Burma: the specter of an all-out civil war
Two months after the coup, the junta's crackdown on civilians left more than 520 dead.
REUTERS - STRINGER
Text by: Jelena Tomic Follow
6 mins
Two months after the coup, the junta's crackdown on civilians left more than 520 dead.
On Tuesday, three ethnic rebel factions threatened to join the protest movement if the bloodshed continues.
In parallel, two other rebel groups attacked military bases in Karen and Kachin states, causing airstrikes against civilians.
Interview with Debbie Stothard, founder and coordinator of Alternative ASEAN Network for Burma (ALTSEAN).
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RFI: Do you fear an escalation of the situation?
Debbie Stothard:
We are definitely seeing an escalation.
It is clear that by using the armed forces on March 27, the military junta helped escalate the war both against ethnic minorities in border areas and against pro-democracy protesters in urban areas.
The military operations obviously lead to an all-out civil war.
At the same time, people across the country have demonstrated incredible unity against the junta.
Ethnic armed organizations know that the military will show no mercy.
They have fought the junta and know what it is capable of.
They know that if the military can be so violent with the Burmese majority in the cities, they will be able to do much worse against the ethnic minorities in the rural areas.
On the other hand, the civil disobedience movement and elected officials who represent 76% of the national parliament are firmly committed to creating a genuine federal union, a union in which all ethnic minorities would be recognized.
It is therefore in the interest of ethnic armed groups to unite with this broad movement to combat military rule.
They know for a fact that if they do not unite, they will be destroyed.
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To read also: New sanctions against the Burmese regime
The international community has repeatedly condemned the army's brutal crackdown on peaceful protesters and sanctions have been adopted against top junta officials. But these measures do not seem to have an impact on the generals. At Britain's request, the UN Security Council will meet again urgently this Wednesday behind closed doors. What do you expect from this meeting?
The soldiers are violent because they have failed to secure control of the country.
They are violent because they did not expect so much resistance from the population.
In other words, this putsch did not work.
Every day the youth of this country risks death and despite everything continues to courageously resist the junta.
The international community must intervene to end the violence and allow the elected civilian government to regain power.
The representative committee of the Parliament must for its part adopt a policy aimed at
repealing the military constitution of 2008
and work in collaboration with the ethnic groups to form a true federal union.
This is an essential point demonstrating a high degree of democracy and the fight against the military coup.
What concerns us is the sense of isolation from the civil disobedience movement.
It has the support of a large number of human rights movements around the world, but not enough of governments in the region and around the world.
The Burmese are campaigning for sanctions against military-owned businesses.
They are asking Europeans and other businesses around the world to stop paying funds into accounts under the junta's control.
They are also asking that the money be paid into an account that would benefit the civilian government when it returns to power.
The military junta illegally declared a state of emergency.
She violated her own Constitution.
This is the reason why including senior officials took part in the boycott and try to avoid working with the junta.
It is therefore essential that companies like Total and others, which pay millions of euros in income to the illegal military junta, stop these payments.
They must listen to the people and hear the demands of elected members of parliament.
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Read also: Burma: Western economic sanctions have a limited effect
The Burmese population, especially young people, have shown incredible resilience over the past two months in the face of heavily armed police and military. Mass protests and the general strike continue. Many observers believe that change must come from within. What other means are available to the population to restore democracy?
They want the violence to stop.
They want all political prisoners to be released.
There are approximately 3,000 people currently in detention.
They want airstrikes against civilians in ethnic areas to stop.
It had been years since there had been any bombing in ethnic minority areas.
Over the past weekend, scores of civilians were struck and had to flee across the Thai border.
The reason for these strikes is that many soldiers who were chased by the military in the past found refuge in Karen territory.
We see that the military is stepping up its violence and leading the country to the brink of all-out civil war.
Burma has experienced in different regions and for decades a low intensity civil war.
But military operations lead straight to all-out civil war in urban centers and rural areas.
Finally, companies must no longer provide this illegal military junta with the means to continue its repression against civilians.
They must understand that by continuing to support the military, companies are not only involved in crimes against humanity, but also in the destabilization of the security of civilians in this region.
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