We Stand with the People of Myanmar: Indonesian People respond to the ASEAN Summit on the Crisis in Myanmar
Till date the situation of Myanmar has known no substantial moves towards normalcy. Since the 1st of February when the Myanmar’s military junta seized power by force and arrested the State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, the people of Myanmar have been living a precarious and less to be desired reality. From peaceful protests by civilians who were met with violent military repression, to violent confrontations between the military and civilians irrespective of the numerous calls to ceasefire and respect of the constitution from the religious and non-religious organizations, national and international human rights groups, there seem to be no prospect of peace in the near future. The ASEAN (Association of South-East Asian Nations) Summit of 24th April in Jakarta, Indonesia could have been a source of hope. Unfortunately, the summit has raised further doubts about the interest of ASEAN member states to resolve the crises in Myanmar.
The ASEAN summit on 24th April had the crisis in Myanmar as a major item on their agenda. Hope that was built for this unique occasion to discuss the crisis in Myanmar, was destroyed by the presence of the Myanmar’s coup leader, General Min Aung Hlaing. His presence caused a strong reaction from human rights activists, civil societies and interreligious groups using the tagline: ‘we stand with the people of Myanmar’ and ‘Gowes for Democracy’. The justifiable displeasure was due to the unfair representation of the Myanmar people.
The presence of General Min Aung Hlaing, the coup leader and the absence of the National Unity Government was judged as unfair. Was this an indirect step to approve of the unconstitutional coup and human rights violations in Myanmar by ASEAN? To this reality, the protest was not in Myanmar this time around, but in Jakarta, Indonesia where the ASEAN Summit was taking place. On the eve of the Summit seven religious leaders from seven different beliefs (Buddhism, Catholic, Hindu, Islam, Kong Hu Cu, Protestant, and Sunda Wiwitan) came together to pray for justice and peace in Myanmar. Adrianus Suyadi SJ,the Conference social delegate for Asia Pacific initiated this inter-religious prayer, as a concrete expression of solidarity and communion with the people of Myanmar, crying for peace and justice.
The interfaith prayer called for a) a proper representation of the democratically elected government (the National Unity Government) in the ASEAN Summit and not a representation from the Myanmar military junta; b) an end to serious human rights violations by the Myanmar Military junta; c) a safe and unhindered humanitarian support to any conflict areas in Myanmar including areas where the minority Rohingya people have suffered prolonged abuses; d) immediate release of civilian leaders such as Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi and other prisoners; and e) to establish a well-coordinated response among the ASEAN, the UN Security Council, and the UN Human Rights Council with the aim to put an end to the violence in Myanmar and ensure a democratic and peaceful rights-based solution.
On 24th April, the day of the ASEAN Summit, there was a bike strike for Myanmar to peacefully protest the presence of the Military Junta, Gen. Min Aung Hlaing at the summit. The strike called ‘Gowes for Democracy’ was organized by ‘Milk Tea Alliance Indonesia” with support from the Indonesian civil societies. About 70 bikers, individuals and representatives of various civil society organizations went on a bike strike expressing their concern for democracy in Myanmar. The protesters were stopped by police guards three times during their march and when they approached the venue, there was a slight tension between the police guards and protesters.
Despite attempts to denounce the unfair representation of the Myanmar people at the ASEAN Summit, the Summit continued and the ASEAN leaders reached some consensus although none denounced the military forceful appropriation of power in Myanmar. The consensus reached are:
- Immediate cessation of violence in Myanmar and all parties shall exercise utmost restraint.
- Constructive dialogue among all parties concerned shall commence to seek a peaceful solution in the interests of the people.
- A special envoy of the ASEAN Chair shall facilitate mediation of the dialogue process, with the assistance of the SecretaryGeneral of ASEAN
- ASEAN shall provide humanitarian assistance through the AHA Centre, and
- The special envoy and delegation shall visit Myanmar to meet with all parties concerned.
The consensus reached has provoked varied reactions. While many international communities and civil societies are unhappy with this consensus, some argue that it is strong enough to address directly the situation in Myanmar. Though the ASEAN Summit did not meet up with the wishes of many, it was still seen by some like an initial step to resolving the current crises in Myanmar. There is still a long way to go for a just and a lasting solution for the people of Myanmar. In this regard, the people of Indonesia are keen to see the implementation of the consensus and how ASEAN will involve the legitimate and democratically elected representative of the people of Myanmar. ‘We Stand with the people of Myanmar!’.
Adrianus
Suyadi, SJ
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