Dear Chairman Tom Tugendhat and respected members of the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee,

Thank you for your support, response, and recommendations as presented in your July 13th report. I am extremely moved by seeing such strong support from the people, Parliament and Government of the United Kingdom. I greatly appreciate our shared understanding of the severity and imminence of the situation and our collective commitment to ending violence and developing democratic rule in the country of Myanmar. I deeply value the UK’s clear and demonstrated dedication to leveraging the power of national and international bodies to contribute to our resistance efforts.

I would also like to thank you so much indeed for giving me this great opportunity once again to represent my people and country of Myanmar, which have suffered too much for far too long under the hands of the failed coup leader Min Aung Hlaing and his military junta regime’s reign of terror against the 54 million people of Myanmar.

I am deeply grateful for the decisive and effective recommendations delineated within the report. For example, upholding the legitimacy of the National Unity Government (NUG) and invalidating the unjust rule of the military junta is imperative to move forward in our efforts for freedom and liberation. In particular, we appreciate your recommendation that the UK government should provide support to the NUG and we should be treated as the “government-in-waiting,” instead of an “exile government.” Despite the many obstacles that we face, the NUG has not wavered in our commitment to the freedom, liberation, and welfare of the people of Myanmar, particularly in the concurrent political and humanitarian crises. The NUG is working tirelessly to secure vaccines for the people of Myanmar and support journalists, protestors, and other freedom fighters on the ground.

It is absolutely critical for the military to be held responsible for its impunity and its senseless violence committed against citizens. The Committee’s recommendations to refer those responsible for the senseless violence to the International Criminal Court and continued commitment to seek justice for the Rohingya people is critical. I support the Committee’s suggestion to your government to intervene in the Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (The Gambia v. Myanmar) at the International Court of Justice. We welcome these steps to involve the international legal system. Furthermore, I am pleased to see the Committee’s acknowledgment of the vital work of journalists from local and ethnic media organizations and local civil society organizations as they shine a light on the atrocities committed by the junta and collect evidence of human rights abuses, all at great personal risk. It is heartening to see the Committee’s commitment to assist these groups as they continue their brave and important work through funding and resource support.

I welcome the recommendation of the report to further expand the sanctions of the UK government and to use the power and reach of the British pound as a mechanism to compel financial institutions to end relationships with junta-affiliated companies. Your recommendation to, “freez[e] the military’s revenue sources on all possible fronts” is powerful and I could not agree more.    

I would also like to express my gratitude to the UK for their commitment to leveraging their critical and central role in several national and international bodies to aid us in our mission. The calls to 

action within the report, which call for the UK to utilize its status as an ASEAN dialogue partner to affect structural changes in the ASEAN mediation process, to use its status in the United Nations Security Council to develop a far-reaching arms embargo, and to leverage its bilateral and diplomatic relationships with other nations through groups such as the G7, Quad, and Five Power Defence Arrangements are key in developing global coalitions and ending the military’s reign of terror. 

Furthermore, current political instability will lead to increased poverty, displacement, and humanitarian crises, with the UNDP projecting that half of Myanmar’s population will live in poverty within a year, undoing 15 years of progress. According to the United Nations World Food Programme, 6.4 million people will have no food by the end of the year. The current political crisis has compromised access to healthcare, education, and other basic services, which is particularly concerning given the COVID-19 health crisis. 

In light of these challenges, humanitarian assistance to the people in Myanmar through multiple avenues is urgent and necessary. I appreciate the Committee’s recommendation to use UN mechanisms to build consensus on humanitarian aid and to leverage its diplomatic influence to encourage bordering countries—India and Thailand—to support refugees and uphold their commitments of non-refoulment. Moreover, considering the support civil society and grassroots organizations provide to vulnerable communities and ethnic groups in Myanmar, I was pleased to see that the Committee recommended that the government also focus on providing financial support to these organizations. Engaging multiple stakeholders is crucial to providing humanitarian assistance to the people in Myanmar.

Finally, I would like to express my deep gratitude for the Committee’s attention to the plight of Myanmar nationals based in the UK along with supporting the former Ambassador of Myanmar to the UK, Kyaw Zwar Minn. Myanmar nationals face challenges in extending their visas: the military has taken over the embassy, cutting off access to the proper channels to get visa extensions for many people who are fearful of interacting with junta representatives. Furthermore, according to evidence provided by NUG Campaign UK, the UK’s extensive asylum process makes it likely that many Myanmar citizens will be deported if they attempt to claim asylum. Thus, I welcome the Committee’s recommendation to introduce a “protected status” for these Myanmar nationals.

I look forward to the continued partnership between the UK Government and the National Unity Government as we work towards liberation and freedom for the people of Myanmar from the hands of the military junta and for building an inclusive Federal Democratic Union for All for the people of Myanmar regardless of race, religion, gender, culture, background, and ethnicities.

Sincerely,

H.E. Dr. Sasa
Union Minister of the Ministry of International Cooperation & NUG Spokesperson