1/2/2022
My dear Friend & POTUS, JRB,
Just finished a disturbing Zoom call with the Yangon Friends where we heard from someone who witnessed the massacre in the Kayah state of Myanmar. He told us that he was transporting some villagers on a back road & was stopped by the Tatmadaw at the site of the massacre. He somehow managed to escape but saw the situation unfold. He emphasized that the people who were killed were NOT part of the People Defense Force.
He is a self-appointed 1st responder, doing what he can to help people in need & bring them comfort. He knows that he is putting himself at great risk, but he feels compelled to be of service.
Another local told us of a man who was trying to transport warm clothing & blankets to the Chan state & was arrested by the Tatmadaw. They spread his packages out to take a photo, as if the goods were contraband. The military is raising $$ by arresting whoever they can & requiring their families to pay for their release.
Both of the Burma residents worry that the military is planning to starve the people in the border states by destroying their food supplies. It’s the dry season now, so the fighting will continue for several months. So, we will continue to hear this kind of terrible news.
They wondered if we approved of Cardinal Charles Bo’s meeting with Min Aung Hlaing on 12/23 where he accepted a donation from the Tatmadaw. It was disturbing to see the Cardinal gleefully cutting a cake with the General, but talking is better than nothing. Your conversations with VVP suggest that you share that sentiment.
As Quakers we believe that WAR IS NOT THE ANSWER, but that makes it hard to know what to say to our Friends in Myanmar who are asking us for help. They’d like the UN to intervene, but meeting violence with violence is not going to solve the problem.
We told our Friend that he was a Light, doing God’s work. We promised to hold all in Maynmar in the Light & to tell you what we heard.
Friend, what sayst thou?
BYBS,
RCA
