Myanmar diasporas in Melbourne protested during the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit s’ concerns towards Myanmar people who are suffering since the 2021 military co

Myanmar diasporas in Melbourne protested during the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit on
March 4, calling for ASEAN countries’ concerns towards Myanmar people who are suffering since
the 2021 military coup.
The rally was held on Monday morning at the front lawn of Melbourne Convention and Exhibition
Centre in Southbank.
Several Myanmar NGOs and dozens of Myanmar diasporas from different ethnic groups who
support the exiled National Unity Government of Myanmar (NUG), as well as members from other
fellow ASEAN communities attended the event, with their representatives speaking in turn.
Ester N Sung, the representative of Western Melbourne Chin Community, said that Myanmar has
been long ignored by international communities.
“Political crisis in Myanmar deserves international help and attention, including from the
Australian government, just like Ukraine and Afghanistan,” she said.
Sung belongs to ethnic Chin from north-western Myanmar, one of the most impoverished regions
in the country. Like many other ethnic regions in Myanmar, the government troops and other newly
formed rebel groups have been fighting there for years.
Sung accused military forces of targeting villagers in Chin State.
“People are dying day by day from the regime’s reckless brutality and persecution against innocent
people including children and women,” she said.
This year, Australia held the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit from March 4-6 in Melbourne,
which marks the 50-year partnership between Australia and ASEAN.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese would join the nine ASEAN leaders and the Prime Minister of
Timor-Leste to discuss shared issues on politics, economics, and environment in the region.
Representatives of the military junta currently in power in Myanmar were not invited.
“ASEAN! Do not legitimate terrorist Myanmar junta!” The protesting crowd shouted.
According to CRPH/NUG Support Group (Victoria), the NGO which organized the March 4 rally,
the event’s main purpose was to appeal for the rejection of any recognition by world leaders
towards the Myanmar military junta which staged the coup and violated human rights.
“Our commitment to democracy, justice and human rights cannot be selectively applied, it must
be unwavering,” Sung added.
In April 2021, ASEAN leaders reached a 5-Point Consensus (5PC) in Jakarta, aimed at urging a
ceasefire and dialogue between all parties in Myanmar.
However, in an open letter to ASEAN nations, CRPH/NUG Support Group (Australia), a NGO
formed by Burmese in Australia, mentioned that the junta has killed more than 4,500 people and
jailed more than 26,000 people since agreeing to ASEAN’s 5PC.
Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), an independent human rights organization
based in Myanmar and Thailand, reported that around 4,600 people were killed by the junta in the
past three years.
According to United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, thousands more refugees have
fled into Myanmar’s neighboring countries and over 1.95 million people have been displaced
within Myanmar since the military takeover in February 2021.
Contrary to the protesters, a former member of the CRPH/NUG Support Group, who asked to be
anonymous due to the sensitivity of this issue, said that the deteriorating situation in Myanmar
showed that pressure from Western countries could only provide moral support to Myanmar people,
but failed to stop the junta’s brutality.
Given this, he thought instead of devoting all efforts to capture Western attention, it was better to
cooperate with China.
“China has more influence upon ASEAN, while America is not a reliable ally for seeking to end
the regime, as it faces domestic polarization and has been dragged into chaotic situations
throughout the world,” he said.
He further mentioned that Myanmar’s neighboring countries might be more willing to maintain a
stable relationship with the junta due to the potential economic benefits between them.
Some Cambodian diasporas also joined Monday’s rally to protest the authoritarian rule of current
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and his father, former Prime Minister Hun Sen, and to
show their support for Myanmar people’s struggle for democracy.
Though the Myanmar military junta has not yet been officially recognized by other countries,
Cambodia has demonstrated signs of support for it.
In January 2022, former Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, as the first head of foreign
government to visit Myanmar since the 2021 military coup, met with Myanmar junta leader Min
Aung Hlaing.
Not only Cambodia, human rights activist Debbie Stothard, who attended the rally, accused
ASEAN’s chair, Laos, of trying to bring Min Aung Hlaing back to ASEAN summits.
Stothard said the junta was threatening regional security.
“ Since the gangster Min Aung Hlaing took over, Myanmar has become a place for Chinese
criminals to commit human trafficking and telecom scam.”
“He has partnered with Putin, another global gangster, by manufacturing mortar rounds for Russia
which are being used to bomb in Ukraine,” said Stothard.
Stothard warned ASEAN and Australia.
“Why is ASEAN sitting on its fence? Why is Australia not standing up? We do not have to urge
Australia or ASEAN. We must remind them of their own interest. This should be a wakeup call,”
she said.
Appendix
P1: Ester N Sung (the lady in white on the left), representative of Western Melbourne Chin
Community, was speaking at the rally on March 4, 2024. Photo by Junqi Liu.
P2: After the rally, the organizations and individuals participating took a photo together,
including CRPH/ NUG Support Group (Australia). Photo by Junqi Liu.
P3: Representatives from different ethnic regions in Myanmar. Photo by Junqi Liu.
P4: The rally was underway. The protesters chanted slogans together. Photo by Junqi Liu.
P5: Some Cambodian diasporas also attended the rally. Photo by Junqi Liu.