Diterbitkan pada | Jumat, 03 Februari 2023
On
the 2nd anniversary
of Myanmar's attempted coup, we, the undersigned, call on Indonesia as the
Chair of ASEAN to not legitimise the Myanmar junta at any cost. This shall
include a commitment to disinvite junta representatives from ASEAN meetings at
all levels.
Earlier
this week, a programme of the upcoming ASEAN Tourism Ministers and
Related Meetings 2023 scheduled on 2 to 5 February 2023 indicated the
attendance of the Myanmar junta’s Hotels and Tourism Minister – Htay Aung to
the meeting. His profile was later deleted from the official website. The ASEAN
Tourism Forum program which begins on February 1, 2023, coincides with the
second anniversary of the military’s illegal coup attempt and at a time when
the junta wages a terror campaign against the people of Myanmar.
Our
organisations appreciate the effort of Indonesia as the Chair of ASEAN to
remove the junta’s Hotels and Tourism Minister from the list of high-level
officials. This move is consistent with the effort proposed by the President of
Indonesia, Joko Widodo, in November 2022 to bar Myanmar military
representatives from all ASEAN related meetings, including the Summit.
However,
we remain concerned and vigilant. The fact that the initial program still
included the representative of the illegitimate junta sends a signal that the
message from President Joko Widodo has yet to be carefully mainstreamed and
implemented by all sectors and ministries.
Over
the last two years, more than 2,700 people have been killed and over
17,000 people have been illegally detained according to the Assistance
Association for Political Prisoners. Those in detention face torture, murder,
and deprivation of food and water. Women have been raped and gang-raped inside
and outside prison. Properties have been robbed and destroyed by junta
soldiers. Since February 1, 2021, over 1.1 million people have been displaced.
Towns and villages have been burned or blown away by artillery shelling and
airstrikes.
We
would like to reiterate that any engagement with the junta is
in breach of the ASEAN Charter. The Myanmar junta's indiscriminate
onslaught against anyone perceived to oppose its rules has caused widespread
human rights violations, including by targeting civilians through air and
ground assaults. The crimes that are being committed by the Myanmar military
amount to crimes against humanity. The Myanmar military is alleged of
committing atrocities, with investigation ongoing by the International Court of
Justice and the International Criminal Court, and under a universal
jurisdiction case in Argentina.
Tourism
is one of the sectors the junta aims to obtain legitimacy as it is crucial to
finance its atrocities. The junta profits from all tourism in Myanmar including
through visa fees, insurance, official exchange and when tourists use
military-owned hotels and transport. In 2021, the Minister of Planning, Finance
and Investment of the National Unity Government, which is the legitimate
government of Myanmar, said, "the people of Myanmar are being killed,
raped, detained and their houses and possessions seized or destroyed. This is
not a time for sightseeing.”
After
kicking off its ASEAN Chairmanship with the theme “ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of
Growth” on Sunday, 28 January 2023, we the undersigned appreciate the effort
from the Government of Indonesia to set the tone of not legitimising the junta
by removing high-ranking officials of the illegitimate junta responsible for
widespread human rights violations. We call for Indonesia to adopt cohesive and
consistent policy and approaches by ensuring that junta representatives are
barred from all ASEAN meetings at all levels, both at the ministerial level and
below and to start dialogue with the National Unity Government as the
legitimate government.
Indonesia
as Chair of ASEAN must show that the regional bloc can play a positive role and
stand with the people of Myanmar, not continue to lean towards the military
junta as ASEAN has been doing for the past two years. Indonesia must not follow
the same playbook that only emboldens the junta to continue to commit war
crimes and crimes against humanity with complete impunity.
List
of Endorsement
Media Contact:
·
Khin Ohmar - Progressive Voice (khinohmar@progressive-voice.org)
·
Nadine Sherani - KontraS (nadine@kontras.org)