Statement Demanding an Immediate Stop to War in Myanmar

Scores of organizations insist that negotiative efforts be sincere.

Art: University of North Carolina

(U.K. ) - To the President Thein Sein and Government, Cabinet, Hluttaw (Parliaments) and Commander in Chief and the Military of Myanmar. From Civil Society Organizations, Networks and People who Desire Genuine and Just Peace Date: 9th June, 2014

While there is a pretense that the Union Peacemaking Working Committee is conducting meetings on a ceasefire agreement to end the more than sixty-year long civil war between the Government, Military and ethnic armed groups - current clashes in Kachin regions, Ta-ang Palaung regions and Shan State are witness to the military’s serious offensive.

Civil society organizations, networks and people who desire genuine and just peace profoundly demand the respective Government, Hluttaw (parliaments) and the Myanmar military to contemplate the following points to prove their willingness for genuine peace.

1. To stop preparing and intensifying military forces and conducting military offensives in Kachin regions, Ta-ang Palaung regions and Shan State.
2. The Government and ethnic armed groups must release accurate and authentic information, and facilitate access to reliable information in a safe and secure manner related to the current fighting in Kachin regions, Ta-ang Palaung regions and Shan State.
3. To immediately stop the current fighting and conduct urgent meetings with respective ethnic organizations.
4. To immediately form an independent and unbiased civilian ceasefire monitoring group including women, who are accepted by both entities, and to allow and provide security when monitoring in the conflict areas is taking place.
5. To remove or withdraw troops from positions neighboring IDP camps where innocent civilians are being sheltered.
6. Without delay, stop committing war crimes such as the arbitrary arrest of civilians, threatening civilians, destroying public goods, dropping heavy artillery shells on villages, invading IDP camps and/or committing sexual violence against women, and to investigate perpetrators and punish promptly and effectively.
7. To make just decisions on current cases in accordance with investigations, inquiries and testimonies of witnesses in court, and to cease further arbitrary arrests.
8. To allow civil society organizations to secure the resettlement of IDPs and to support their basic needs such as food, clothes, shelter and basic services.
9. To end military coercion to sign the nationwide ceasefire agreement.
10. To stop any kinds of actions which destroy trust, and to instigate honest, transparent, accountable and timely processes demanded by the public such as amending the 2008 Constitution, and/or conducting political dialogues that lead to a genuine federal system.

Since it severely affects severely the lives of innocent civilians, including IDPs from the camps, the President, the Commander in Chief, the Union Peacemaking Working Committee and the Nationwide Ceasefire Coordinating Team, the key actors in the peacemaking process, are requested to be accountable so that clashes or fighting do not occur during ceasefire talks or political dialogues.

The International Organisations and Individuals endorsed are:

1. Fortify Rights – United State of America
2. DANMISSION – Denmark
3. Mr. William Nicholas Gomes, Human Rights Ambassador for Salem-News.com, UK
4. Serving Oregon and the Pacific Northwest with Local, National and Worldwide News
5. Myanmar Chapter (Thailand)
6. Indigenous Peoples Links (PIPLinks) – United Kingdom
7. Indigenous People Human Rights Defender and Advocacy (IPHRDA) – Cambodia
8. Kapaeeng Foundation – Bangladesh
9. Naga People's Movement for Human Right- Northeast India
10. Borok Peoples' Human Rights Organisation(BPHRO)- India

Networks of Organisations:

1. Women League of Burma
2. Kachin Relief Fund – UK
3. Kachin community – UK
4. Women Initiative Network for peace (WIN PEACE)
5. KCBPSN (Karen Community Based Peace Support Network)

Local Organisations:

1. Kachin Peace Network
2. Kachi Women Peace Network
3. BAYDA Institute
4. Green Myanmar Environment and Social Network
5. Sagaing Region Farmers Development Network (SRFDN)
6. Civil and Political Rights Campaign Group
7. Future ICT and Education Development Network (FIDEN)
8. Myay Lat Region Development Organisation
9. Rakhine Youth Development Initiative (RYDI)
10. Khit Thit Lu Nge – New Generation Youth
11. Justice and Peace Commission (CBCM)
12. Kachin Legal Aid Network
13. Research and Translation Consultancy Cluster
14. Voice of Women
15. Gender and Development Initiative-Myanmar
16. Burma Partnership
17. Women for Justice
18. Alin Say Taman
19. Karen Women Empowerment Group
20. All Kachin Youth and Students Union
21. Civil Authorize Negotiate Organization (C.A.N-Org)
22. KESAN (Karen Environmental And Social Action Network)
23. Kachin Alliance – USA
24. Myanmar Mobile Training Team
25. A Lin Say Ta Marn organization
26. Safety Net
27. Pa Dae Thar Moe
28. Pyo Khin Thit – Ma-U-Bin
29. POINT
30. Youth Circle
31. Ayeyarwady youth network
32. KHRG- Karen Human Rights Group
33. Chapter-8
34. Twig
35. Peace Network
36. Women for Justice
37. New generation Shan state –Taunggyi
38. Green Network Sustainable Environmental Group
39. Kanbawza Youth Library (Taunggyi)
40. HRDP –Ayeyarwaddy Division (Pathein, Hinzada, Bogalay, Danu Phyu, Ma-u Bin, Lay Myet Nar, Ngwe Saung, Ngapu Daw, Thar Paung Kyaik Lat)
41. HRDP – Pegu Division (Pyay, Shwe Taung, Min Hla, Let Padan, Shwe Kyin, NyaungLay Bin)
42. HRDP- Shan State (Taunggyi, Nyang Shwe, Shwe Nyaung, Heho, Aye Thar Yar, Nam San)
43. HRDP – Manandalay Division (Myin Chyan, Thar Si, Wan Twin, Taung Thar, PyinOo Lwin, Nahto Gyi)
44. HRDP – Thaninthari Division (Myeik, Kyun Su, Dawai, Kaw Thaung)
45. HRDP- Mon State (Thein Zayat)
46. HRDP –Yangon Division (Hlaing Thar Yar, Twentay, Thone Khwa, Khayan, KyeeMyin Daing, San Chaung, Hlaing, Pabe Dan)
47. IFI watch Myanmar
48. Myit Kwe Ayeyarwaddy Social Network (Magwe)
49. Magwe Division Farmers Union
50. Nyi-Nyut-Chin -United Holding Hands
51. Social Care Volunteer Group
52. Green Network –Magwe
53. Green Future- YenanChaung
54. Kun Htauk Social Network – Yenan Chaung township
55. Management & English Learning Center – Magwe
56. Farmer's Right and Development Group – Magwe township
57. Peace & Justice Social Network – Meikhtila town
58. Ayarwaddy West Bank Development Organisation – Min Bu town
59. Sha-it Social Development Foundation
60. Diverze Youth Art Platform
61. Equality Myanmar
62. Colors Rainbow
63. United Against Child Trafficking ( United ACT)
64. RAINFALL
65. Humanity Institute
66. Shwe Gas Movement(SGM)
67. Myanmar Migration Center
68. Agency for Basic Community Development – ABC
69. Smile Education
70. Yangon School of Political Science
71. COM- Charity-Oriented Myanmar
72. GSMI- Gaia Sustainable Management Institute
73. Socio-Economic and Gender Research Institute (SEGRI)
74. Hpan Tee Ein – Creative House
75. DDA ( Dawei Development Association)
76. DRA ( Dawei Research Association)
77. Takapaw
78. Tavoyan Women's Union
79. Tavoyan Youth Organization
80. Dawei Lawyer Group
81. Dawei Human Rights Watch
82. Dawei Youth Fellowship
83. Farmers and Agriculture Workers Union
84. Peace and Open Society (Dawei)
85. Federation of Trade Unions Myanmar (FTUM)
86. Action Based Community Development (ABCD)
87. Union of Karenni State Youth(UKSY)
88. Women's Galaxy
89. Mon Women's Organisation (MWO)
90. Mine Action Myanmar
91. NINGTAWN, Kachin Education Support Group
92. Kachin State Youth Network
93. Wimutti Volunteer Group (WVG)
94. Mya Kan Thar Law Firm
95. Kachin Women Union

Salem-News.com Human Rights Ambassador William Nicholas Gomes is a Bangladeshi journalist, human rights activist and author was born on 25 December, 1985 in Dhaka. As an investigative journalist he wrote widely for leading European and Asian media outlets.

He is also active in advocating for free and independent media and journalists’ rights, and is part of the free media movement, Global Independent Media Center – an activist media network for the creation of radical, accurate, and passionate telling of the truth. He worked for Italian news agency Asianews.it from year 2009 to 2011, on that time he was accredited as a free lance journalist by the press information department of Bangladesh. During this time he has reported a notable numbers of reports for the news agency which were translated into Chinese and Italian and quoted by notable number of new outlets all over the world.He, ideologically, identifies himself deeply attached with anarchism. His political views are often characterized as “leftist” or “left-wing,” and he has described himself as an individualist anarchist.