Open Letter: Don Pramudwinai .. “Don’t interfere” “Do not escalate violence in our country”

June 18, 2023

We, representatives of Myanmar civil society organizations, strongly condemn the secretive meeting which includes the illegal Myanmar military junta organized by the outgoing Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai of the caretaker Government of Thailand on Sunday 18 June 2023. We demand the caretaker government cancels the meeting immediately.

This is a complete affront to the people of Myanmar who have sacrificed their lives to resist the Myanmar military’s attempt to seize power through years-long terror campaign against the whole nation. The military junta has never been a legitimate government of Myanmar, nor has it acquired effective control over the country’s territories.

This secretive initiative of the outgoing Thai Foreign Minister is in blatant contradiction with the ASEAN consensus on non-invitation of representatives of the military junta in high-level meetings. We are outraged that the Foreign Minister Don stated in his invitation to ASEAN Member States that ASEAN should “fully re-engage Myanmar at the leaders’ level”. This decision was never agreed upon by ASEAN Member States, nor did the Indonesian Government, the incumbent Chair of ASEAN, initiate this meeting. In organizing this meeting, the caretaker Government of Thailand is acting without the mandate and any consultation with the ASEAN Chair. As a member state of ASEAN, Thailand must not deviate from the bloc’s agreement, and must halt this meeting at once.

The caretaker Thai Government’s unilateral move further goes against the United Nations Security Council resolution 2669 on 21 December 2021.

By trying to “fully re-engage” the illegal military junta, representatives of ASEAN Member States will stand in contradiction with the will of the people of Myanmar for the end of military tyranny and for a federal democratic Myanmar. Participation in this secretive meeting, and the failure to cut all ties with the illegal military junta would only be “part of the initial steps” of another failed peace process. Rather, this step sends the signal to the military junta that ASEAN will recognize it despite its commission of heinous crimes. This will only further embolden the military junta to continue its crimes and atrocities, to burn villages, to displace civilian population from their homes and land, to weaponize humanitarian aid and to try to impose its tyrannical rule against the will of the people.

We condemn the secretive initiative of Don Pramudwinai in strongest terms. We demand the caretaker Thai Government cancels this meeting immediately.

We call upon invited states to not attend the meeting, as this meeting will only fuel more violence in our country and undermine other genuine attempts by the international community to address the worsening crisis in Myanmar.

For further information, please contact:

• Saw Alex.     +48 728 027 952(Signal)
• Ko Ye.            +66 816 490 228(Signal)

Signed by 340 organizations including 235 organization who have chosen not to disclose their name;

1. Action Committee for Democracy Development ACDD
2. Ah. La. Ka (12) Hta Khwe. Primary Education Student Union
3. All Arakan Students and Youths Congress
4. All Religions Strike Column
5. Association of Human Rights Defenders and Promoters
6. Athan
7. Aung Myay Thar Zan Education Schools Strike Column
8. Aung Pin Lae Main Strike Column
9. AYN Ayeyarwady Youth Network
10. BCC စစ်ကိုင်းတိုင်း
11. Blood Money Campaign
12. Blooming Padauk
13. Burma Civil War Museum (BCM)
14. Burma Human Rights Network (BHRN)
15. Burma Support
16. CDM Support Team Mandalay (CSTM)
17. Chan Mya Thar Si Township People Strike Column
18. Chin Farmer Network (C.F.N)
19. Committee Representing Mandalay Region Hluttaw
20. Cooperative University Student Strike Column
21. Daung Sit Thi
22. Democratic Party for a New Society
23. Education Family (Anti – Fascists Education Strike Columns Coordination Committee)
24. Ethnic Youth General Strike Committee
25. Freedom and Labor Action Group
26. Future Light Center
27. Future Thanlwin
28. General Strike Committee of Nationalities (GSCN)
29. Generation Wave
30. Grass-root People
31. Human Rights Foundation of Monland
32. India for Myanmar
33. Inlihtan Peninsula Tanintharyi
34. Karen Environmental and Social Action Network
35. Karen Peace Support Network
36. Karenni Human Rights Group
37. Keng Tung Youth
38. LGBTIQ Strike of Mandalay
39. MAGGA Initiative
40. Maha Aung Myay Township People Collective Strike Column
41. Mandalar University Student Strike Column
42. Mandalay Alliance Strike Collective Column
43. Mandalay Based People Strike Column
44. Mandalay Civil Society Organizations
45. Mandalay Engineer Group
46. Mandalay Engineer United Force
47. Mandalay University Student Alumni Union
48. Mandalay Wholesale Strike Column
49. Mandalay Youth Strike Column
50. MATA စစ်ကိုင်းတိုင်း
51. Medical Family – Mandalay
52. MIIT Student Strike Column
53. Muslim Youth Union
54. Mya Taung Strike Column
55. Myanmar Cultural Research Society (MCRS)
56. Myanmar Railway, Region (3) CDM Strike Column
57. National League for Democracy (Mandalay Region)
58. Network for Human Rights Documentation Burma (ND-Burma)
59. No 7 State High School Alumni Strike Column
60. NRFF- New Rehmonnya Federated Force
61. Nyan Lynn Thit Analytica
62. Pan Pa Wash People Strike Column
63. Phayagye Peace Strike Column
64. Private Pre-school Teachers Association
65. Progressive Voice
66. Pyi Gyi Ta Gon Strike
67. Sangha Samaga Strike Column
68. Save and Care Organization for Ethnic Women at Border Areas
69. Sein Pan Strike Column
70. Shan MATA
71. Sisters 2 Sisters
72. Southern Dragon Myanmar
73. Southern Youth Development Organization
74. Strike Column of Representatives of Arbitrarily Arrested People
75. Strike Column of Teachers from Universities and Degree Colleges of Mandalay
76. Synergy – social harmony organization
77. Taekwando Sport Association
78. Tai Youth Alliance (Myanmar, Japan, Thailand, South Korea)
79. Tanintharyi MATA
80. Thapaynyo News Letter
81. အထက်အညာလွင်ပြင်ရပ်ဝန်း

Additional list

1. Dhanu Youth Organization
2. Karenni Humanitarian Aid Initiative (KHAI)
3. KayahLi Phu Youth(KLY)
4. Kayan New Generation Youth
5. Kayaw Women Association
6. Nway Oo Guru Lay Myar
7. Pakokku Youth Development Council
8. Women for Women Foundation (WWF)
9. Women Advocacy Coalition-Myanmar
10. The Ladies
11. Active Youths Kalaymyo
12. Mandalay Regional Youth Association (MRYA)
13. Federal FM – Mandalay
14. Kyaukse University Students’ Union
15. TRF(Myanmar)
16. Ayeyarwaddy West Development Organisation (Magway)
17. Ayeyarwaddy West Development Organisation (Nagphe)
18. Pwintphyu Development Organisation
19. Min Hla farmers Group
20. Minbu farmers Group
21. Thint Myat Lo Thu Myar Organization
22. Burma Affairs and Conflict Study – BACS
23. Yangon Medical Network
24. General Strike Coordination Body
25. Equality Myanmar

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