By Annie Hoang, Staff Writer
Over 700 Myanma citizens have died since Feb. 1 when the Myanma military organized a coup d’etat. The totalitarian militia detained the democratic leader Aung San Suu Kyi when the National League of Democracy won the election in November. Outraged Myanma citizens attempted to resist the military through countless peaceful protests.
While citizens protest in the streets of Myanmar, families and children lay dead on the streets as soldiers barrage them with bullets. It is the government’s responsibility to protect their citizens and to ensure prosperity within their country. These victims lost their human rights to life, liberty and security, yet America still stands silent and inactive against the Myanma military. Now is the time for us to step up and lend our support in their struggle for democracy.
According to Amnesty International, the Myanma military fired lethal weapons commonly used in the battlefield at peaceful protesters. This is a serious abuse of power. These weapons are meant to fend off enemies, and peaceful protesters are not the enemy.
These murders are cruel and have gone too far. While the military raided their homes, they shot a 6-year-old girl as she ran towards her father. Children are the most innocent and pure-hearted people in our society. They are the humans we try to protect most, and killing them is an unforgivable act.
The U.S. spends the most on foreign aid and invests a great deal in democracy abroad. To protect these investments, we must urge our government to send our own military overseas to remove the Myanma military from power. From there, America will restore the rightful election winner Aung San Suu Kyi.
Some argue the U.S. does not benefit from interfering in foreign affairs but in the long run, it is a worthy investment. At the beginning of the Cold War, President Harry Truman invested in Greece and Turkey when the countries were susceptible to falling under Soviet totalitarian rule. He once noted, “This is an investment in world freedom and world peace…It is only common sense that we should safeguard this investment and make sure that it was not in vain.”
According to the Department of State, the U.S. issued approximately $1.5 billion to aid the democratic transition since 2012. If we don’t persist and fight back, all our current investments and contributions will go to waste. Once Myanmar returns to democracy and the economy returns to a normal state, our reserved investments will pay off. We can openly trade and introduce our own products in Myanmar to stimulate our own economy.
Additionally, demonstrating to the world that the U.S. will take action against totalitarian governments, foreign militaries will feel discouraged from staging a coup, allowing democracy to prevail and protect human rights.
Even during COVID, there are numerous ways we can support Myanmar. We must hold petitions and push the U.S. government to dispatch military troops to Myanmar. We must support the Civil Disobedience Movement by sending in donations. We should also promote the issue on social media to educate others on the topic.
The U.S. has always promoted democracy, but this is all talk and no action. Will our democratic advancement and years of investment go to waste or will America finally abandon this cycle of neglect?