OPEN LETTER FROM MYANMAR PEOPLE TO CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS AND POLITICAL PARTIES OF INDIA

OPEN LETTER FROMMYANMAR PEOPLE

From 183 Civil Society Organisations and Individuals

THINZAR SHUNLEI YI

OPEN LETTER FROM MYANMAR PEOPLE TO CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS AND POLITICAL PARTIES OF INDIA

Since February 2021 coup, the Myanmar military has been terrorizing its people to instill fear as a strategy for its rule.

For over a year, it has deployed all kinds of cruel oppressive methods including the use of the horrendous tactic of rape as a weapon to contain and control the people who resist its rule in favor of democracy.

Yet they have failed in doing so as the people have responded with sheer determination that “they shall not rule” and have united to successfully establish their own democratic government further reducing the status of the military to an illegitimate organization and a mere terrorist armed group.

We, the people of Myanmar, have engaged in a resistance movement to put an end to the military’s violent oppression and gross human rights violations including crimes that amount to war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide that have been going on for decades. We have risked and lost our homes and lives in this fight to uproot the dictatorship and establish a federal democratic country.

Gaza Crisis: Children Forced to Work as Families Struggle Amid Conflict

Since February 2021, the fascist military organization has killed over 2,000 civilians; unlawfully arrested, tortured, or detained over 14,000 democratically elected political leaders[1], civil society members and activists; and displaced over one million people[2]. Moreover, due to the military’s intentional and inhuman act of violence targeting civilians, the people have been suffering from anxiety, terror, and mental and physical violence, in addition to other disasters such as hunger. More details can be learned in the information attached with this letter.

The multidimensional crisis in Myanmar is not an internal affair of our country. Its impact extends beyond its borders. This is a political struggle between “democracy and military dictatorship” and a collaborated attempt to undermine and diminish a democratic movement with the backing and corporation of the like of China, Russia and other pro-military junta countries.

The outcome of ongoing Myanmar’s democracy movement will undoubtedly have an impact on other democracy supporters around the world.

Similar to India and other countries fighting for democracy and human rights, we have, for many decades, been facing general oppression on farmers, workers as well as on religious, ethnic and social groups and many more to a point where widespread corruption and repeated collapse of electoral democracy practices have forced us to risks our homes and lives to engage in a resistance movement, which has gained momentum, to end the brutal military dictatorship once and for all.

However, to date, The Government of India as Myanmar’s world’s biggest democratic neighbor have not stood up for Myanmar’s people in their struggle for democracy. Worse, it has provided arms and political legitimacy to Myanmar’s fascist military regime. India’s security forces have also engaged in increased arrests of members of Myanmar’s democratic forces.

Furthermore, while many other democratic countries have imposed economic sanctions on Myanmar’s military, The Government of India continues to operate its business projects inside Myanmar in collaboration with the military regime enabling the flow of blood money to them.

In April 2022, India’s new ambassador Shri Vinay Kumar, who was appointed in November 2021, said that India would support and collaborate with the Myanmar junta’s election commission for the next election to be held in Myanmar under the control of criminal Myanmar fascist military that has been killing civilians and engaged in mass arson attacks daily.

This is an act of support to perpetrators of international crimes and blatant ignorance of the suffering of the Myanmar people.

We the people of Myanmar, strongly believe that “India people’s solidarity is the key to Myanmar’s democracy movement” and as we maintain good faith in people-to-people collaboration, we have created and operated India for Myanmar campaign to acquire support from the people of India. Therefore, we respectfully urge civil society organizations and political parties of the people of India to take the following actions to support the Myanmar people.

Show and express your support for democracy and the people of Myanmar.

Pressure The Government of India to stop providing political legitimacy and arms to Myanmar’s fascist military.

Pressure The Government of India to impose economic sanctions on Myanmar’s military.

Help and support displaced people and refugees from Myanmar and pressure The Government of India to provide humanitarian assistance to them.

We believe that with the corporation and support from the people of India, we will be able to successfully advocate for the Government of India to take the action mentioned above. We would like to express our profound gratitude to all people of India who, through the recognition and support for the fight of Myanmar people, have advanced democracy and human rights values spreading them from India to Myanmar and to the rest of the world.

The above letter is signed by the following 116 civil society organizations, students’ unions, political coalitions, and nationwide strike committees. The other 67 organizations and individuals signed in anonymously due to security risks. In total (183) national and regional Organizations working for Myanmar raised their collective voice to the Civil Society Organizations and Political Parties of India.

Contacts for the Open Letter:

Salai Dokhar +919-362-212819 (Call), +959-756-208376 (Signal)

Thinzar Shunlei Yi +959-795-574775 (Signal)

John +959-445-995371 (Signal)

[1] https://aappb.org/?lang=en

[2] https://reliefweb.int/report/myanmar/myanmar-humanitarian-update-no-19-28-june-2022

A-Yar-Taw People Strike

Action Committee for Democracy Development

Action Committee of Basic Education Students

All Arakan Students and Youths’ Congress (AASYC)

All Burma Federation of Student Unions (Monywa District)

All Kachin Youths Union (AKYU)

Alliance of Students’ Union – Yangon (ASU-Yangon)

Anti-Dictatorship in Burma – DC Metropolitan Area (ADB-DCMA)

Anti-junta Forces Coordination Committee (ACFCC -Mandalay)

Arakan CSO Network

Arakan Humanitarian Coordination Team- AHCT

Asonehti Ponekan Mae Yangon Strike

Athan – Freedom of Expression Activist Organization

Basic Education General Strike Committee (BEGSC)

Basic Education Worker Unions – Steering Committee (BEWU-SC)

Blood Money Campaign

BURMESE COMMUNITY IN FRANCE

CDM Medical Network (CDMMN)

Chin Relief Funding Program -CRFP

Chin Youth Organization- Matupi

Chindwin (West) Villages Women Strike

Citizen of Burma Award (New Zealand)

Civil Information Network (CIN)

Civil Society Organizations Coordination Committee (Monywa)

Coalition Strike Committee – Dawei

CRPH & NUG Supporters Ireland

CRPH Funding Ireland

CRPH, NUG Support Team Germany

CRPH/NUG Support Group India

Dawei (Ashaetaw) Women Strike

Dawei Youths Revolutionary Movement Strike Committee

Democracy Movement Strike Committee – Dawei

Democracy, Peace, and Women’s Organization

Democratic Youth Council

Depayin Women Strike

Educational Initiatives

Ethnic Youth Group (Mandalay)

European Karen Network (EKN)

Former Political Prisoners and New Generation Group – Monywa

Free Rohingya Coalition

angaw Women Strike

General Strike Collaboration Committee (GSCC)

General Strike Committee of Basic and Higher Education (GSCBHE)

Generation (မျိုးဆက်)

India For Myanmar

Kachin Human Rights Watch – KHRW

Kachin State Civilian Movement

Kachin Student Union

Kalay Township Strike Force

Kalay Women Strike

Karen Swedish Community (KSC)

Kuki Students’ Democratic Front – KSDF

Kuki Students’ Organization (Myanmar)

Kuki Women’s Human Rights Organization

Labor Alliance (LA)

Latpadaung Region Strike Committee

LGBT Alliance

LGBT Alliance Myanmar (Kalay Region)

LGBT Alliance Myanmar (Kyaukse Region)

LGBT Community Yangon

LGBT Union Mandalay

Magway People’s Revolution Committee

Mandalay Engineer Group (MEG)

Mandalay Medical Family (MFM)

Mandalay Women Strike

Mandalay-Based University Students’ Unions (MDY_SUs)

Minority Affairs Institute – MAI (Myanmar)

Monywa LGBT Strike

Monywa People’s Strike Steering Committee

Monywa Women Strike

Monywa-Amyint Road Strike Leading Committee

Monywa-Amyint Road Women Strike

Myanmar Alliance for Transparency and Accountability – MATA

Myanmar Banker Union – MBU

Myanmar CDM Association

Myingyan Civilian Movement Committee

National League for Democracy (Monywa Township)

Network for Advocacy Action

Network for Human Rights Documentation-Burma (ND-Burma)

Network of University Student Unions – Monywa

NRFF – New Rehmonnya Federated Force

OCTOPUS (Youth Organization)

Progressive Voice – PV

Pyay Township Coalition Strike Committee

Reliable Organization

Representative Committee of University Teacher Associations (RC of UTAs)

Representing The Arrested People Strike

Samgha Samagga Mandalay

Second Tap Root Organization

Sisters 2 Sisters

Sitt Nyein Pann Foundation

Sound of Struggle Myanmar (SOS MYANMAR)

Student Union Representatives Committee – SURC

Support group for Democracy in Myanmar (The Netherlands)

Tamu District Indigenous Organization (TDIO)

Tanintharyi People’s Voice

Taze Women Strike

Thakhin Kodaw Mhine Peace Network (Monywa)

Thayat Chaung Women Strike

The 88 Generation Peace and Open Society (Monywa)

Twitter Team for Revolution

University Students’ Unions Alumni Force

We Love Motherland-MM(Malaysia)

Wetlet Revolution Leading Committee

Wetlet Township Women Strike

White Coat Society Yangon (WCSY)

Women Advocacy Coalition – Myanmar (WAC-M)

Women Alliance Burma (WAB)

Yadanabon University Students’ Union (YDNBUSU)

Yangon Women Strike

YG Network

Yinmarpin (east) and Salingyi (North) Villages Strike Committee

Youth Development Institute (YDI)

Youth Network – Tanintharyi

Youths Union

Youths Union (Pathein)

And 67 anonymous Civil Society Organizations and Individuals.

( 25th July, Myanmar)

29-07-2022

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