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The Japan News Win Myat Aye, the Union Minister for the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management of Myanmar’s National Unity Government, speaks in the Members’ Office Building of the House of Councillors in Tokyo on Thursday.
By Yuka Kumakura / Japan News Staff Writer
19:34 JST, February 1, 2024
An official of Myanmar’s National Unity Government (NUG), a pro-democracy organization that sees itself as the country’s legitimate government, called for more strategic support from the international community for the people of Myanmar at an event in Tokyo on Thursday.
The event, held in the Members’ Office Building of the House of Councillors, was organized by the NUG and a nonpartisan group of Japanese lawmakers in support of democracy in Myanmar.
Win Myat Aye, the Union Minister for the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management of the NUG, spoke about the harsh situation facing the people of Myanmar. He said that the military has been threatening the lives of civilians, killing indiscriminately with repeated airstrikes and burning down villages over the past three years.
Despite these dire circumstances, he said, “I think that there’s still not much attention from the international community toward Myanmar.”
According to Win Myat Aye, many people in the country are now displaced and suffering from acute food shortages. While acknowledging that the international community has been providing aid to Myanmar, he noted that much of the support so far has been channeled through the military, meaning that it is not reaching the people who need it most.
“One-third of the population is experiencing hunger. Yet, relief supplies are only reaching areas where the military allows it, leaving displaced people without aid. The process of delivering aid with the military’s permission needs to be changed,” he said.
Win Myat Aye particularly urged against selling aviation fuel to the military, saying: “The military is carrying out indiscriminate attacks and airstrikes against the people of Myanmar. They’re able to do so because they have fuel for their airplanes.”
He also stressed that the military is in need of foreign currency and is attempting to illegally collect taxes from Myanmar citizens abroad. He urged the international community to prevent this from happening.
