Civil Society Members Say India Should Ask Myanmar Military to Respect People's Will

New Delhi: Members of civil society in India have written to the Centre, asking it to urge the Myanmar military to respect the will of the people and release arrested leaders, politicians and protesters immediately.

In a letter written to external affairs minister S. Jaishankar, 30 Indian scholars, writers, jurists and civil society members said the Mynamar junta, after seizing power from the democratically elected government, has been using disproportionate force against peaceful protesters. It noted that over 50 protesters have been killed by the security forces, with reports suggesting that snipers and machine guns being used against the protesters.

Describing the protests in the South Asian country as a ‘civil disobedience movement’, the signatories of the letter say that the unprecedented demonstrations have spread to nearly all corners of the country, drawing in young students, industrial workers and even bureaucrats.

The military regime is trying to suppress the protests by blocking the Internet and detaining mobilisers, politicians and ordinary protestors in night raids without due process. “Despite these, the countrywide CDM continues. So does the regime’s violence towards peaceful mass protests,” they added.

The political instability created by the coup in Myanmar can have “far-reaching implications” not just within Myanmar, but also the region. “Notably, it could disrupt the peace processes in India’s sensitive North-east which shares a long land border with Myanmar by opening the space for renewed insurgent activity. It could also push vulnerable civilians to cross over from Myanmar, as has already been reported along the Mizoram-Chin border,” they said.

In light of these concerns, the Centre should tell the military regime to respect the will of the people and return to democratic rule and refrain from using force against peaceful protestors. They also demanded the release of Aung San Suu Kyi, President Win Myint and all other civilian political leaders who were detained after the coup, including those held for the protests.

The Internet and suspended laws which protect the right to privacy, prohibit arbitrary arrests and prolonged detentions should be restored fully, they said. The military should also be asked to initiate criminal proceedings against security personnel and police officers who have fired or ordered the firing of live rounds at unarmed protestors.

The Indian government should also urge Indian companies, including state-owned ones, to immediately “suspend all commercial ties and proposed deals/joint ventures with the Myanmar military and all affiliated entities, including the two biggest conglomerates, Myanmar Economic Corporation (MEC) and Myanma Economic Holdings Limited (MEHL)”. India should also support regional efforts to restore democratic order in Myanmar and urge a restoration of peace.

The full letter, with the list of signatories, has been reproduced below.

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To
Dr. S. Jaishankar
Minister of External Affairs
Government of India
New Delhi
Date: 8 March 2021

Subject: Call to the Government of India on Myanmar Situation by Scholars, Writers, Jurists and Civil Society Members

Dear Sir,

On 1 February, the Myanmar military (or Tatmadaw), in an effective coup, deposed the elected civilian government and declared a yearlong state of emergency, after alleging that the results of the 8 November 2020 general election were fraudulent. It also arrested President Win Myint, State Counsellor in the former government and Nobel laureate, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, members of the Union Election Commission (UEC), and several other civilian leaders belonging to the National League for Democracy (NLD). The UEC and third-party poll monitors had already dismissed the vote fraud allegations as baseless. Further, legal experts are of the opinion that the takeover was illegal.

Since the coup, hundreds of thousands of people have thronged the streets of Myanmar to protest the takeover. These demonstrations, which have spread to nearly all corners of the country, have turned out to be unprecedented in scale, with a large spectrum of the society – from young students to industrial workers and even bureaucrats – joining in. The collective resistance is now being referred to as a Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM), with various sections of the working population refusing to go to work under military rule.

In response, the military regime has used disproportionate force to crack down on protestors. More than 50 people have been reportedly killed by security forces so far. According to the UN human rights office in Yangon, 18 were killed and 30 wounded on 28 February alone, the bloodiest of all days so far. Then again, on 3 March, at least 38 protestors were reportedly killed by live fire, including 19-year old Kyal Sin. On the same day, there were also reports of forces using sniper and machine gun fire on unarmed crowds.

The military regime led by a State Administrative Council (SAC) is undertaking a slew of other measures to suppress the protests and force protesting employees to go back to work, including blocking the internet, since platforms like WhatsApp, Twitter and Facebook quickly became the preferred means for mass mobilisation and dissemination of information to the outside world. A fixed hour night internet curfew remains in force.

Thousands of people, mostly protest mobilisers, politicians and ordinary CDM protestors, hve been detained in night raids across Myanmar without due process. Despite these, the countrywide CDM continues. So does the regime’s violence towards peaceful mass protests.

The political instability created by the coup in Myanmar can have far-reaching implications not just within Myanmar, but also the region. Notably, it could disrupt the peace processes in India’s sensitive North-east which shares a long land border with Myanmar by opening the space for renewed insurgent activity. It could also push vulnerable civilians to cross over from Myanmar, as has already been reported along the Mizoram-Chin border.

We believe that the coup seriously threatens the ethnic peace process started by the previous administrations in Myanmar, and the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) framework that drew 10 Ethnic Armed Organisations (EAOs) to negotiations.

We are aware of India’s realpolitik constraints but believe that only an elected civilian government and a military that is governed by due civilian oversight in Myanmar can ensure the political, security and economic stability needed for bilateral and regional progress. Therefore, we write in our individual capacity as people deeply concerned about the fate of a close neighbour with whom India has long cultural, historic, trade and political ties.

Recognising the need for an immediate end to the current bloodshed and confrontation, and a restoration of peace, we call on the Government of India, as a long-standing friend of Myanmar and its peoples, to urge the regime to

1)  Respect the will of the people and return to democratic rule.

2) Refrain from using force against peaceful protestors. The right to free speech and expression, of which the right to protest is a corollary, is a human right recognised by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

3) Release Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, President Win Myint and all other civilian political leaders who were detained after the coup, including those held for the protests.

4) Restore the internet in full and respect freedom of the press.

5) Restore the suspended laws which protect the right to privacy of individual citizens, and prohibit arbitrary arrests, prolonged detentions, and search-and-seizure raids on private property without court orders.

6) Initiate criminal proceedings against security personnel and police officers who have fired or ordered the firing of live rounds at unarmed protestors.

We also call on the Government of India to

7) Urge Indian companies, including state-owned ones, to immediately suspend all commercial ties and proposed deals/joint ventures with the Myanmar military and all affiliated entities, including the two biggest conglomerates, Myanmar Economic Corporation (MEC) and Myanma Economic Holdings Limited (MEHL).

8) Support regional efforts to restore democratic order in Myanmar and urge a restoration of peace.

Copy to:

1. Mr. Harsh Vardhan Shringla, Foreign Secretary
2. Mr. Saurabh Kumar, Indian Ambassador to Myanmar
3. Ms. Riva Ganguly Das, Secretary (East)
4. Mr. Vikas Swarup, Secretary (West)
5. Ms. Smita Pant, Joint Secretary (Bangladesh Myanmar)
6. Ms. Priyadharsini R., Under Secretary (Myanmar)

Sincerely,