Blog Elements – Page 178

December 5, 2022

H.E. Fumio Kishida, Prime Minister of Japan

H.E. Yoshimasa Hayashi, Foreign Minister of Japan

Statement Calling for the Japanese Government to Stop ODA to Myanmar

ayus:Network of Buddhists Volunteers on International Cooperation

Friends of the Earth Japan

Japan International Volunteer Center (JVC)

Network Against Japan Arms Trade (NAJAT)

Mekong Watch

Since the attempted coup by the military in Myanmar on February 1, 2021, there have been numerous reports of murder, sexual violence, forced disappearance, and torture by the military as well as security forces under military command. As of November 18, 2022, at least 2,519 people have been killed by the Myanmar military. This figure includes at least 191 children. Further, among those who have protested the attempted seizure of power by the Myanmar military, more than 16,275 people have been arbitrarily detained or have had arrest warrants issued by the illegitimate junta. Across Myanmar, there are an estimated 1.44 million internally displaced people (as of November 1), about one million of whom were newly displaced after the attempted coup.

By 2020, the Japanese government provided JPY 356.51 billion in total in grant aid as well as JPY 109.94 billion in total in technical assistance to Myanmar, and promised JPY 1,378.47 billion in loan aid (figure based on loan agreements). Regarding its policy on these Official Development Assistance (ODA) after the attempted coup, on May 21, 2021, then Foreign Minister Motegi stated that “…if the situation continues in this way, it is possible that we will be compelled to review ODA and that companies may become unable to provide investment even if they want to,” and that “as a country that has provided various forms of support for the democratization of Myanmar, and as a friend, Japan believes that we must clearly convey such points to Myanmar, and we have actually done so.” However, since then, despite the worsening human rights crisis in Myanmar, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has simply repeated that it would “comprehensively consider what measures may be effective while viewing the situation of the efforts made by Japan and the international community” in response to questions in the Diet and inquiries from citizens for over a year and a half, and has not taken any concrete measures to date.

A large part of ODA to Myanmar is loan aid (yen loans) for development of a special economic zone and surrounding infrastructure, construction of roads, and repairing railroads, as well as grant aid and technical assistance in the education, health, and agriculture sectors and aid provided through NGOs. It has been made clear by the UN Independent Fact-Finding Mission that in Myanmar that companies owned or controlled by the military conduct many business operations, and that revenues from those operations are a source of funds for the military, supporting their atrocities. In consideration of such findings, since the attempted coup, civil society organizations have consistently urged the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to investigate whether ODA projects are financing the military and to publish the findings from such an investigation. So far, a complaint by a local stakeholder has indicated that in the construction of Bago Bridge, a yen loan project, a company related to Myanmar Economic Corporation (MEC) is providing materials for the bridge. MEC is one of the military enterprises that the above-mentioned Fact-Finding Mission recommended to the international community not to enter into or remain in a business relationship with. However, neither the Ministry of Foreign Affairs nor JICA has publicly explained the relationship between ODA projects and military-related enterprises. Because the Japanese government has continued ODA without any explanation, at the many protests that have been organized by Myanmar people living in Japan and Japanese civil society in front of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, concerns have been expressed regularly about how the flow of ODA funds may benefit the military.

Even when ODA projects do not have business ties to the military, infrastructure that is built by ODA such as roads may be used in Myanmar military operations. Karen Peace Support Network has demanded that construction of a bridge in a conflict zone in the East-West Economic Corridor be suspended. Further, Human Rights Watch has pointed out that two out of three vessels provided under the 500 million yen Economic and Social Development Programme, signed on September 12, 2016 with Myanmar, was used for military purposes in Rakhine State on September 14, 2022. As long as armed clashes in the ethnic minority regions and crackdown on citizens continue, the economic ripple effect of large infrastructure projects such as those implemented by yen loans will not extend beyond a few companies, and there is little possibility that such projects will contribute to the improvement of living standards of the people in Myanmar overall. Given this, it lacks meaning to invest Japan’s public funds in infrastructure projects in Myanmar under the current circumstances.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated in the Diet that as of April 2021, 34 ODA projects were being implemented, totaling JPY739.6 billion based on figures in loan agreements. This was confirmed at a meeting with NGOs. We share the concern of Myanmar citizens that by continuing so many projects worth so much money even after the attempted coup, the Japanese government is giving implicit support to the military junta.

One year and ten months have passed since the attempted coup, but the Myanmar military continues to commit grave human rights abuses that amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity. We express deep concern that Japan may be complicit in the human rights abuses by the military by providing ODA to the benefit of the military. We strongly demand that the Japanese government suspend all loan aid currently being implemented under the control of the Myanmar military and that it listens to the National Unity Government (NUG), Ethnic Revolutionary Organizations (EROs) and local Myanmar CSOs to effectively support the will of the people of Myanmar.

Endorsed by the following organizations:

1 Action Committee for Democracy Development (Coalition of 14 grassroots networks) Myanmar

2 Asia-Pacific Human Rights Information Center Japan

3 Asian Community Center 21 Japan

4 Asian Health Institute Japan

5 Association of Human Rights Defenders and Promoters Myanmar

6 Burma Campaign UK United Kingdom

7 Burmese Relief Center Japan Japan

8 Burmese Women’s Union Myanmar

9 Campaign for a New Myanmar USA

10 Earth Tree Japan

11 Equality Myanmar Myanmar

12 ETOs Watch Coalition Thailand

13 Family Based Learning Network of Farmers for Agrarian Reform (FALFAR) Myanmar

14 Federation of Workers’ Union of the Burmese Citizen in Japan (FWUBC) Japan

15 Friends Against Dictatorship (FAD) Thailand

16 Future Light Center Myanmar

17 Future Thanlwin Myanmar

18 Gen-Z Myanmar Support Team Myanmar

19 Generation Wave Myanmar

20 Grass-root People Myanmar

21 Human Rights Foundation of Monland Myanmar

22 India For Myanmar Myanmar

23 International Campaign for the Rohingya USA

24 Japan Center for a Sustainable Environment and Society (JACSES) Japan

25 Japan Tropical Forest Action Network (JATAN) Japan

26 Kachin Women’s Association Thailand Myanmar

27 Karen Human Rights Group Myanmar

28 Karen Peace Support Network Myanmar

29 Karen Women’s Organization Myanmar

30 Karenni National Women’s Organization Myanmar

31 Keng Tun Youth Myanmar

32 Let’s Help Each Other Myanmar

33 Metta Campaign Mandalay Myanmar

34 Myanmar News Now!! Japan

35 Myanmar People Alliance (Shan State) Myanmar

36 Network for Human Rights Documentation Burma (ND-Burma) Myanmar

37 Network for Indonesian Democracy (NINDJA) Japan

38 No Business With Genocide USA

39 Non-for profit Organization Music Dream Creation Japan

40 Nyan Lynn Thit Analytica Myanmar

41 Pacific Asia Resoure Center Japan

42 Progressive Voice Myanmar

43 Project SEVANA South-East Asia Thailand

44 Save and Care Organization for Ethnic Women at Border Areas Myanmar

45 Second Tap Root Myanmar

46 Shan MATA Myanmar

47 SHARE(Services for the Health in Asian & African Regions) Japan

48 Sinapis Japan

49 Sisters 2 Sisters Myanmar

50 Southern Youth Development Organization Myanmar

51 Spirit in Education Movement (SEM) Thailand

52 Ta’ang Legal Aid Myanmar

53 Tanintharyi MATA Myanmar

54 The Free Burma Campaign (South Africa) (FBC(SA)) Myanmar

55 The Mekong Butterfly Thailand

56 Thint Myat Lo Thu Myar Organization Myanmar

57 U.S. Campaign for Burma United States

58 WE21 Japan Japan

59 Women’s Democratic Club, Femin Japan

Contact:

Mekong Watch

3F Aoki Bldg., Taito 1-12-11, Taito-ku, Tokyo 110-0016 Japan

Phone: +81-3-3832-5034

E-mail: contact@mekongwatch.org

Download PDF: Japanese | Burmese | English

More than 130 people have been sentenced to death in secretive military courts since the coup, UN says.

More than 130 people have been sentenced to death in secret closed-door trials held by Myanmar’s military junta since it seized power last year, a top U.N. official said Friday, calling the pattern a “political tool to crush opposition.”

The closed-door trials are a violation of people’s basic right to due process and a fair trial, U.N. human rights chief Volker Türk said.

Death sentences have been handed out to 139 people since the military seized power, Türk said, with the regime carrying out its first executions in about three decades in July.

“The military continues to hold proceedings in secretive courts in violation of basic principles of fair trial and contrary to core judicial guarantees of independence and impartiality,” Türk said, calling for a suspension of the use of the death penalty.

The comments came after at least seven student activists were sentenced to death on Wednesday, with sources telling Radio Free Asia their execution was set for Dec. 7. The junta accuses them killing a retired army officer at a bank, but the trial by a military court took place behind closed doors in Insein Prison.

The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma) says a total of 16,472 people have been arrested by the military junta since the February 2021 coup, with 13,002 still in prison.

Türk said the use of the death penalty showed the regime’s “disdain” for global efforts to end the violence in Myanmar, including the Five-Point Consensus the regime signed with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations last year.

RFA News