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Hundreds of miles away in South East Asia, a brutal army regime has been wreaking havoc on the residents of Burma for the previous yr and a half as residents there combat for democracy.
And the influence of that brutality is being felt proper right here in Orange County.
Ii Maung, a Burmese American dwelling in Anaheim Hills, and her household have skilled the wrath of the Tatmadaw – the Burmese armed forces – first hand.
“One among my cousins was a part of this revolution. He was solely 18 years by the point he received arrested, he received interrogated, tortured and killed,” Maung stated on Saturday. “As a result of he was a part of this revolution, he was supposed to inform them the opposite folks concerned and he didn’t say any names.”
“He took it to the grave.”
Maung stated her cousin was a scholar, a tutor who helped his mom and supported his household.
She additionally stated her household’s dwelling was confiscated and that her brother – a well-known creator who writes in regards to the revolution – had his publishing home confiscated too.
In February 2021, the army seized energy of the federal government in a coup simply months after the 2020 election and detained leaders, activists and reporters. Even earlier than the coup, the army has had a decent grip on energy and life in Burma.
Folks and college students instantly took to the streets in protest and members of parliament fashioned the Nationwide Unity Authorities in opposition of the coup.
However the Burmese Navy has a repute for viciously silencing opposing voices.
“The safety forces responded by committing offenses amounting to crimes in opposition to humanity in opposition to the civilian inhabitants, together with torture, extreme deprivation of liberty, enforced disappearances, rape and different sexual abuse, and inhumane remedy,” in line with the Human Rights Watch Report on the Nation.
The police and army have killed 1,200 protestors together with about 75 youngsters and have detained 8,700 folks between Feb. 1, 2021 to Nov. 1, 2021, in line with the identical report.
Burma has turn out to be the second largest jailer of journalists on this planet following the army overthrow of the federal government in 2021. In line with Reporters With out Borders a minimum of seven journalists have been tortured there final yr, three have been killed and 115 have been arrested.
Regardless of the hazard, Maung and Burmese folks throughout Southern California are persevering with to talk out.
“We’ve already suffered sufficient. If we don’t do it, who will do it,” she stated.
Maung spoke out in opposition to the army junta at a democracy rally she helped set up on Saturday in Stanton and stated she has organized round 70 rallies in Southern California because the coup.
“The army is now killing civilians, destroying properties to terrorize the folks into submission. However we’ll by no means (submit),” she stated in entrance of a small crowd exterior Stanton metropolis corridor.
Members of different communities got here out to indicate their assist together with representatives from Formosan Affiliation of Public Affairs, Hong Kong Discussion board La and Affiliation for Thai Democracy who spoke on the rally.
An ethnic Muslim Burmese minority – the Rohingya neighborhood – who’ve confronted genocide, violence, rape and persecution by the hands of the Burmese army additionally spoke on the rally.
“I’m right here immediately to face not just for democracy, but additionally to face to finish genocide,” stated Ko Ko Naing, co-founder of the Los Angeles Rohingya Affiliation.
The rally was held one week after international protests in solidarity with the Iranian folks.
[Read: So Cal Rallies in Irvine To Protest Iranian Repression]
Final yr the same rally was held at Stanton Metropolis Corridor to convey consciousness to the vicious and brutal army crackdown in Burma on peaceable protesters and civilians combating and even dying for democracy.
[Read: Community Rallies to Support the Burmese Fight For Democracy Against a Violent Military Regime]
Alfred Tun, a Burmese American who helped set up Saturday’s protest, stated the state of affairs in Burma has solely gotten worse since final yr’s rally.
“Burma has began to devolve into inside battle and civil warfare,” he stated in an interview. “We don’t ever wish to dwell below dictatorship once more. That’s why the persons are combating as onerous as they’ll. A Lot of sacrifices have been made. Lots of lives have been misplaced.”
Tun stated not a lot motion has been taken by the worldwide neighborhood past statements of assist. He stated true assist can are available in 4 types.
“The very first thing is sanctions on Myanmar oil and gasoline enterprises, the second factor is the popularity of Myanmar’s nationwide unity authorities, the third factor is retention of Kyaw Moe Tun who’s Myanmar’s present everlasting ambassador to the UN and the fourth factor is for extra direct help and assist,” he stated.
Tun worries with out worldwide assist the state of affairs in Burma will proceed to tug on and extra folks will die.
He’s not the one one calling for assist.
Banny Hong, the proprietor of Style of Burma restaurant in Stanton, is one other vocal voice in Orange County in opposition to the Tatmadaw.
[Read: Santana: Meet The Orange County Restaurant Owner Who is Trying To Stop The Burmese Killing Fields]
He stated he want to see the U.S present army help for the resistance.
“Not likely boots on the bottom, however we’re requesting army tools. They don’t have weapons,” he stated. “These Burmese generals are killing folks, they destroy your online business. Should you’re in opposition to them they take your house. They’ll imprison you. They’ll kill you.”
Hong and others query why the Ukrainian folks have gotten substantial assist from the US whereas the Burmese haven’t.
“If we received 1/one centesimal of the help going to Ukraine, we might win,” James Shwe, one of many audio system on the rally, stated in an interview.
In his speech, Shwe known as for a global arms embargo on the army junta.
“We have to lower off sources of funds for the army,” he stated. “We’re nonetheless ready for the US to assist us restore democracy and human rights. We’d like tangible and efficient actions.”
OC’s Elected Officers Reply
Stanton Mayor David Shawver, maybe essentially the most vocal elected official on this difficulty, has helped host two rallies for Burma now and spoke on the rally too.
He stated in a Sunday telephone interview that his metropolis could be very various and residential to many residents from Burma.
“They’re very a lot part of our neighborhood,” he stated. “I believe we forgot about what’s occurring there, but additionally in different components of the world, as a result of it doesn’t immediately have an effect on us and so I needed to rekindle the notice.”
“It’s the suitable factor to do.”
[Read: Santana: What Kind of Elected Leaders Stand With Thug Regimes?]
Additionally in attendance at Saturday’s rally have been Congressman Lou Correa and OC Supervisor Doug Chaffee. Representatives from Congresswoman Michelle Metal and Congresswoman Younger Kim additionally spoke on the rally.
Each Correa and Chaffee left earlier than the rally was over. A deliberate query and reply session with elected officers on what actions they’re taking to assist the Burmese folks by no means ended up going down.
“What’s going on on this a part of the world is necessary to you and it ought to be necessary to all of us in democracy, who care about human rights and spiritual freedom,” Correa stated on the rally Saturday.
For folks like Maung it’s also necessary as Individuals to talk out on atrocities like those going down in Burma.
“These are our basic rights,” she stated. “As an American – we’ve this democracy for over 200 years, we’ve taken it as a right and we should always not. Persons are dying and risking their life to avoid wasting this and to get these sorts of rights – to have the ability to converse freely, to have the ability to get their primary wants.”
“I believe we take it as a right an excessive amount of right here.”
Hosam Elattar is a Voice of OC Reporting Fellow. Contact him at helattar@voiceofoc.org or on Twitter @ElattarHosam.
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