OPEN LETTER: DON PRAMUDWINAI .. “DON’T INTERFERE” “DO NOT ESCALATE VIOLENCE IN OUR COUNTRY”

June 18, 2023

We, representatives of Myanmar civil society organizations, strongly condemn the secretive meeting which includes the illegal Myanmar military junta organized by the outgoing Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai of the caretaker Government of Thailand on Sunday 18 June 2023. We demand the caretaker government cancels the meeting immediately.

This is a complete affront to the people of Myanmar who have sacrificed their lives to resist the Myanmar military’s attempt to seize power through years-long terror campaign against the whole nation. The military junta has never been a legitimate government of Myanmar, nor has it acquired effective control over the country’s territories.

This secretive initiative of the outgoing Thai Foreign Minister is in blatant contradiction with the ASEAN consensus on non-invitation of representatives of the military junta in high-level meetings. We are outraged that the Foreign Minister Don stated in his invitation to ASEAN Member States that ASEAN should “fully re-engage Myanmar at the leaders’ level”. This decision was never agreed upon by ASEAN Member States, nor did the Indonesian Government, the incumbent Chair of ASEAN, initiate this meeting. In organizing this meeting, the caretaker Government of Thailand is acting without the mandate and any consultation with the ASEAN Chair. As a member state of ASEAN, Thailand must not deviate from the bloc’s agreement, and must halt this meeting at once.

The caretaker Thai Government’s unilateral move further goes against the United Nations Security Council resolution 2669 on 21 December 2021.

By trying to “fully re-engage” the illegal military junta, representatives of ASEAN Member States will stand in contradiction with the will of the people of Myanmar for the end of military tyranny and for a federal democratic Myanmar. Participation in this secretive meeting, and the failure to cut all ties with the illegal military junta would only be “part of the initial steps” of another failed peace process. Rather, this step sends the signal to the military junta that ASEAN will recognize it despite its commission on heinous crimes. This will only further embolden the military junta to continue its crimes and atrocities, to burn villages, to displace civilian population from their homes and land, to weaponize humanitarian aid and to try to impose its tyrannical rule against the will of the people.

We condemn the secretive initiative of Don Pramudwinai in strongest terms. We demand the caretaker Thai Government cancels this meeting immediately.

We call upon invited states to not attend the meeting, as this meeting will only fuel more violence in our country and undermine other genuine attempts by the international community to address the worsening crisis in Myanmar.

For further information, please contact:

  • Saw Alex.     +48 728 027 952
  • Ko Ye.            +66 816 490 228

Signed by 316 organizations including 235 organization who have chosen not to disclose their name;

  1. Action Committee for Democracy Development ACDD
  2. Ah. La. Ka (12) Hta Khwe. Primary Education Student Union
  3. All Arakan Students and Youths Congress
  4. All Religions Strike Column
  5. Association of Human Rights Defenders and Promoters
  6. Athan
  7. Aung Myay Thar Zan Education Schools Strike Column
  8. Aung Pin Lae Main Strike Column
  9. AYN Ayeyarwady Youth Network
  10. BCC စစ်ကိုင်းတိုင်း
  11. Blood Money Campaign
  12. Blooming Padauk
  13. Burma Civil War Museum (BCM)
  14. Burma Human Rights Network (BHRN)
  15. Burma Support
  16. CDM Support Team Mandalay (CSTM)
  17. Chan Mya Thar Si Township People Strike Column
  18. Chin Farmer Network (C.F.N)
  19. Committee Representing Mandalay Region Hluttaw
  20. Cooperative University Student Strike Column
  21. Daung Sit Thi
  22. Democratic Party for a New Society
  23. Education Family (Anti – Fascists Education Strike Columns Coordination Committee)
  24. Ethnic Youth General Strike Committee
  25. Freedom and Labor Action Group
  26. Future Light Center
  27. Future Thanlwin
  28. General Strike Committee of Nationalities (GSCN)
  29. Generation Wave
  30. Grass-root People
  31. Human Rights Foundation of Monland
  32. India for Myanmar
  33. Inlihtan Peninsula Tanintharyi
  34. Karen Environmental and Social Action Network
  35. Karen Peace Support Network
  36. Karenni Human Rights Group
  37. Keng Tung Youth
  38. LGBTIQ Strike of Mandalay
  39. MAGGA Initiative
  40. Maha Aung Myay Township People Collective Strike Column
  41. Mandalar University Student Strike Column
  42. Mandalay Alliance Strike Collective Column
  43. Mandalay Based People Strike Column
  44. Mandalay Civil Society Organizations
  45. Mandalay Engineer Group
  46. Mandalay Engineer United Force
  47. Mandalay University Student Alumni Union
  48. Mandalay Wholesale Strike Column
  49. Mandalay Youth Strike Column
  50. MATA စစ်ကိုင်းတိုင်း
  51. Medical Family – Mandalay
  52. MIIT Student Strike Column
  53. Muslim Youth Union
  54. Mya Taung Strike Column
  55. Myanmar Cultural Research Society (MCRS)
  56. Myanmar Railway, Region (3) CDM Strike Column
  57. National League for Democracy (Mandalay Region)
  58. Network for Human Rights Documentation Burma (ND-Burma)
  59. No 7 State High School Alumni Strike Column
  60. NRFF- New Rehmonnya Federated Force
  61. Nyan Lynn Thit Analytica
  62. Pan Pa Wash People Strike Column
  63. Phayagye Peace Strike Column
  64. Private Pre-school Teachers Association
  65. Progressive Voice
  66. Pyi Gyi Ta Gon Strike
  67. Sangha Samaga Strike Column
  68. Save and Care Organization for Ethnic Women at Border Areas
  69. Sein Pan Strike Column
  70. Shan MATA
  71. Sisters 2 Sisters
  72. Southern Dragon Myanmar
  73. Southern Youth Development Organization
  74. Strike Column of Representatives of Arbitrarily Arrested People
  75. Strike Column of Teachers from Universities and Degree Colleges of Mandalay
  76. Synergy – social harmony organization
  77. Taekwando Sport Association
  78. Tai Youth Alliance (Myanmar, Japan, Thailand, South Korea)
  79. Tanintharyi MATA
  80. Thapaynyo News Letter
  81. အထက်အညာလွင်ပြင်ရပ်ဝန်း

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