A coalition of 240 Myanmar civil society organizations (CSOs) has issued an open letter urging ASEAN leaders to go beyond the Five-Point Consensus and take decisive action to support the Myanmar people’s efforts in building a federal democracy. The letter, addressed to the leaders of ASEAN member states and copied to Duwa Lashi La, the Acting President of Myanmar, condemns the military junta’s ongoing human rights violations and calls for immediate international action.
The letter highlights the escalating violence unleashed by Myanmar’s military, particularly the recent airstrikes in Shan, Karen, and Karenni States, as well as the Sagaing Region. These attacks, which spanned four consecutive days in northern Shan State’s Lashio, resulted in the deaths of at least six civilians. The coalition underscores the junta’s repeated targeting of civilians, with over 40 people, including children, killed in airstrikes last month across multiple regions. The junta’s campaign of violence has displaced over three million people, with widespread atrocities continuing unabated since the military coup in February 2021.
The CSOs are critical of ASEAN’s continued silence in the face of these atrocities, calling it a “failure to address the dire human rights and humanitarian crisis in Myanmar.” They urge ASEAN to display political leadership and uphold its commitments to the well-being of the Myanmar people, particularly at the 44th and 45th ASEAN Summits in Vientiane under the chairship of Laos.
In their letter, the organizations put forth a series of recommendations aimed at breaking ties with the military junta and supporting the Myanmar people’s legitimate representatives, including the National Unity Government (NUG) and ethnic resistance organizations. The recommendations call for ASEAN to:
- Cease all engagement with the Myanmar military junta, including business ties and support for its sham elections.
- Exclude all representatives of the junta from ASEAN platforms at all levels.
- Collaborate with local civil society and community-based organizations to ensure humanitarian aid reaches the most vulnerable, bypassing junta-controlled channels.
- Support transitional justice efforts and coordinate with international justice mechanisms to hold the junta accountable for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.
The letter emphasizes that the Myanmar people’s revolution for federal democracy is gaining ground, with the military losing control of 86% of the country’s territory. The CSOs argue that ASEAN’s failure to act not only undermines Myanmar’s fight for democracy but also threatens regional stability, leading to an influx of refugees and loss of commercial interests for neighboring countries.
The coalition remains open to further engagement with ASEAN and the international community, expressing a willingness to assist in the effective implementation of these recommendations.
For more information, contact:
Sampson Hlaing, Executive Director, Equality Myanmar – ed.eqmm@protonmail.com
Yasmin Ullah, Executive Director, Rohingya Maìyafuìnor Collaborative Network – u.m.yasmin8@gmail.com
Khin Ohmar, Chairperson, Progressive Voice – info@progressive-voice.org
This letter is backed by prominent Myanmar civil society groups, including the All Burma Federation of Student Unions, Burmese Women’s Union, Karen Human Rights Group, and Rohingya Maìyafuìnor Collaborative Network.
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