Call to Action: Burma UPDATE

‘UPDATE on Burma Advocacy: This week, August 5-6, there is a national call-in to Congress to get them to pass the Protect Democracy in Burma Bill, aka ‘the Burma Bill’. On August 7, there will be a National Rally for Burma in Washington DC. This is the week to take action.

We need to push Congress, especially the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, to approve the Protect Democracy in Burma Act, because in early September, there will be a meeting of the UN Security Council to officially recognize either the National Unity Government (the NLD) or the Military Junta (SAC) as the official government of Myanmar. If we can get the Burma Bill passed ahead of the UN meeting, and show our support for the National Unity Government, it stands a better chance of being recognized as the official government of Burma.

I called Senator Markey’s office this morning (Aug. 2). I spoke to his Legislative Aide. He said the Burma Bill has been referred to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, but it has not yet been assigned to the Subcommittee on East and South Asia, but its almost certain that it will be assigned to that Subcommittee. Senator Markey of Massachusetts is the Chair of that Subcommittee; Senator Mitt Romney is the Ranking Republican member.

Right now the Senate is tied up with the Infrastructure Bill, and probably will be until Recess in August. But we have to keep pushing them to move the Burma Bill to Subcommittee and get it passed by the Senate by early September, before the UN Security Council meeting.

I also explained to the Aide that it’s in our own best interest to intervene and stop the spread of COVID in Burma. The Military Junta is allowing COVID-19 to run wild in Burma, and the next deadly variant of the virus could come from Burma; this is a global threat. He seemed to get that.

So I have updated my letter to reflect this new information. Please use my letter as a guide. I told the Aide that I am sending this letter not only by email, but also by US post, to make sure that I get a response from Sen. Markey at least by the end of August.

August 2, 2021

RE: PASS THE PROTECT DEMOCRACY IN BURMA ACT

Dear [Senator/Representative]:

Since the military coup of February 1, the COVID and political situation in Myanmar has become catastrophic. I’m writing to ask for your immediate help with the situation in Myanmar. 

In early September, there will be a meeting of the UN Security Council to officially recognize a government in Myanmar, either the National Unity Government (the National League for Democracy) or the Military Junta (the SAC). 

We must pass the Protect Democracy in Burma Act by the end of August, to officially recognize the National Unity Government, so it has a better chance of being recognized by the UN as the official government of Myanmar. 

As a nation, we must intervene to provide medical assistance to the people of Myanmar. COVID is spreading like wildfire across the country. What’s worse is the the military junta, the Tatmadaw, has taken control of the hospitals, arrested doctors and nurses, and is refusing to allow sick people to be treated in the hospitals without their permission. The junta has taken control of all medical supplies, including oxygen. People are dying because they don’t have oxygen, and they are not vaccinating people on a mass scale as they did before the Coup.

People are getting sick by the hundreds of thousands and needlessly dying because they don’t have medical care, protective equipment, oxygen or vaccines. The people of Myanmar are warning us that the situation in Myanmar is a greater threat to the region, and even to the world.

THE NEXT DEADLY COVID VARIANT COULD COME FROM MYANMAR IF WE DON’T INTERVENE AND STOP THE SPREAD. This is a global threat.

We must also stop all global sales of military weapons to the Tatmadaw. China supports the Military Coup, and Russia is supplying military weapons, planes and vehicles to the Tatmadaw. We must intervene, with the United Nations, to stop the Tatmadaw from terrorizing and killing the people of Myanmar. They have arrested, raped, beaten, tortured, shot, killed thousands of people, burned whole villages and displaced hundreds of thousands of people. 

We as a nation must, with the United Nations, put an end to the military coup and return the National Unity Government, to its lawful place as the democratically elected government of Myanmar.

Yours truly,

Shaun Bartone

Worcester, Massachusetts