Thank you for having me today and for organizing this very important event, the “World Peace Summit”. The world needs peace now more than ever before. The light of world peace and its stability is being threatened by the darkness of pain, suffering, death and destruction. These evils are visited upon the citizens of the world by CONFLICTS, CLIMATE CHANGE AND COVID-19 (the 3 C’s). It’s time for world leaders and global citizens to come together and declare war on these 3Cs of darkness and restore light and peace to make this world a better place for ALL. We must all do everything we can in our power to take action against these global issues before it is too late.

I was born in a remote village of Chin State, Myanmar. My parents are illiterate, and they don’t even know my date of birth, but remembered simply that it was in the morning during the rain. Growing up in a country like Myanmar where the military controlled every aspect of your life, the same military that has violently retaken power today, was complicated and often filled with darkness. I have seen the utter barbarity, the vile inhumanity and the pure criminality of the tatmadaw (military) generals. The evil they perpetrated against my people with not only bombs, bullets and guns, but also such weapons as terror, torture, forced labor, rape, intimidation, murder and eradication lacks words to describe it.

With my very eyes I have seen three childhood friends, all from the same family, die of severe diarrhea. One in the morning, one in the middle of the day and one in the evening. At that time, I thought to myself that I could easily be next. Life was so short and painful, the expectations of our ability to pursue peace and happiness were small. I remember seeing my mother’s best friend die during labour after five days of unspeakable suffering. There were no doctors, no nurses, no medical emergency services. Why would the military want to waste services on us, it would have been easier to replace us. After all our lives were worthless to them. I grew up in a place where there is no education beyond primary education and the closest secondary schooling was what felt like a world away. The military sees us as slaves and tools, our use to them is earning them money with our backs and then dying at the least cost to them. We had no electricity nor running water. It would often take several days to walk to the hospitals. One could die enroute. All this extreme poverty and extreme lack of basic services are a direct result of the conflicts and instability caused by the successive military juntas. This history, not just my history but the history of all of the people terrorized by the tatmadaw, are the root causes of violence and instability which is threatening regional and global peace. 

In pursuing my dream to bring hope and peace to my people and country which have suffered so much for so long, I came from my remote village to Yangon for high school. Then 22 years ago, I came to India when all the colleges were closed in Myanmar by this same military general whom we are facing today and 19 years ago to Armenia where I attended medical University for 7 years. I will never forget the generosity of supporters from around the world and my people who gave me chicken, pigs and cows and rice etc for my studies. For the last 14 years of my life, I have done humanitarian work to bring relief, hope and peace to my people and have experienced several times the impact of these 3Cs.  During the military’s years of power, we had no care or support. No subsidies, no help, nothing except a violent response to anyone who dared to complain about their lot in life. With our very eyes we have seen and experienced extreme weather, flooding, massive landslides, and global warming which caused massive food shortages, loss of life and livelihood insecurity; all resulting in somehow making extreme poverty even worse. We don’t need to be educated to understand this concept of climate change as even the illiterate farmers in my part of the world have felt it and understood it as it directly impacts them. 

In Myanmar, as we speak, the military generals continue their brutal attacks on peace and the peace-loving people. The genocidal military junta (SAC) forces are delivering a systematic and widespread campaign of violence against the whole population of Myanmar, including indiscriminate artillery fire and carpet bombing of towns and villages, mass arrests, execution of prisoners, widespread torture and sexual violence, burning of villages, threats against families and villages to relocate themselves and planting landmines around their assets. These weapons everyone knows about. However, there is an even more sinister weapon the military has brought to bear. One that is detrimental not only to Myanmar but dangerous for the entire world. 

The military has weaponized CoVid-19. By stealing supplies, taking what little support the people have and removing access to doctors. Hundreds of thousands are slowly dying of COVID-19 in Myanmar. Additionally, 6.4 million people are suffering acute food shortage, 27 million people are being forced to live under extreme poverty, and 1.2 million people have fled their homes and villages for fear of their lives since the 1^st of February this year. The military junta has illegally arrested 8,321 civilians and murdered 1,121 civilians in cold blood. A Chin Pastor by the name of Cung Biak Hum was recently murdered, and his finger cut off by the junta soldiers to steal his wedding ring. Thantland and Hakha towns of Chin State are being bombarded, and internet has been cut in many places in order to silence the voice of those providing the evidence of this utter barbarity, inhumanity and cruel criminality of the military junta forces, the enemies of the peace, people, and Country. In order to bring peace, more must be done to bring this crisis to an end as quickly as possible. We are doing everything we can to save and protect the lives of the people of Myanmar from this triple crisis, these 3Cs, the genocidal military junta’s acts of terrorism, COVID-19 and the growing humanitarian catastrophes. We are in extreme need of support and solidarity, recognition and cooperation from the international community and the free world.  

The people of Myanmar are desperate. They are desperate to end this great darkness, this reign-of-terror against the people of Myanmar and begin building peace and stability under a federal democratic union of Myanmar for ALL the people of Myanmar regardless of race, culture, gender, sexual orientation, religion, background or ethnicity. My people and country have suffered so much for so long under this great darkness, and the pain and suffering are indescribable. The need for peace is greater than ever before. 

To achieve peace in Myanmar, we are calling for the International Community, leaders  and nations around the word to immediately apply the following four cut policy to the genocidal military junta in Myanmar: 

1. Cut off FINANCES to the military through maximum economic and political isolation and sanctions. This includes sanctions as the military itself, against the members of the high command, and against known civilian affiliates of the military. Wherever possible their assets must be frozen. Sanctions must also extend to the large and complex network of both legitimate and illegitimate businesses owned and operated by the military through which they secure passive income, maintain control of materials and industries vital to military operation, and keep the Myanmar people financially dependent on military-run businesses. Crucially, they must not be able to generate revenue from the sale of natural gas which remains their largest source of hard currency. Finally, sanctions must also extend to financial operators in foreign countries through which the dictatorship launders and conceals the wealth they have extracted from the long suffering Myanmar people. 

2. Cut off SUPPLIES to the military. Although it is by now well known that the military are a brutal repressive regime, they continue to secure weapons and materiel vital to their operations from foreign countries. It is unimaginable that a global arms embargo has not yet been established and there is no excuse for the international community not to immediately de-legalize the supplies of weapons, ammunition, and explosives to the military. These tools have no use beyond indiscriminate death and destruction and there is no justification for allowing the military to replenish their stocks. In addition, jet fuel is badly needed by the military. Although it is ostensibly a civilian commodity, as few commercial flights are operating, the military is the only other consumer of jet fuel which they need in order to carry about bombing raids and air-support for death-squads on the ground. It is essential that jet fuel also be cut off to Myanmar.

3. Cut off POLITICAL RECOGNITION for the military junta, and the SAC. It is vital that countries cease and end all diplomatic or economic interaction with the military or any government official representing the military’s interests. But this alone is not enough. For the military to decisively lose legitimacy in the eyes of the world, all nations must recognize the legitimacy of the NUG as the sole government of Myanmar and commit to properly supporting and resourcing the NUG and our partner organizations as we continue to work tirelessly for the safety and benefit of the Myanmar people, and the establishment of a federal democracy in Myanmar. 

4. Cut off INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT that benefits the military and SAC-controlled institutions. International actors must understand that any aid or support sent through military-controlled organizations or institutions will be stolen for the benefit of the military with little or nothing making it to the people in genuine need. In order to make any real impact on the ground, assistance must be delivered only through mechanisms that strengthen civil society and actually deliver for the people. In so doing, the rest of the world can help to deepen the growing unity of vision and purpose across our country’s diversity.

Regarding the unity of our people in opposition of this military regime, it transcends all religions, beliefs and ideologies. We are an extremely diverse nation, yet we have managed to turn this diversity into our biggest asset – unity and alliance against the common enemy of the people. This is a testament to the people’s will that no matter our religion, or lack thereof, we can unite to accomplish common goals, and leave our differences behind when lives are at stake. This then shows that religions, whatever they may be, united together can indeed be a catalyst for peace if the individuals put aside their differences and unite on common ground to accomplish common goals.
Turning to the subject of theology: all religions teach about peace, love, hope and caring for each other to one extent or another, but the military junta in Myanmar is trying to redefine this in the opposite direction. They are replacing religious peace and social harmony with religious violence. They are trying to replace religious teaching of love with burning hatred, and they are replacing caring for each other with division and segregation based on many factors. Unity and diversity are the true strengths of any nation or any religion. Through our diversity we can develop a better understanding and respect for our peers. We can become more effective at reaching our goals by listening to those with different experiences. By extending an open hand we invite more to share in our labour, and in so doing, build a world we could never have made alone. Myanmar, is a deeply religious country; a multi-ethnic country; a multi-cultural country. We are not all the same, we are diverse – like the flowers of a fragrant spring-time garden. And like those flowers we are most beautiful when we are different and varied. But in order for these flowers to bloom, they need to tended and nourished with kindness and love.

The military knows only how to destroy. How to rip up root and stem and salt the earth. To the military, any difference is a reason to hate. Any diversity is a threat to the single identity they envision for the Myanmar people – an identity based entirely on the worship of power. The garden of the military is a barren wasteland – unchanging, unquestioning, uniform, dead.

We need all religious leaders from all backgrounds to unite and help us bring peace and harmony in Myanmar. Our future is to show the beauty of Myanmar to the world, a new and grand future where all people have the opportunity to flourish in peace regardless of any differences in race, culture, religion, gender, ethnicity or background.

Thank you and Sincerely,

H.E. Dr. Sasa
Union Minister of Ministry of International Cooperation
Spoke Person of Nation Unity Government
Former Special Envoy to United Nations