. 

The military has stepped up its use of lethal force to quash mass demonstrations against a February 1 coup which ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

At least 738 people have been killed and 3,300 are languishing in jails as political prisoners, according to a local monitoring group.

"Horrified to learn that... the junta's attacks have already left nearly a quarter (of a) million Myanmar people displaced, according to sources," UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar Tom Andrews tweeted yesterday.

"The world must act immediately to address this humanitarian catastrophe."

Amid mounting violence, South East Asian leaders and foreign ministers are set to hold talks on the Myanmar crisis in Jakarta on Saturday.

Coup leader Min Aung Hlaing's expected involvement in the summit has angered activists and human rights groups.

"Min Aung Hlaing, who faces international sanctions for his role in military atrocities, should not be welcomed at an intergovernmental gathering to address a crisis he created," Human Rights Watch's Brad Adams said.