LETTER | M'sian govt must curb military violence in Myanmar

LETTER | We, the Transnational Coalition for the Arts or Transnation, a coalition of over 45 artist organisations and individuals in Malaysia and beyond, urge the Malaysian government to take stricter measures to curb military violence in Myanmar.

Since the military coup on Feb 1, over 750 innocent civilians have been killed. The military junta, led by chief Min Aung Hlaing, has little respect for human life. Unarmed protestors were beaten and killed, children and health workers were shot at, schools and houses were bombed indiscriminately.

Regardless of the atrocity, the people of Myanmar have continued to protest against the coup, clearly indicating that the military junta has eroded its moral standing and political legitimacy.

For this reason, we strongly believe that the Malaysian government and Asean should renew calls for the end of Myanmar’s military violence, cut ties with the military junta, and recognise and engage directly with the National Unity Government (NUG) formed by the Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH).

Malaysia, being one of the founding members of Asean, has the capacity to do so much more to deescalate the situation and to ensure regional security. We are disheartened by Asean's lack of commitment to ending this inhumanity as bullets continue to fly and the people of Myanmar continue to suffer and live in fear.

The five-point consensus, conceived in the Asean summit held on April 24 in Jakarta, evidently fell on deaf ears. Non-interference diplomacy has failed. While we commend your ministry’s consistent demand for “an immediate end to violence, unconditional and immediate release of political detainees, and resumption of an inclusive dialogue involving all concerned parties for a political transition and peaceful settlement of the ongoing crisis in the interest of Myanmar and her people”, we maintain that statements no longer suffice.

Echoing the words of Dr Sasa (Minister of International Cooperation of NUG and envoy of CRPH) and Tom Andrews (United Nations Special Rapporteur), only concrete and decisive actions can save Myanmar.

We urge the government to work towards a more coordinated response to end this crisis, and to support and lead in the following efforts:

1. To endorse the call to impose a comprehensive global arms embargo on Myanmar.
   
   
2. To withdraw all public investments in Myanmar, and to discourage private investments in Myanmar by companies registered in Malaysia through strategic fiscal provisions.
   
   
3. To engage directly with the NUG and support its Federal Democracy Charter and roadmaps towards building a democratic and inclusive government.
   
   
4. To denounce the military junta and demand that military personnel are brought to the Internation Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity.

We look forward to the positive response and wise decision to uphold the safety and security of the people in Myanmar and the region.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.