First of all, I would like to thank you for providing some aids to Burma via UN agency and NGOs. However, I would like to raise my concern and the concern of Myanmar citizens. I would like to argue that your aid is discriminatory in nature based on race and religion and promoting inter-communal tensions rather than promoting democracy and human rights in Burma.
You may want to ask me why I am questioning the ethic of your agency. Where is the evidence? After 2015, you provided help to all parts of the country until 2021. Your distribution of aid is more to Rohingya than other parts of the country. However, you might be able to justify that Rohingya will need more help because they have to flee from the persecution of the junta.
After the coup in February 2021, it is fair to say that more Burmese people are internally displaced without shelter, food, and any medicine. There are more Burmese in displaced camps than Rohingya. There are other ethnic groups who are fleeing away from the military’s persecution as well. Kachin, Karenni, Rakhine, Chin, Karen and Shan are also displaced internally without food, medicine, shelter and any healthcare. If you look at the proportion of your aid distribution, there is no money going to proper Burma at all and your aid is more towards Muslim and Ronhingya. You do not provide aid to Christian Minority groups living inside Burma either.
In the past, your argument was that our National Unity government of Burma is not in control of territory and therefore, you have to provide aids to the areas, which are safe. However, the Arakan Army is now in control of an airport in Rakhine state, and they are in need of help. You should provide help to Rakhine and Chin people who are in need of humanitarian assistance together with Rohingya. In Burma, there are many ethnic groups exist and their houses are burnt and persecuted the same way as Rohingya. Their situation is even worse than Rohingya as they have no country to run to and UN, US, and EU are not helping them like Rohingya.
At the end of day, you can do what you want with your own money. However, don’t show any moral high ground by proving discriminatory aid in Burma to one group disproportionately than others based on religion and ethnicity. US constitution values equality and I hope you will promote it by proving aids to all ethnic groups irrespective of their ethnicity and religion.
We forwarded your letter to USAID, US State Department Burma Desk and some select congressional representatives with the following transmittal.