SEOUL, KOREA, March 31, 2021 /24-7PressRelease/ — Increasing concern has been felt in the global community about repeated incidents of violence in Myanmar following the election of social movement activist Suu Kyi. Kyi, a strong leader of the National League for Democracy (NLD), was detained on Feb. 1st after her party’s victory in November. In response, the Myanmar military declared a one-year state of emergency and enacted martial law. Protestors soon began speaking out against the violence inflicted on the Myanmar citizens by the new military control. Since the beginning of the protesting, over 300 civilian protestors have been killed by the Myanmar military, including several children. Organizations from around the world have been calling for the end of the violence against the citizens by the military in order to stop the casualties.
HWPL (Heavenly Culture, World Peace and Restoration of Light), an international NGO headquartered in South Korea and affiliated with the ECOSOC, released a statement regarding the ongoing violence in Myanmar. The group, which boasts over half a million members from over 100 different countries, criticized the Myanmar military for using violence against peaceful protestors. The statement also focused on forming solutions to the crisis, including engaging in dialogue to “seek a peaceful resolution.” The organization even called on the United Nations to step in and ensure that the Human Rights of the Myanmar people are protected throughout the crisis to prevent more fatalities.
HWPL also has past experience resolving conflict in war-torn countries. In 2014, the Peace organization was credited with facilitating the unification of Mindanao, a small island in the Philippines which experienced a 40-year-long armed religious conflict ending in a total of 120,000 casualties. Catholic leaders and Islamic leaders of the Mindanao island came together with the Chairman of HWPL, Man Hee Lee, and signed a private peace agreement ending the decades-long conflict. Prior to intervention from HWPL, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front in Mindanao had been seeking an agreement with the government for 18 years but had been unsuccessful.
In February 2018, HWPL held a conference in Myanmar in which 500 representatives from legal, educational and religious organizations had come to work toward peace for the country. During the conference, 130 members of Myanmar’s legal teams signed a peace pledge in support of enacting an International Peace Law. This law, the DPCW (Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War) is currently under review by the United Nations.
According to the organization, HWPL’s purpose is to restore the global community that has been suffering through wars and conflicts, and transcend national boundaries, races, cultures and religions with the core values of respecting peace and life. HWPL not only called on the United Nations to take active measures to protect the human rights and safety of the Myanmar citizens, but it also asked the global family of peace to issue statements urging authorities and civilians in Myanmar to pursue dialogue to seek a peaceful solution. The organization hopes that others will join the HWPL international community in order to restore peace to the country and to express hope that the ongoing crisis in Myanmar will be resolved peacefully through dialogue, not violence.
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