NMF endorsed in Open letter to remove Criminal Junta from 21st ASEAN Chiefs of Defense Forces Meeting
On August 31, 2024, the New Myanmar Foundation, alongside 215 civil society groups, endorsed and sent an open letter to ASEAN leaders, urging the expulsion of war criminals from the upcoming ASEAN Commanders in Chief Meeting. This letter was addressed in connection with the 21st ASEAN Defense Chiefs’ Meeting, scheduled to be held in Vientiane, Laos, from September 4th to 7th, 2024.
The 215 undersigned organizations, comprising 112 original signatories and 103 additional groups, call for the following key actions to support the human rights and democratic representation of the people of Burma:
- Allow the National Unity Government (NUG) to Attend: Permit the democratically elected leaders of the National Unity Government to attend the meeting as the legitimate representatives of the people of Burma.
- Remove Illegitimate Military Representatives: Expel representatives of the Myanmar military and their appointees, who have illegally seized control of the government, from the meeting.
- Bar Military Representatives from Future Meetings: Prohibit the participation of Myanmar’s military group and their appointees in all future ASEAN meetings.
In the event that the Myanmar military is not expelled from these meetings, the letter urges the representatives of ASEAN member states who support Myanmar’s democracy to boycott the meeting and all future meetings until the military group is removed.
Photo Credit to Defend Myanmar Democracy.
