More global efforts needed to resolve Myanmar tragedy

By Kim Sang-woo

The military coup in Myanmar on Feb. 1, in its seventh week, has led to the country's largest protests in decades. The country had seemed to be moving toward a fragile democracy, following the 2015 election victory of Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD), and again their landslide win in the November 2020 national elections. But the coup has taken Myanmar back to its darkest past.

The international community has appeared almost powerless, as the military junta crushed dissent with impunity. The familiar pattern of statements, resolutions and sanctions has had little effect on the unfolding tragic events.

There is urgent need to rethink how to hold accountable those responsible for massive human rights violations not only in Myanmar, but also in countries where either electorally defeated leaders or the military ignore democratic practices.

The current situation in Myanmar was certainly the result of its military leaders taking inspiration from former President Donald Trump's bogus claims of election fraud when they made the same protestation to justify their coup.

In response, a group of elected MPs, many of whom are in hiding, formed a shadow parliament called the Committee for Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH) to denounce the military regime.

Widespread condemnation of excessive use of force, resulting in more than 200 deaths and at least 2,000 arrests, has not been able to stop the violence or the suspension of laws constraining the security forces from detaining suspects or searching private property without court approval and ordering the arrest of organizers of the protests.

The military coup will probably do further damage to the already suffering economy. It will discourage new foreign investment, and multinational corporations already investing in the country may reconsider, fearing their corporate reputation being damaged.

Commander-in-Chief Gen. Min Aung Hlaing initiated the coup. He was also the general that the 2018 report of the independent fact-finding mission concluded must be removed from power and investigated for genocide in Rakhine State and crimes against humanity in other parts of the country. In 2017, thousands of Rohingya were killed and more than 700,000 fled to Bangladesh.

The United Nations is lacking in ways and means and its response, so far, falls far too short to stop the atrocities of the military junta. The United States and some countries are applying sanctions against companies owned by or connected to the military junta as well as freezing assets and funds. Also key members of the military junta and their families are being blacklisted.

The Security Council has recently managed to unanimously adopt a presidential statement, but parts of the original draft presented by the U.K., condemning the military coup and possible U.N. sanctions, were taken out due to the opposition of China, Russia, India and Vietnam. The Human Rights Council adopted a resolution calling on Myanmar to release detainees and refrain from violence against protesters.

ASEAN members might have some influence, for example, Indonesia making proposals to other countries, but they have fallen short of the protesters' demands and ASEAN has managed a four-line statement registering its concern about the coup ― preferring stable markets over democracy and human rights.

Increased international pressure must be exerted to hold the military junta accountable with the U.N. acting in concert with ASEAN, which will have to overcome its non-interference policy because if ASEAN is not able to play a major role in resolving the problem, it will stand to lose significant influence over the course of its regional diplomacy.

Moreover, Myanmar's military coup could further push the region toward democratic regression, at a time when countries like the Philippines, Cambodia and Thailand are experiencing democratic backsliding.

The coup could also push Myanmar closer to China, by necessity, if democracies apply more pressure on them. The anti-Chinese sentiment due to its support of the military junta led to arson of Chinese factories which resulted in more severe crackdowns by the military junta, quickly raising the death toll.

The greatest resistance against the coup is actually coming from the hundreds of thousands of ordinary people engaged in protests and civil disobedience inside the country. Myanmar's youth who are in the forefront of the protests have experienced freedom unlike previous generations.

They are also tech-savvy, and engaged in crowdsourced human rights activism using social media to report on human rights abuses as they occur. While facing extraordinary threats and intimidation, they are recording the military's atrocities, making digital information available in real time. In response, the military junta blacked out internet services recently and declared martial law in major cities.

In many towns in the country, residents have banded together to patrol streets, banging on pots and pans to sound alarms to prevent night raids by security forces against the protesters, hanging clothes in the streets to block the view of the military marksmen from firing at the protesters and hiding them in their homes to protect them from being arrested. Aid agencies in Myanmar should provide support for these heroic deeds to make sure that the military knows the world is watching.

The U.N. country team is reassessing its humanitarian, development and peace assistance given that it is now dealing with illegitimate authorities that many believe should not be recognized. Programs should be reassessed based on the impact on human rights and how they can contribute to a broader accountability framework. The private sector as a whole should be urged to reconsider their investments in Myanmar and live up to their human rights obligations.

“This is the darkest moment of the nation and the light before the dawn is close,” said Mahn Win Khaing, CRPH's acting vice president. He called for a “federal democracy” inviting ethnic minorities to join the revolution and to have a role in Myanmar's governance. This could possibly lead to a bloodier civil war because the ethnic minorities, unlike the Burmese protesters, are armed.

The international community needs to rethink how it can help restore democracy in Myanmar. And it's especially important for President Biden and his administration to show the world that “America is back!” by protecting the people of Myanmar who are protesting with their lives against tyranny and declaring to the world that democracy is the will of the people, and Thomas Jefferson's “Give me liberty or give me death!” seems to be what the brave people of Myanmar are saying loud and clear.

Kim Sang-woo (swkim54@hotmail.com) is a former lawmaker and is currently chairman of the East Asia Cultural Project. He is also a member of the board of directors at the Kim Dae-jung Peace Foundation.