CHRO

16 February 2021

The Honourable Scott Morrison
Prime Minister of Australia
Canberra, Australia

Dear Prime Minister Morrison,

Through the kind introduction by our very good mutual friend Senator Dean Smith, I had the privilege of meeting you at your office in Canberra in December 2018, as part of a delegation of Chin community leaders from different parts of Australia who came to speak to you to thank you in person and to talk about their situation there.

I now write to you with a deep sense of urgency and great expectation to draw your attention to the rapidly deteriorating situation in Burma/Myanmar following the military coup on 1 February 2021. The events following the coup de’tat have witnessed massive display of public opposition and bold civil defiance in the face of brute force of the Tatmadaw, which is notorious for their long history of gross human rights abuses against the peoples of Burma.

On the surface, the crises facing Burma/Myanmar now may seem like a mere power struggle or a contest of ideologies between democracy and dictatorship. Burma’s still unfinished long road ahead towards democracy is to be understood with the structural injustices and grievances long suffered by ethnic and religious minorities in historical context. Sustainable peace, stability and democracy will only take firm root when there is a federal constitutional arrangement accommodative of and agreeable to all the ethnic states in Burma. It is for this reason that strengthening democratic and civic institutions and entrenching the ideals of civilian supremacy and the rule of law must be supported and promoted in parallel with addressing the aspirations of self-governance for the ethnic nationalities within a federal constitutional framework.

The ways in which the Burmese military has responded to peaceful protests, civil disobedience campaigns and general strikes have been roundly condemned by the UN Secretary-General, the UN Human Rights Council and the larger international community. We applaud the strong statement by the Australian Foreign Minister condemning the coup and calling for the release of high-profile leaders and detainees immediately following the coup. We are also highly encouraged that Australia, through its Embassy in Myanmar, has been among the key foreign diplomatic missions in Yangon at the forefront of sounding alarms and taking a firm stand on the side of all the peoples of Myanmar.

The people of Burma cannot afford another decade of living under a military dictatorship. This has been voiced loudly not just on the streets of Burma, but in capitals around the world, including in Australia. Last week, the United States took the initiative to impose tough unilateral sanctions against the coup leaders in Burma. We believe that Australia under your leadership can and should take similar measures to lead a coordinated, effective and decisive global response to the situation in Burma by:

  • Introducing targeted economic sanctions aimed at crippling the economic infrastructures of the junta
  • Rallying international public opinion on the invocation of the UN doctrine of Responsibility to Protect (R2P) and
  • Suspending and redirecting all existing Australian official bilateral aid programs towards supporting civil society organizations’ efforts to strengthen democratic and human rights development in Burma.

Yours sincerely,

Salai Bawi Lian Mang
Executive Director
Chin Human Rights Organization

PDF Download Available here: CHRO_Letter_Prime Minister Morrison

IMMEDIATE RELEASE
17 Feb 2021

Since 1 Feb 2021, there have been 45 politically motivated arrests of the Chin population in Rakhine and Chin States. On 1 Feb, 9 members from the democratically elected government were arrested in the middle of the night including the Chief Minister, Ministers of Immigration, Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation, Social Affairs and Planning and Finance. Furthermore, the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the house were arrested and remain detained. Held at the tactical command in Hakha, the condition of the elected representatives remain unknown.

On 10 Feb, the junta then initiated a wave of arrests of 24 Union Election Commission (UEC) members representing all townships in Chin State and taken to military bases across the state. As protests began, a number of civilians have also been arrested for exercising their right to peaceful protest. On 4 Feb, police arrested four youths and an elderly man in Hakha who were charged under the Penal Code’s 447 specifications on causing “mischief” as they engaged in the nationwide 8 p.m. protests against the coup. As they were detained all were forced to sign confessions at the police station and were given 8-day prison sentences under the legislation.

On 9 Feb, a further 6 youths from Ann Town, Rakhine State were arrested for engaging in peaceful protests in response to the military coup. They have been charged with Art. 25 of the Natural Disaster Management Law and are remanded in custody. They could face up to three years in prison under the legislation.

The detention of Myanmar/Burma’s elected leaders held incommunicado and without the right of habeas corpus is unacceptable. Furthermore, authorities should immediately end arbitrary limits on freedom of expression, information, peaceful assembly, and association which currently poses grave threats to the liberty of all citizens in the country currently protesting the actions of the military junta.

For further information please contact:
Email: [email protected]
Tel: +95 (0) 9781843341

At least 200 Chin villages along the borders with India and Bangladesh, totaling no less than 100,000 people or roughly twenty per cent of the entire population of Chin State, is directly affected by the food shortage as a result of bamboo flowering and rat infestations that occured every 50 years in the region. According to latest information, at least 200 families from southern Chin State have fled to Mizoram and Bangldesh. Please see detail report “CRITICAL POINT: Food Scarcity and Hunger in Burma’s Chin State”.

 

Chin Human Rights Organization is calling for urgent and concerted international relief efforts to address growing humanitarian crisis in Chinland that has brought much devastation to hundreds of villages along Burma`s western border.

 

Chin communities around the world and the Primate World Relief and Development Fund have responded the CHRO’ call for action and provided life saving food assistance to 69 villages through cross border assistance. There are more than hundreds of villages waiting for help while they are strugling their day to day life by digging roots and picking leaf in the jungle.

 

To help and learn more about the situation, please contact;

Salai Bawi Lian Mang (CHRO Executive Director)

 

Email: [email protected] e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Tel: +1-510-332-0983

 

Victor Biak Lian (CHRO Member of Board of Director)

 

Email: [email protected] e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Tel: +66-815300702

 

Amy Alexander (CHRO Regional Advocacy and Campaign Officer)

Email: [email protected] e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Tel: +66.85.23.02.609

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cyclone Nargis that devastated Burma killed more than 120,000 people and made 2.5 million homeless according to the United Nations. Among them, no less than 1000 Chin families in Rangoon and the Delta regions were affected.

 

Chin community and Churches around the world hold prayer services and are actively making donations to support survivors of cyclone Nargis. With the supports from Swedish Refugee Aid, the Chin Human Rights Organization assisted more than three hundred families of the Cylone victims in Rangoon areas with emergency food, water and midical suplies. If you would like to support Chin community those who survived the cyclone in Rangoon and the Delta region please contact CHRO at;

 

Chin Human Rights Organization

2-Monta Vista Ave.

Nepean, ON K2J 2L3

Canada

 

Email: [email protected] e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

 

The following international organizations are some of the agencies actively helping those affected by the cyclone in Burma

 

Action Against Hunger

247 W. 37th St., 10th Floor

New York, NY 10018

(877) 777-1420

http://support.actionagainsthunger.org/donate

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American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee

JDC: Myanmar Cyclone Relief

P.O. Box 530

132 East 43rd St.

New York, NY 10017

(212) 687-6200

Home

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American Jewish World Service

45 W. 36th St., 11th Floor

New York, NY 10016

(800) 889-7146

http://www.ajws.org

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American Red Cross

International Response Fund

P.O. Box 37243

Washington, DC 20013

(800) HELP-NOW

http://www.redcross.org

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American Refugee Committee

430 Oak Grove St., Suite 204

Minneapolis, MN 55403

(612) 872-7602

http://www.arcrelief.org

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AmeriCares

88 Hamilton Ave.

Stamford, CT 06902

(800) 486-4357

Americares | Earthquake in Puerto Rico — Helping and healing in days of hundreds of aftershocks

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Ananda Marga Universal Relief Team

6810 Tilden Lane

Rockville, MD 20852

(301) 984-0217

http://www.amurt.net

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Baptist World Aid

Myanmar (or Burma) Relief

405 North Washington St.

Falls Church, VA 22046

(703) 790-8980

http://www.bwanet.org

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CARE

151 Ellis Street N.E.

Atlanta, GA 30303

(800) 521-2273

http://www.care.org

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CHF International

8601 Georgia Ave., #800

Silver Spring, MD 20910

(866) 779-2CHF

http://www.chfinternational.org

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Christian Reformed World Relief Committee (CRWRC)

2850 Kalamazoo Ave., S.E.

Grand Rapids, MI 49560-0600

(800) 55-CRWRC

http://www.crwrc.org

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Church World Service

28606 Phillips St., P.O. Box 968

Elkhart, IN 46515

(800) 297-1516

http://www.churchworldservice.org

 

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Concern Worldwide U.S.

104 East 40th St., Suite 903

New York, NY 10016

(212) 557-8000

http://www.concernusa.org

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Direct Relief International

27 South La Patera Lane

Santa Barbara, CA 93117

(805) 964-4767

http://www.directrelief.org

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Episcopal Relief and Development

815 Second Ave., 7th Floor

New York, NY 10017

(800) 334-7626

http://www.er-d.org

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Food for the Hungry

1224 East Washington St.

Phoenix, AZ 85034

(800) 248-6437

HOME: Sponsor A Child

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Habitat for Humanity International

Cyclone Nargis

121 Habitat St.

Americus, GA 31709-3498

(800) HABITAT

http://www.habitat.org

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International Medical Corps

1919 Santa Monica Blvd.

Suite 400

Santa Monica, CA 90404

(800) 481-4462

http://www.imcworldwide.org

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International Relief Teams

Attn: Myanmar Cyclone

4560 Alvarado Canyon Road, Suite 2G

San Diego, CA 92120

(619) 284-7979

http://www.irteams.org

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International Rescue Committee

(Note on checks: Myanmar)

P.O. Box 96651

Washington, DC 20090-6651

(877) REFUGEE

http://www.theIRC.org

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Latter-day Saint Charities

50 East North Temple, 7th Floor

Salt Lake City, UT 84150

(800) 453-3860, ext. 23544

http://www.lds.org

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Lutheran World Relief

P.O. Box 17061

Baltimore, MD 21298-9832

(800) 597-5972

http://www.lwr.org

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MAP International

Donor Member Services

Myanmar Assistance

P.O. Box 7020

Albert Lea, MN 56007-9931

(800) 225-8550

http://www.map.org

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Operation USA

Memo “Myanmar Cyclone”

3617 Hayden Ave., Suite A

Culver City, CA 90232

(800) 678-7255

http://www.opusa.org

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Project HOPE

255 Carter Hall Lane

Millwood, VA 22646

(800) 544-4673

http://www.projecthope.org

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Relief International

1575 Westwood Blvd., Suite 200

Los Angeles, CA 90024

(310) 478-1200

http://www.ri.org

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Save the Children USA

54 Wilton Road

Westport, CT 06880

(800) 728-3843

http://www.savethechildren.org

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United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR)

#3019674 Myanmar Emergency

P.O. Box 9068

New York, NY 10087

(800) 554-8583

http://www.umcor.org

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Unitarian Universalist Service Committee

UUSC-UUA Burma Cyclone Relief Fund

P.O. Box 845259

Boston, MA 02284-5259

(800) 388-3920

Home

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U.S. Fund for UNICEF

125 Maiden Lane, 11th Floor

New York, NY 10038

(800) 4UNICEF

http://www.unicefusa.org

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World Concern

19303 Fremont Ave. North

Seattle, WA 98133

(800) 755-5022, ext.7706

http://www.worldconcern.org

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World Emergency Relief

P.O. Box 131570

Carlsbad, CA 92013

(888) 484-4543

http://www.worldemergencyrelief.org

World Vision

P.O. Box 9716

Federal Way, WA 98063

(888) 56-CHILD

Live Homepage

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Action Against Hunger

247 W. 37th St., 10th Floor

New York, NY 10018

(877) 777-1420

support.actionagainsthunger.org/donate

 

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ADRA International

Myanmar Cyclone Fund

12501 Old Columbia Pike

Silver Spring, MD 20904

(800) 424-ADRA Ext. 2372

Home

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American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee

JDC: Myanmar Cyclone Relief

P.O. Box 530

132 East 43rd St.

New York, NY 10017

(212) 687-6200

www.jdc.org

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To protect and promote human rights and democratic principles