Report on the crisis in Myanmar January 2022

The acting Partnership Coordinator for Asia Pacific for the Methodist Church in Britain, Sheila Norris received this report on 20th Jan 2022. It is shared for your continued solidarity and prayer.

The political crisis is getting worse. The leader of the State Administration Council (SAC), Senior General Min Aung Hlaing has called for peace talks with all Ethnic Armed Organizations (EAO) and People Defense Forces (PDFs), and Civil Defense Forces (CDFs). The military announced a ceasefire in 2022 but did not stop fighting against the EAOs, PDFs ,CDFs, and the civilians on the ground. They continue to arrest civilians, who are tortured, jailed and some are burned alive. They have burnt down almost all of the houses in Thantlang Town in Chin State and many villages of the Burmese people, the majority ethnic group in Myanmar. The so-called PDFs and CDFs are the civilians who are fighting back against the coup with local hand-made guns and weapons in their respective places, towns and villages. The military use helicopters and jet fighters to defeat the civilians. They burn houses, brake down houses and take the possessions of the house owners. They have even raided the camps of internally displaced peoples, destroying food and shelters.

All the hospitals and medical centers in the whole country have stopped functioning. The military does not allow the carrying and keeping of medicines by civilians. Very few people can get medical care from the private hospitals, only in the big cities. Almost all of the schools and colleges are still closed because parents will not let their children go to the school because they don't want the education given by the military government. Another reason is that all the teenagers and young people including all of the young employees of the government are taking part in the fighting against the military.

The military does not care about the rights of the civilians and the groups of armed forces fighting against the coup are increasing in the whole country. I think it will take years of peace building and political resolutions. The military government have promised again and again that they will conduct elections in 2023 but it will not come true unless they release the detained political leaders and democracy activists. The international interference also doesn't work unless they give effective help to the National Unity Government (NUG). The effort of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) has also failed. The conflicts between the military and the revolutionary armed forces are taking place everyday, everywhere and increasing the number war victims.

Please keep in your prayers and thoughts of the rapid political resolution in Myanmar

Shared with permission, without attribution due to security concerns.