Nearly 200 Burmese and Cambodian civil society groups have signed an agreement objecting to the Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen flying in to meet with Myanmar junta leader Min Aung Hlaing tomorrow.
The NGOs have called on the international community to take immediate action against the junta.
According to the Burmese and Cambodian NGOs, it is clear that the Myanmar military junta does not have the genuine intention to abide by the five-point agreement of ASEAN and the action of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen effectively legalized the Myanmar military junta in 2022.
Therefore, not only ASEAN but also the UN General Assembly and the UN Security Council need to take action to prevent further harm to the people of Myanmar.
ASEAN must recognize the National Unity Government (NUG), a legitimate government of Myanmar, and should cooperate with only the United Nations and the NUG government, and not with the military junta. Otherwise, public trust in Asean is in jeopardy, the statement said.
Cambodia, in its role as chair of ASEAN, will make it a priority to allow the Myanmar junta leader to attend the ASEAN summit on behalf of Myanmar during its chairmanship of ASEAN in 2022, Hun Sen said at the opening ceremony of the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Phnom Penh on December 15, 2021.
The NGOs are upset by this stance. Despite the experience of genocidal Khmer Rouge dictators committing genocide against millions of Cambodians, this attitude is an insult not only to the people of Myanmar but also to the Cambodian people.
The two civil society groups jointly demanded and called for an end to the human rights abuses and crimes committed by Hun Sen and Min Aung Hlaing and for the restoration of democracy and human rights for the people of Cambodia and Myanmar.
Hun Sen has been criticized for his autocratic actions in Cambodian and his suppression of opposition political parties.
There has been a lot of criticism of Hun Sen's visit to Myanmar, and nearly 300 revolutionary groups across the Myanmar country have announced that they will use various means to prevent Hun Sen from entering Myanmar.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo has pressured Hun Sen that only non-political representatives will be able to attend the ASEAN Summit unless the five-point agreement - agreed at last year's summit in Indonesia - are implemented, according to the Jakarta Globe.
Brunei, the former chair of ASEAN in 2021, did not allow the Myanmar junta military leader to attend the ASEAN meeting because the Military Council did not abide by five-point agreement.
Hun Sen, who has taken over the rotating chairmanship, is trying to get a chance for the Myanmar military leader to attend the ASEAN meeting, and he has also invited military appointed Foreign Minister, Wunna Maung Lwin to Phnom Penh. Hun Sen will arrive in Naypyidaw on January 7 and his situation is being watched by the public about whether he will be able to meet with detained State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi or not.
Myanmar junta military has killed 1,398 people, including at least 100 children, and detained 11,328 others since the February coup. Records from the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) show that more than 280,000 people have been displaced since the coup.
The Myanmar and Cambodian NGOs are concerned about the brutal actions of the Myanmar regime. The most recent crime was the brutal arson attack on December 24 that killed about 40 people from Phruso township in Karenni State and also on December 7, the massacre of 11 people in Don Taw village, Sagaing Division.
They say this is clear evidence of the need for a stronger international collective response to the Myanmar junta.
Their statement said that if Hun Sen legitimized the Myanmar terrorist junta army, the people of Myanmar would face more oppression.
Burmese civil society groups, which have signed the declaration, have said they do not welcome Hun Sen, and Cambodian civil society groups have stated that it his visit is an individual act by Hun Sen and it does not represent the will of the Cambodian people.
