Dear United Nations, and all member states, 

We, as the people of Myanmar (Burma), come before you today to address the current issues regarding the coup by the military in Myanmar and detainment of our National League for Democracy (NLD) leaders, starting February 1, 2021. We strongly condemn the atrocious actions of the Myanmar military and are grieving for the endangerment of our fragile democracy under their hands. We appreciate your dedication towards addressing this issue globally thus far.

We are aware that the international community is considering using sanctions on Myanmar as punitive measures for the current crisis. However, we plead that you refrain from imposing blanket sanctions on Myanmar as an immediate response for it will only hurt the citizens who are subject to the cruelty of the military. We are no stranger to sanctions in the past focusing on the withdrawal of financial aid, blocking access to assets, and reversing investment flows that kept our country isolated and unable to develop. Thus, we suggest that conditional engagement or selective sanctions would be a better viable option and less harmful to our citizens. We have deep faith that this approach will utilize positive reinforcement and targeted sanctions which can be imposed on influential individuals of the military in Myanmar. We thank President Joe Biden of the United States for specifically imposing sanctions on Myanmar military leaders as of February 10, 2021. We hope that other nations can follow the lead similarly. 

We urge you to please consider our sincere concerns and this particular request which is paramount for the safety of all Myanmar citizens. We hope that we can establish a sustainable democracy in Myanmar for all of our people as we overcome the darkness of authoritarianism that we are all too familiar with. 

Most sincerely, 

The concerned citizens of Myanmar 

#SaveMyanmar #RejectMyanmarMilitary #democracy #justice