319 civil society organizations have sent an open letter to the Thai government and BIMSTEC leaders demanding that Min Aung Hlaing be denied entry to the upcoming BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) Summit in Bangkok, Thailand. The letter, sent on March 29, calls for the removal of all military council representatives and their appointees from all BIMSTEC meetings and ceremonies scheduled for April 3-4. The organizations also urged taking a stand against the illegal military council and its international crimes.
The open letter details the military council’s atrocities since their attempted coup on February 1, 2021, including mass killings, indiscriminate airstrikes, artillery attacks, sexual and gender-based violence, severe torture, village burnings, and the unlawful arrest of over 28,900 people. The military council has escalated its aerial attacks year after year, with civilian casualties rising accordingly. The Myanmar military has violated international humanitarian law by conducting 4,631 airstrikes, including attacks on IDP camps, clinics, schools, and religious buildings. These attacks, including the use of prohibited incendiary bombs on civilian areas, have resulted in at least 2,603 deaths and over 4,184 injuries. As a consequence of these crimes, more than 3 million people have been forced to flee their homes.
The letter warns that if foreign governments and international organizations engage with the terrorist military council as a legitimate government, or facilitate connections between military appointees and their allies with the international community, it will embolden the military council and lead to increased violence against civilians. Such engagement would legitimize their illegal attempts to portray themselves as a government, assist in building relationships and accessing finances and resources, and support their violent campaign against Myanmar’s people. The letter emphasizes the critical importance of not becoming complicit by encouraging potential diplomatic and financial relationships between the Myanmar military council and others through international meetings and networks.
The letter notes that other intergovernmental organizations, including ASEAN and the UN, have already taken action against the Myanmar military council. The 319 Myanmar and international civil society organizations that signed the letter are awaiting responses from the foreign ministers of BIMSTEC member states including Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. They pledge to continue monitoring whether the leaders’ actions support the people of Myanmar or aid the illegal terrorist military council.
