Wednesday, 27 July 2022
The Network of Social Democracy in Asia (SocDem Asia) strongly condemns the recent executions of democracy and human rights activists Phyo Zeya Thaw, Kyaw Min Yu, Hla Myo Aung, and Aung Thura Zaw by the military regime in Myanmar. This heinous action committed by the military regime is the latest, but not the last, act of terror and brutality it has unleashed on the peoples of Myanmar. One hundred seventeen (117) political personalities have been sentenced to death since the coup, according to the Assistance Association of Political Prisoners (AAPP). Through this action, the military junta continue to rule by violence and fear. The execution of these pro-democracy activists alongside countless instances of atrocities against civilian populations and opposition groups must end. Peace, democracy, and prosperity in Myanmar cannot exist while the military junta remains.
We join the international community and human rights groups in condemning this shameful act and in demanding for the release of all political prisoners currently detained inside the military junta’s jails. We also urge the international community to further intensify its targeted economic, political and social pressure against the regime. These acts and past atrocities should no longer go unnoticed and unpunished. Multinational companies and businesses that continue to invest in Myanmar and enrich the junta’s coffers through their dealings must likewise divest from such activities or be made answerable if they continue to do so.
We also call on the ASEAN to hold the military junta accountable for this latest atrocity. These executions are an affront to the ongoing dialogue process being pushed by the regional community. The military junta should no longer be allowed to send representatives to any ASEAN meeting or conference. We also urge the ASEAN to expand its dialogue and communications to include other participants and stakeholders in the conflict besides the military junta to include the conglomeration of opposition groups under the NUG, other democratic opposition groups, the ethnic minorities and their representatives, Myanmar civil society and the peoples of Myanmar who are in exile.
Lastly, we extend our solidarity with the peoples of Myanmar who will now mourn four more martyrs for the cause of democracy and human rights. The past year has seen a massive destruction of the lives, peace, and hopes of the peoples of Myanmar caused by the junta’s power grab. Responsibility for Myanmar’s current situation falls squarely on the shoulder of the junta leadership. We urge the peoples of Myanmar to persist in their struggle for democracy until they have fully liberated their country from the regime’s control. We wish to remind them again that the world has not forgotten their struggle. Many of us, not just in Asia, continue to believe that the cause of democracy will one day triumph in Myanmar as it will in all countries in Asia and the World.