Statement by Salween Peace Park
Today, we over 2,500 villagers from over 34 villages in Bu Tho and Lu Thaw Townships, Mu Traw District, Kaw Thoo Lei are protesting against the Burma Army occupying our land, and threatening our lives and peaceful existence. We demand that the Burma Army immediately withdraws from our territory.
We live in the Salween Peace Park where we practice self-determination, and we declare that we are the legitimate political authority in our territory. We reject all centrally imposed systems, reject the Burmese military dictatorship and its imposed administrative system in our territory.
Our Salween Peace Park is a place for all living things to thrive, and live freely and peacefully. The presence of the armed soldiers is in opposition with our values of peaceful co-existence. We demand the Burmese military regime to stop attacking civilians and leave our land immediately.
We have been suffering countless abuses at the hands of the Burma Army for over 70 years and these need to end now. The Burmese military regime must be held accountable for the crimes that have been committed by their state-backed Army. The international community cannot ignore what is happening in Burma today as violence becomes increasingly worse every day. They must take actions against the regime, hold the military accountable for the crimes they have committed, and continue to uphold peace and justice in Burma. As custodians of our ancestral territories, we must protect our environment and keep it free from outside interference that threatens to damage our inhabitants.
We strongly condemn the military coup, and condemn the violent and brutal crackdowns on peaceful protesters. We express our solidarity and support with all the protesters rising up against the military dictatorship. We will continue to fight for our rights until we achieve the establishment of a genuine democratic federal union with ethnic equality and self-determination. We want our fellow citizens in Burma, as well as the international community, to hear our voices and support us in our struggle.