Tel. 571.232.6804
Date: February 1, 2021
NYCFPA STATEMENT ON THE DETAINMENT OF MYANMAR CIVILIAN OFFICIALS
The New York Center for Foreign Policy Affairs (NYCFPA) is troubled by the events that have unfolded in Myanmar over the past 48 hours. It is with our organization’s understanding that these events have stemmed from accusations of a fraudulent election that had taken place in November 2020. NYCFPA believes that these concerning events unfolding in Naypyidaw are tied to the national election committee’s choice to ignore and reject the unfounded accusations made by high-ranking military officers seeking to regain power.
In November, the National League for Democracy (NLD) party won enough seats to form their own government. The party won 396 out of the total 476 seats of Parliament. This election was only the second democratic election since the end of military rule in 2011.
The military coup began to unravel after the country’s Supreme Court rejected the military’s claim of a fraudulent election. The military vowed to take action and seized the capital of Naypyitaw, and have declared a state of emergency and that it will last for a year. Our organization understands that until 2011 the military was in power since 1962. We advocate for the power in the people’s hands and duly elected government officials.
Unfortunately, with military rule in Myanmar, there have been instances of human rights violations. Our organization fears that more violations and violence will occur if the conflict continues to persist.
NYCFPA has and always will advocate for peace, especially when creating a resolution to difficult and potent conflicts. Due to the history in Myanmar and the growing conflict there, NYCFPA believes strongly in United Nations (UN) intervention. The UN should come together and send peacekeeping forces into Myanmar. With UN intervention, we find this to be the most effective resolution that will help reduce the possible threat of human rights violations and reduce the violence that may continue to grow now that the military controls the capital. We also advise immediate withdrawal of military representatives from civilian government operations.
NYCFPA calls on all parties involved in the alarming situation in Myanmar to refrain from violence and advocate for the use of both political and legal norms to ensure the peaceful resolution to this unprecedented crisis.
Justin Russell, the NYCFPA’s Principal Director, states, “The electorate in Myanmar chose a government of the people over military rule. The emerging democracy that exists in Myanmar has been gravely hampered by the recent coup attempt in the capital. The restoration of the duly elected civilian government must be immediate and without violence.”
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