A group of Burmese immigrants and students gathered in San Francisco on Nov. 19, condemning the mass killings taking place in Burma, also known as Myanmar, and urging APEC member countries, particularly China, to stop supporting the Burmese military regime.
The Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) is an intergovernmental forum that includes 21 member economies in the Pacific Rim. The 2023 APEC Leaders’ Meeting was held in San Francisco from Nov. 15 to Nov. 17.
“We are here together, with Myanmar communities, youth, women, [and] families, to say ‘no’ to junta military dictatorship,” said Win-Mon Kyi, an activist from the Myanmar Student Union, which is part of the All Burma Federation of Student Unions.
The military coup in February 2021 deposed the democratically elected members of Burma’s ruling party, the National League for Democracy (NLD). Aung San Suu Kyi, who served as the state counsellor of Burma and general secretary of the NLD, was arrested and sentenced to 27 years in prison. The conflict between the military junta and numerous resistance and regional militant groups has escalated ever since.
China’s Interest in Burma
When asked by The Epoch Times which countries are behind the military junta, Ms. Kyi said that China is one of the major supporters.
“Within APEC, there are 21 member economies and countries, and 16 out of the 21 countries are profiting [from] the blood of Myanmar people,” she added.
Heavy fighting has been raging in northern Burma, which is next to China. On Nov. 13, the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) attacked Rathedaung and Minbya and took over the towns from the ruling military junta, sending thousands of civilians into neighboring India. The junta-backed Burmese president said the government forces failed to defeat the rebels and, therefore, Burma was on the verge of breaking up.
An insider close to the MNDAA told The Epoch Times that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is behind the MNDAA’s offensive in northern Burma and that the CCP aims to boost its influence in the country.
Burma is part of the CCP’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI, also known as “One Belt, One Road”), with its China-Myanmar Economic Corridor being a vital component of this project. The 1,056-mile corridor comprises railways, trade zones, and other large-scale infrastructure projects worth billions of dollars. The corridor is crucial to the CCP’s energy security strategy.
Burma ‘Must Be Free’
“We are gathering here today to protest specifically against the Chinese government, Singapore government, also Thai government, and Indian government, too, because they are selling arms to our country. They are making money from selling the military equipment used for bombing and shelling our people,” said Koko Lay, a member of the Alliance for Democracy of Myanmar, as well as a member of Save Myanmar USA.Protesters who joined Sunday’s protest gathered near Harry Bridges Plaza and then marched on Market Street led by a banner that reads: “Stop jet fuel and arms sales to fascist Myanmar Junta.”
The voices of Burmese protesters were loud and clear: “Stop killing our youth. Activism is not a crime. Stop the bombing.”
Ms. Kyi led the protests by shouting, “Freedom, justice, democracy,” and the crowd responded, “Myanmar, Myanmar must be free!”
