Southeast Asian MPs urge the Thai government to stop engaging with the Myanmar junta and help refugees

Southeast Asian MPs urge the Thai government to stop engaging with the Myanmar junta and help refugees

JAKARTA – Parliamentarians from Southeast Asia urge the Thai government to stop engaging with the Myanmar junta, led by Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, as it continues committing all sorts of atrocities against its own population in order to cement its power after the failed coup d’état in February 2021. They also petition the Thai authorities to provide help to refugees and asylum seekers fleeing persecution and military attacks from the neighboring country.

The call to disengage the junta comes after a meeting between the top leaders of the Myanmar and Thai armed forces in Rakhine State, western Myanmar. The Chief of the Royal Thai Armed Forces, General Chalermphon Srisawasdi, and Min Aung Hlaing met on 20 January with the aim of “further cementing mutual trust, mutual understanding and friendly ties between the two armed forces,” according to media controlled by the Myanmar junta.

As the high-level meeting was taking place, the Myanmar military was launching indiscriminate airstrikes in a village located in Sagaing region, killing at least seven villagers and injuring over thirty. On several occasions, stray shells have landed in Thai territory when the Myanmar military was conducting aerial attacks in neighboring Karen and Karenni states. 

“By engaging with the junta, the Thai military and government are turning into enablers of the crimes against humanity that it is perpetrating on a daily basis. No geopolitical interests can justify that. The junta has also shown utter disrespect to ASEAN, of which Thailand is also a member, by disregarding the Five Point Consensus it signed three months after the coup. No ASEAN member state should have ‘friendly ties’ with a military that has turned Myanmar into a center of instability which is threatening the whole region,” said Charles Santiago, former Member of Parliament in Malaysia, and Co-Chairperson of ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR).

The Five Point Consensus was signed by the ASEAN member states and the Myanmar junta in April 2021 to put an end to the violence, seek a negotiated solution to the conflict and address the humanitarian crisis. As APHR has repeatedly stated, Min Aung Hlaing has not shown any willingness to comply with its terms from the beginning. The report of the International Parliamentary Inquiry into the global response to the crisis in Myanmar (IPI), organized by APHR, urged ASEAN to abandon the Five Point Consensus in its present form, as it has clearly failed.

“As we demanded in our IPI report, ASEAN should engage the National Unity Government (NUG) of Myanmar, as the legitimate authority of the country, and re-negotiate a new consensus with it and aligned ethnic organizations. ASEAN decided early on not to invite representatives of the junta to high-level meetings, and countries like Malaysia and its current Chair, Indonesia, have shown willingness to engage the NUG. By meeting Ming Aung Hlaing, Thailand is undermining those efforts and furthering divisions within the regional group,” said Santiago.

In this vein, Thailand hosted a meeting in December to discuss the crisis in Myanmar, attended by the foreign ministers of the Myanmar junta, Laos and Cambodia, as well as the deputy foreign minister of Vietnam. Significantly, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia and Singapore did not attend.

Thailand and Myanmar share a border of over 2,400 kilometers, and the attacks by the junta have displaced hundreds of thousands. Yet Thailand refuses to accept refugees fleeing the onslaught of the Myanmar military on the other side of the border, often pushing back those who cross it after a few days or even a few hours, as human rights organizations have often denounced in the last two years. Asylum seekers from the neighboring country do not fare much better in Thailand, where they have no legal protection and live in constant fear of deportation.

“Thailand has a history of welcoming refugees from Laos, Cambodia or Vietnam since the 20th century wars in Indochina. The government should open its borders to the refugees fleeing war in the Myanmar ethnic states along its borders, and provide legal protections to those who seek political asylum, including defectors from the Myanmar military. It should also facilitate cross-border aid by local civil society organizations and international NGOs. Once again, on these issues the main interlocutors the Thai government should engage with in Myanmar are the NUG, aligned ethnic organizations, and the vibrant civil society, not a criminal military completely unable to solve the crisis it has created,” said Santiago.

Click here to read this statement in Thai.

Myanmar military should end its use of violence and respect democracy

Myanmar military should end its use of violence and respect democracy

The undersigned groups today denounced an apparent coup in Myanmar, and associated violence, which has suspended civilian government and effectively returned full power to the military. 

On 1 February, the military arbitrarily detained State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and other leaders of the National League for Democracy. A year-long state of emergency was declared, installing Vice-President and former lieutenant-general Myint Swe as the acting President. Myint Swe immediately handed over power to commander-in-chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing (Section 418 of Myanmar’s 2008 Constitution enables transfer of legislative, executive, and judicial powers to the Commander in Chief). Internet connections and phone lines throughout the country were disrupted, pro-democracy activists have been arbitrarily arrested, with incoming reports of increased detentions. Soldiers in armored cars have been visibly roaming Nay Pyi Taw and Yangon, raising fears of lethal violence. 

The military should immediately and unconditionally release all detained and return to Parliament to reach a peaceful resolution with all relevant parties,” said the groups.

The military and its aligned Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) had disputed the results of the November elections, which saw the majority of the seats won by the NLD. The arrests of the leaders came just before the Parliament was due to convene for the first time in order to pick the President and Vice-Presidents.  

Among the key leaders arrested, aside from Aung San Suu Kyi, are: President U Win Myint and Chief Ministers U Phyo Min Thein, Dr Zaw Myint Maung, Dr Aung Moe Nyo, Daw Nan Khin Htwe Myint, and U Nyi Pu. 

The man now in charge of the country, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, stands accused of committing the crime of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, raising alarms for the human rights situation, in particular for ethnic minority and Rohingya communities. Military rule also reverses the emerging political openness that occured in recent years. 

The military has remained an influential force in the government, despite changes in the previous decade. “How the military has acted has proven it has never been committed to any democratic change. It has always been interested in preserving power,” said the groups.

The organizations, comprising diverse CSOs and NGOs, call on the Myanmar military to: 

  • Immediately and unconditionally release all those currently arbitrarily detained; 
  • Immediately restore the Internet and all forms of communications; and
  • Allow Parliament to resume and elected MPs to fulfil their mandate without impediment.

The groups also made the following demands to:

  • The UN Security Council to convene an emergency meeting to respond to the situation including sending a delegation to Myanmar, the establishment of a global arms embargo and a referral of the situation in Myanmar to the ICC;
  • The international community to urgently establish a comprehensive response, including targeted sanctions against the military and their partners’ business enterprises; and conditionality on diplomatic, economic and security relations, in order to secure the immediate release of those detained, protection of civilians including those in conflict zones, handover of power to a civilian-controlled parliament, and irreversible reforms that put human rights and democracy at the core of governance and prevent recurrence of such power-grabs; 
  • Social media companies, in particular Facebook, to suspend the accounts of USDP and military leaders that have used their platforms to spread disinformation, fear, and psychological violence; and
  • ASEAN leaders, to use all diplomatic leverage to ensure the rule of law is upheld and the will of the people are respected.

Organizations:

  1. ALIRAN Malaysia                                  
  2. All Arakan Students’ and Youths’ Congress (AASYC)
  3. Alliance for Conflict Transformation (ACT), Cambodia
  4. Alliance of Independent Journalists Indonesia (AJI), Indonesia
  5. ALTSEAN-Burma
  6. ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR)
  7. ASEAN Youth Forum
  8. Asia Democracy Network (ADN)                                    
  9. Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA)
  10. Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL)
  11. Asian Resource Foundation (ARF)
  12. Association Human Rights Defenders and Promoters (HRDP)
  13. Association of Women for Awareness and Motivation (AWAM) 
  14. Awaz Foundation Pakistan – Centre for Development Services
  15. Backpack Health Workers Team (BPHWT)
  16. BALAOD Mindanaw
  17. Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (MASUM) 
  18. Bir Duino, Kyrgyzstan
  19. Buddhist Humanitarian Project
  20. Burma Campaign UK
  21. Burma Center Delhi                              
  22. Burma Human Rights Network (BHRN)
  23. Burma Medical Association (BMA)
  24. Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK – BROUK
  25. Bytes for All, Pakistan
  26. Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association (ADHOC)
  27. Campaign Committee for Human Rights (CCHR)
  28. Campaign for Popular Democracy (CPD), Thailand
  29. Center for Cambodian Civic Education
  30. Center for Conflict Resolution
  31. Center for Human Rights and Development (CHRD)
  32. Centre for independence journalism (CIJ)
  33. Centre for the Sustainable Use of Natural and Social Resources (CSNR)
  34. Chin Human Rights Organization (CHRO)           
  35. Civil Rights Defenders (CRD)
  36. Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence (KontraS), Indonesia
  37. Community Resource Centre Foundation (CRC) 
  38. Coordinadora Regional de Investigationes Economicas y Sociales (CRIES)
  39. Covenants Watch
  40. DAKILA – Philippine Collective for Modern Heroism
  41. Dalit Foundation
  42. Dignity-Kadyr-kassiyet (KK)
  43. East Bago- Former Political Prisoners Network (EB-FPPN)
  44. Foundation for Tolerance Intl, Kyrgyzstan          
  45. Free Burma Campaign (South Africa)     
  46. Future Light Center (FLC)
  47. Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC)-Southeast Asia
  48. GPPAC Caucasus Network Partnership for Prevention of Armed Conflicts           
  49. GPPAC Central Asia       
  50. GPPAC in the Middle East and North Africa, MENAPPAC.
  51. GPPAC Latin America and Caribbean           
  52. Human Rights Commission of Pakistan
  53. Human Rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM)
  54. Human Rights Working Group (HRWG)
  55. Ichsan Malik Center for Peace and Dialogue (IMC)
  56. Indonesia Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI), Indonesia
  57. Indonesian Human Rights Monitor (Imparsial), Indonesia
  58. Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights Association (PBHI), Indonesia
  59. Info Birmanie (France)                          
  60. INFORM Human Rights Documentation Centre
  61. Informal Sector Service Centre (INSEC)
  62. Initiatives for International Dialogue (IID)
  63. Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy (ELSAM), Indonesia
  64. Inter Pares (Canada)
  65. International Center on Conflict and Negotiation (ICCN)                         
  66. International Legal Initiative Public Foundation (ILI Foundation), Kazakhstan
  67. International Women’s Rights Action Watch (IWRAW)
  68. Jagriti Child and Youth Concern Nepal (JCYCN) 
  69. JANANEETHI
  70. Kachin Women’s Association Thailand (KWAT)
  71. Kachin Women’s Association Thailand (KWAT)
  72. Karapatan Alliance Philippines (KARAPATAN)
  73. Karen Environmental and Social Action Network – Kaw Thoo Lei
  74. Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG)
  75. Karen Peace Support Network (KPSN)
  76. Karen Student Network Group (KSNG)
  77. Karen Teacher Working Group (KTWG)
  78. Karen Women’s Organization (KWO)
  79. Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and the Rule of Law (KIBHR)
  80. Korean House for International Solidarity (KHIS)
  81. Madaripur Legal Aid Association (MLAA)
  82. Maldivian Democracy Network (MDN)
  83. National Commission for Justice and Peace (NCJP)
  84. Network for Human Rights Documentation-Burma (ND-Burma)
  85. Norwegian Helsinki Committee 
  86. Peace and Human Rights Resource Center (PHRC)
  87. Peace Boat                               
  88. People’s Empowerment Foundation
  89. People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy(PSPD)
  90. People’s Watch, India
  91. Permanent Peace Movement (Lebanon)            
  92. Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates (PAHRA)
  93. Programme Against Custodial Torture in India (PACTI) 
  94. Progressive Voice
  95. Pusat KOMAS
  96. Regional Centre for Strategic Studies (RCSS)
  97. Salween Peace Park (SPP)
  98. Social Democracy Think Tank (SDTT), Thailand
  99. Southeast Asia Freedom of Expression Network (SAFENET)
  100. Southeast Asian Conflict Studies Network (SEACSN)
  101. Stefanus Alliance International             
  102. Stiftung Asienhaus (Germany)              
  103. Suara Rakyat Malaysia (SUARAM)
  104. Swedish Burma Committee
  105. Taiwan Association for Human Rights (TAHR)
  106. Task Force Detainees of the Philippines (TFDP)
  107. Teoh Beng Hock Trust for Democracy
  108. The Relatives Committee of May 1992 Heroes, Thailand
  109. Think Centre
  110. TRANSCEND Pilipinas
  111. Women’s Peace Network
  112. Yangon Youth Network             
  113. Yayasan Sekretariat Anak Merdeka Indonesia (SAMIN), Indonesia
  114. Young Peoples for Social Democracy (YPD), Thailand

Individuals

  1. Abel da Silva, Member of Parliament, Timor-Leste         
  2. Aykan Erdemir, member of the The International Panel of Parliamentarians for Freedom of Religion or Belief (IPPFORB)  Steering Group
  3. David Anderson, member of the IPPFoRB Steering Group
  4. Farahnaz Ispahani, former Member of Parliament, Pakistan
  5. Fernanda San Martin, member of the IPPFoRB Steering Group
  6. Kasit Piromya, former Member of Parliament, Thailand
  7. Kasthuri Patto, member of the IPPFoRB Steering Group
  8. Natrah Ismail, Member of Parliament, Malaysia
  9. Tian Chua, Vice president the People’s Justice Party, former member of Parliament, Malaysia