Full text of speech of Elaisa Vahnie on the 74th Anniversary of the Union Day of Myanmar

Remarks of Mr. Elaisa Vahnie, Executive Director of Burmese American Community Institute

At the 74th Anniversary of the Union Day of Myanmar

February 12, 2021
Indianapolis, IN, USA

Respected members of the Burmese community, our Hoosier and American friends, distinguished speakers, and all my fellow Burmese inside Myanmar and in the Myanmar diaspora, and to all of you who are joining us online today, warm greetings.

It is an honor and a privilege to have this opportunity to speak today as the people of Myanmar and our friends across the globe come together to observe the 74th Myanmar Union Day. But, I am deeply distressed by the events unfolding from Myanmar, the country which we still dearly call our homeland.

As I hope you all know by now, on February 1, 2020 the military of Burma seized power from the civilian government, illegally detaining State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, President U Win Myint, and elected members of Parliament, including Pyiduangsuu Hluttaw, as well as civil society leaders.

These unlawful actions of the military which present a serious threat to the existence of the Union of Myanmar, puts us in a situation where we must reflect on our past, assess our present, and envision our future.

For more than half a century, the Burmese military has implemented an ethnic cleansing policy, the idea founded on the motivation of asserting the ethno-linguistic-religious dominance of the Burman group over others. The utilization of the Burmese military institution to achieve this policy has not only directly resulted in systematic deprivations and violations on the rights of millions of their own citizens. It has even deprived them of knowing what their rights are, deprived them of  access to education, access to the economy and to livelihood; even further, it has obscured the prospect of democracy, peace, and prosperity in the country. The military’s continued engagement in oppression and mistreatment of their own people, mismanagement of the country’s resources, and compounded by the international isolation for decades, has effectively caused Myanmar to be one of the poorest countries in the world. Furthermore, the continued political crisis, civil war, and the persistent military offensive against ethnic armed organizations has forced thousands of people to flee their homes in search of a safe haven and protection.

This same military has just taken-over the country again, illegally and unfairly – not only taking away the free will and the hope of the people for a better future, but furthermore posing the danger of complete destruction of the Panglong spirits and principles. The actions of the military are not only unlawful, unfair, and devoid of honesty and goodwill, but what they have done is unjustifiable by any legal standard, and by democratic norms and practices. That is why we are joining the people of Myanmar inside the country and the international communities in rejecting the military coup unequivocally, and helping end the military dictatorship as quickly as possible, and returning the power to the elected members of Parliament and civilian leaders.

Hence, our immediate main goal is to help end the military rule in Burma. In order to achieve this, we have already taken actions swiftly through an open and inclusive process, which included organizing protests and mobilization of the community social capital, formation of strategic alliances, and engagement of smart advocacy for actionable policy solutions. Protests against the military coup in Burma have taken place across the nation led by Burmese-American communities in collaboration with the Free Myanmar Campaign USA. We have just seen two demonstrations right here in Indianapolis where Burmese and our Hoosier friends came together to express their voice. And it is amazing to see all the students and teachers at Perry Township School District, where over 3,000 Burmese students are currently enrolled, are this week offering prayers and showing solidarity with the people of Myanmar. These are just a few local examples of the support we are seeing.

With a renewed commitment, we are prepared to work with the Burmese communities in different cities and states across the US, with our American friends -who are collaboratively working with policy and decision makers in Washington D.C.- and the international multilateral institutions with all their mechanisms and tools at hand to help produce the desired outcomes, which is to end the military coup and restore the civilian government as quickly as possible. 

Let me make sure I mention this: unlike in the past, the actions our international friends are taking today will have an impact. We will work closely with our American and international friends so that they produce tangible and desired outcomes.

We are indeed grateful that Senator Todd Young, who sits on the U.S. Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee along with Senator Cardin, has already introduced a resolution, which calls on the President of the United States, the Secretary of State, and the Secretary of Defense, to immediately take all steps necessary to end the military coup in Burma/Myanmar. We welcome and thank President Biden for taking swift actions on Burma, imposing further sanctions on the Burmese military and taking additional measures to ensure the generals relinquish their power.

Until and unless the military returns the power to the civilian government, we are prepared to collaboratively work with our friends in Washington D.C. —with the leadership of Senator Young, Congressman Carson and all Representatives from the great state of Indiana — and with the support of Senator MacDonnell and others to make sure the U.S. Congress passes the Burma bill as quickly as possible, working with the Biden Administration to further ensure the resolution is implemented to the point it produces real results.

We will also to work with the International community, in particular the United Nations, to explore all the mechanisms and tools available to effectuate change in Burma — including through the International Criminal Court, the International Court of Justice, and the invocation of the Responsibility to Protect article in addition to diplomatic actions, economic sanctions, and a concerted pressure on the military and to hold the generals responsible and accountable for the grave crimes they have committed and the crimes they continue to commit as we speak. We will do everything we possibly can so our democratic friends can even take unconventional actions if the situation demands.

Let me be clear: the military personnel are not the enemy of the people of Myanmar, nor do we hold a grudge against them, but anyone, any institution that is responsible for an unlawful act against the will of the people and repeatedly continues to commit such a crime against humanity must be held accountable. Everyone must respect the fundamental rights of the people and the rule of law.

But we know that the Generals will even go further and do everything they can to keep Nobel Peace Laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi out of the Burmese government permanently by bringing baseless charges against her. This is a revelation of how far away their mind is from fair democratic processes and from the people; the military, in fact, is not capable of telling the truth and is fearful of justice, democracy and freedom.

With this, I would like to remind my fellow Burmese-Americans, the Myanmar Diasporas — this is your call. Will you respond to your call dutifully and faithfully?

My fellow Burmese inside the country: we see the anger, the pain and suffering you are going through mentally and physically—we all are in the same boat. Please know that we are with you, we stand with you, we support you in the Civil Disobedience Movement, and the non-violent movements you have been undertaking to end the dictatorship. We will do everything we can with all our abilities to help achieve our common goal -that civilian government is restored in our beloved country.

Reminding ourselves that this is a critically important period of time in history, with colossal challenges and complex problems, it will require unwavering commitment, strength and the participation of everyone in this cause to end the military rule and to build a federal union. Things will not be easy, we will face difficulties on our journey, but only unity will help us achieve our goal. That is why it has never been more important for the entire population of Myanmar to fully embrace “Unity in Diversity” regardless of your ethnic and religious backgrounds —Chin, Kachin, Kayah, Karen, Mon, Arakhine, Shan or Bama — no matter what which political party you belong to or which organization you are affiliated with, let us not forget to maintain and strengthen our sense of unity in diversity with a full appreciation and understanding that our common goal is peace, equality, and self-determination based on the principles of Panglong.

Thank you the international friends for standing with us, standing with the people of Myanmar. Thank you all the people of Myanmar for being prepared to give all you can. Let us work towards a shared vision of building a free, peaceful, and prosperous Myanmar. ###

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