MYANMAR ONE YEAR AFTER THE COUP

This February 1 marks one year since a military coup in Myanmar ousted the National League for Democracy of Aung San Suu Kyi, which won a landslide victory in the 2020 election. The army dissolved the elected government and parliament, preventing the start of their second term of office, plunging Myanmar into armed conflict and economic disaster, displacing some 400,000 civilians and killing thousands according to a UN report.

A civil disobedience movement was quickly organized in response to the coup and they were met by heavily armed military forces, brutal killing of as many as 1,500 civilians to date and that does not include thousands more who died in the armed conflicts as fighting intensified throughout the country.

Last month, the United Nations Security Council rejected the junta’s application for membership. The current civilian government’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Kyaw Moe Tun, retains his seat. At the ASEAN Summit meeting in October, the Myanmar leader was also barred from attending, after ASEAN’s special envoy was not allowed to meet with Suu Kyi and other political detainees.

Cambodian authoritarian leader Hun Sen, who has held the power for 37 years, as chairperson of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, met with Myanmar military leader Min Aung Hlaing on January 7 despite thousands of angry protesters by the people of Myanmar and without consultation with ASEAN member states. The two leaders released a joint statement that Myanmar will extend the ceasefire with all Ethnic Armed Organizations (EAOs) from February to the end of 2022. Min Aung Hlaing said he “welcomed the participation of the special envoy of the ASEAN Chair on Myanmar to join the ceasefire talks with and among the EAOs.” This important step is embodied in the ASEAN five-points consensus.”

James Shwe, a Burmese activist based in Los Angeles said, “it isn’t up to Hun Sen to interpret however he thinks it means with these five-points consensus, it’s the Secretary General of ASEAN who he has to consult with and Hun Sen isn’t the boss of the ASEAN, the ASEAN Summit is the ultimate power.”

Myanmar was governed under a Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement that was signed by four parties – the government, the parliament, the military and the ethnic arms organization. The military dissolved the government and the parliament after the coup, therefore, “if we wanted to have a nationwide ceasefire, we need a very conducive atmosphere or guarantee the freedom of expression, freedom of the press, and freedom of individuals democratically participating in the process,” said Bo Hla Tint, National Unity Government of Myanmar’s Ambassador to ASEAN.

“The ASEAN has failed to call for the unconditional release of all the political prisoners including the elected president Win Myint and the State Councilor Aung San Suu Kyi. Without having equal ground to participate by all parties concerned in the dialogue, it would be very difficult to reach the agreement,” added Ambassador Bo Hla Tint.

When the coup took place on February 1, the military arrested many top leaders, however a few escaped and went into exile. They formed the National Unity Government of Myanmar (NUG). Myanmar is a very diverse country with 135 ethnic groups. It has 7 states, and 7 divisions, each with its own ethnic armed organization. “A majority of the Ethnic Armed Organizations are now aligned with NUG,” said James Shwe. “They have renamed to Ethnic Resistant Organizations last week. There are fighting everywhere now in Myanmar. They are fighting in Chin, Kachin, Kayin, Kayah states, and also in Sagaing and Magwe divisions. Right after Hun Sen left, the military launched air strikes on Kaya state.”

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet released an extensive statement on Friday January 28, urging the international community to collaborate and pressure the military to stop its campaign of terror against the people of Myanmar and to support the restoration of civilian rule through concrete actions, governments and private companies alike.

“One year after the military seized power, the people of Myanmar – who have paid a high cost in both lives and freedoms lost – continue to advocate relentlessly for their democracy,” Bachelet said. Latest data showed over 11,787 people have been detained for voicing their opposition to the military, of whom 8,792 remain in custody. At least 290 have died in detention. With a combination of Covid-19 pandemic and collapse of the banking, transportation and education and other sectors, the Myanmar economy is now on the brink of collapse, stated the report.

“One year after the military seized power, the people of Myanmar – who have paid a high cost in both lives and freedoms lost – continue to advocate relentlessly for their democracy,” Bachelet said. Latest data showed over 11,787 people have been detained for voicing their opposition to the military, of whom 8,792 remain in custody. At least 290 have died in detention. With a combination of Covid-19 pandemic and collapse of the banking, transportation and education and other sectors, the Myanmar economy is now on the brink of collapse, stated the report.

Bachelet further stressed that the current crisis in Myanmar is “built upon the impunity with which the military leadership perpetrated the shocking campaign of violence resulting in gross human rights violations against the Rohingya communities of Myanmar four years ago – and other ethnic minorities over many decades beforehand.”

“As long as impunity prevails, stability in Myanmar will be a fiction. Accountability of the military remains crucial to any solution going forward – the people overwhelmingly demand this,” Bachelet said.

Prak Sokhonn, Cambodian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation who has been assigned as special envoy for ASEAN Chair said at the UN Security Council meeting on January 28, “my PM’s visit to Nay Pyi Taw was an ice-breaking mission. It was aimed to build trust, confidence, and understanding and it can certainly act as a stepping stone for further progress. He went there to plant a tree, a tree for peace and reconciliation.”

Despite the Cambodian government’s claim that its intention was peace and reconciliation in Myanmar; however, much like previous ASEAN special envoy, Hun Sen was not allowed to meet with Aung San Suu Kyi who received four years sentence to prison for violating covid-19 restriction rules. At the end of the meeting, according to a Cambodian state media journalist, An Khoun Sam Aun, who accompanied the premier during his visit in Myanmar said Ming Aung Hlaing asked Cambodia Prime Minister Hun Sen to be his “godbrother.”