Both the Myanmar Consulate General and U.S. Consulate in Chiang Mai refused to officially accept an open letter from a delegation demanding an end to Burma Army attacks in central Shan State.
The letter was delivered by a delegation representing a coalition of Shan community-based organisations (CBOs).
Ying Harn Fah, the delegation’s spokesperson said that the consulates reused to accept the letter because the CBOs had not followed the formal process for delivering messages and statements, which is to send them by post.
The Burmese Consulate in Chiang Mai Refuses to Accept the Shan CBOs Anti-War Statement
She said: “They [the Consul] are not available to meet with us.”
Burmese Consulate in Chiang Mai
The open letter was delivered exactly one month after Burma Army offensives began in Shan state on 6 October.
The army’s use of heavy artillery has displaced more than 6,000 people from 22 villages in Kesi, Mong Hsu, Mong Nong and Tan Yan Townships.
The CBO groups said that the displaced people are now sheltering in makeshift camps, and are in urgent need of humanitarian aid and protection. The Burma Army is reportedly continuing to launch attacks close to the camps, and has begun blocking humanitarian access to the camps.
The CBO’s statement said: “The indiscriminate shelling of civilian areas, including during sacred Buddhist festivals, makes it clear that Naypyidaw has no respect for human rights or humanitarian law.”
The attempt to deliver the letter came two days before Burma is set to hold elections on 8 November.
Talking of the conflict area Ying Harn Fah said: “It’s closed for voting. The villagers want to vote, but because of the ongoing fighting, they cannot.”
To ensure that the letters reach the consulates the group plans to send them by e mail and post.
Ying Harn Fah said: “We will send it not only to these consulates, but also to other consulates.”
The CBOs also urged the international community, particularly those coming to monitor Burma’s election, to publicly denounce Naypyidaw’s ongoing offensives against ethnic populations.
The statement said: “The immediate ending of these offensives must be a benchmark for any further engagement with Naypyidaw,”
By SAI AW / Shan Herald Agency for News (S.H.A.N)
Edited in English by Mark Inkey for BNI
