The Kachin Women’s Association – Thailand (KWAT) has called on the international community to start pressuring the Myanmar government to stop its attacks against ethnic peoples according to a statement from the group on 9 June.
The statement notes that the conflict situation in northern Myanmar has worsened during 2015. Despite the Myanmar government’s claims to be promoting peace, they have continued their military build-up in Kachin and northern Shan State, launching large-scale offensives, including aerial bombings, which are devastating ethnic communities.
The group said that they were very concerned that foreign aid and investment is serving to subsidise the government’s war machine and therefore urge the international community to start pressuring the Myanmar government to make good on its promises to build peace.
In addition, KWAT called for diplomatic pressure to be placedon the Myanmar government to immediately end all offensives and withdraw their troops from the ethnic conflict areas, to begin political dialogue to address the root causes of the conflict and establish genuine federalism. The statement also calls on foreign donors and investors to ensure that their funds are not empowering the Myanmar government’s military infrastructure.