The Myanmar military is building up troops and equipment in Chin State and neighboring areas in North-Western Burma. This past week, the Myanmar military has burned down homes and churches in the Chin town of Thantlang. We are concerned that the military is on the verge of a large-scale offensive against civilians, using tactics ominously reminiscent of its attacks against the Rohingya in 2016 and 2017.
According to new satellite data analyzed by Human Rights Watch, the Myanmar military has used incendiary rockets in Thantlang to burn down over a hundred buildings, including homes, churches, and an orphanage. Save the Children stated that one of its facilities had been destroyed, leaving the charity concerned about the safety of 20 children believed to remain in the town. In response to these new war crimes, we demand that Congress pass the Burma Act of 2021 imposing tough sanctions on the Myanmar military.
Introduced in the Senate (S.2937) and the House (H.R.5497) by Senator Ben Cardin and Rep. Gregory Meeks, the Burma Act of 2021 will, not only hold accountable the Myanmar military but also provide support to Burmese civil society and much needed humanitarian assistance directly to the Myanmar people. Now, let’s demand our Members of Congress sign on as co-sponsors of the Burma Act of 2021.
Please follow up your message in these four easy – yet powerful – ways.
Follow up #1: Check out our training sessions. The Manager of our Campaign for a New Manager, Mike Haack, leads training sessions for the best ways to communicate with Congress and other elected officials. They are held on Sundays at 6:00 pm US EDT and Tuesdays at 9:00 pm US EDT. Simply join the Zoom call using this short link: https://www.tinyurl.com/CallCongress4Burma. You can also email Mike with any questions at [email protected].
Follow up #2: Join our lobbying efforts. We can support you with setting up meetings by Zoom with your Congressional offices. Again, contact Mike Haack, from the Campaign for a New Myanmar, to take part of that at [email protected].
Follow up #3: email and call your senators’ staffer
Call 202-225-2131 and ask for your Senator’s office. Ask them for the foreign affairs staff member’s name and contact information.
You may wish to use a succinct and direct subject line such as: “Please co-sponsor the Burma Act of 2021”
Start your message with a mention of where you live in the state. Feel free to include a sentence or two on why you care about human rights and Myanmar in particular. Please use or adapt the following text in your email. Please blind copy (bcc) us on your email at [email protected].
I ask that my senator co-sponsor and support the Burma Act of 2021 (S.2937).
The US. Congress must show leadership in forcing the Burmese army to stand down from its coup d’etat and release all civilian government and civil society figures from detention. Congress must also show support for Myanmar’s Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) and its democratic and multi-ethnic new National Unity Government (NUG).
Please write back and tell me what actions my senator will take in response to the Myanmar military’s coup d’etat. Thank you.
If you receive a reply, forward it to us at [email protected]. (And please tell us of any changes or additions to your senators’ staffers.)
Follow up #4: call your senators’ staffer
- When you reach their office, ask to be connected directly to the staffer.
- Simply tell the staffer – in person or on their voicemail – you want your senator to co-sponsor and support the Burma Act of 2021 (S.2937). (Ask them to contact Senator Ben Cardin’s office to sign up as a co-sponsor.)
- Leave your name, number, and city of residence to indicate that you live in the state or congressional district.
- Follow up with an email to the staffer and blind copy (bcc) us at [email protected]
- Email us at [email protected] and tell us how your calls went. (And please tell us of any changes or additions to your senators’ staffers.)
Just one meeting, email, or phone call from a constituent can make a difference. Your Members of Congress need to know that you want Congress to act. The people of Myanmar can’t wait any longer.