February 19, 2021 — As heard on the news, Myanmar (Burma) - the country where many of our Refugee & Immigrant Transitions community members come from - has experienced a military coup. The military party toppled the country's first democratically elected government after decades of military dictatorship, and unlawfully detained Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and other leaders of National League for Democracy.
Our thoughts are with our students from Myanmar, as well as our colleagues and other friends in the diaspora. RIT Board Member, Ko Ko Lay is one of the founders of the Free Burma Action Committee which has organized mass actions in the Bay Area in solidarity with the people of Myanmar (including an upcoming action at the Consulate General of China tomorrow, Feb 20th).
"We need the help of all American people," said Ko Ko Lay to KQED, emphasizing the importance of peaceful protest. He adds that the military regime is more brutal than North Korea's, and "will kill and destroy our life, and our future."
"We have no choice — we have to fight for our freedom."
Pictured above: Ko Ko Lay speaking at Free Burma action in San Francisco UN Plaza. Courtesy Free Burma Action Committee
See the media reports on previous actions:
The country is under the control of the army chief, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing. Since 2016, the military had burned down Rohingya villages forcing 750,000 Rohingya, a Muslim minority group in Myanmar, to flee from their homes. These kinds of inhumane acts should not be tolerated, and the persecution was declared by the international community as genocide and ethnic cleansing.
Please support Free Burma Action Committee by joining the actions, donating, and amplifying the voices of those speaking out for democracy in Myanmar and around the world.