BURMESE community members met with Federal Member for Cowper Pat Conaghan at Bellingen Community Market to discuss our concerns about Australia’s inaction in regard to ongoing war crimes in Myanmar.

Spokesperson for the Burmese community of Coffs Harbour, Aye Win urged Mr Conaghan to speak on their behalf in Parliament.

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They requested that the Australian government impose targeted sanctions on Myanmar’s military leaders and their business interests.

The group presented Pat with a bunch of 55 flowers, each flower representing a beloved family member or friend of the local community who has been killed by the Myanmar military since the coup in February 2021.

“We have lost so much and live in constant fear for those we love,” Aye Win told Mr Conaghan.

“Please stand with us to say enough is enough.

“The people of Myanmar need the support of other countries to end this horror and stop the cycle of impunity for those committing these serious crimes.

“Australia needs to join with Canada, the USA, UK and EU to impose targeted sanctions that show the abusive leaders in Myanmar that there are consequences for their actions.”

The United Nations Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar said that there have been an increasing number of crimes against humanity and war crimes committed by the regime since the coup.

These atrocities include arbitrary killings, extrajudicial executions, the use of torture, using civilians as human shields, air and artillery strikes on civilian targets, the looting and burning of houses and the use of sexual violence to terrorize the population.

By Andrea FERRARI