Name? Zin Mar Aung
Westphalian identity? Burmese
Age? 44
Why is she in the news? A former prisoner of conscience and the new foreign affairs minister of the shadow ‘National Unity Government’ (NUG) in Myanmar, Zin Mar Aung called upon the international community in a NYT op-ed to support the people of Myanmar “with coordinated political, financial, and security measures.”
Why do we care? ASEAN is hosting a special summit in Jakarta this week to discuss the crisis in Myanmar and according to the Thai foreign ministry, General Min Aung Hliang will be in attendance. While some members of ASEAN have indicated that they do not recognize the ruling junta government as legitimate, the organization itself has not put forth a formal position…yet it invited General MAH and thus far, no representative from the NUG…
Why should you care? According to Zin Mar Aung’s op-ed, among other sources, more than 700 people have died at the hands of the Tatmadaw. If ASEAN and the UN Security Council are unable to take a united, public stance against the ruling Tatmadaw, not only will violence continue, but a precedent will have been set. So you should care 8/10.
Who else cares? General Min Aung Hliang (MAH). No one cares more about Ms. Zin Mar Aung and the NUG more than General MAH. It’s one thing for the Tatmawdaw to face opposition from the Bamar majority in the cities, but to face unified opposition from the Bamar, Kachins, Chins, Shans, and the Karens, is a whole new level of opposition.
Any further comments? To end with a bit of good news, the junta are set to release 23,000 prisoners nationwide as they typically do prior to the traditional Buddhist New Year holiday. The fact that this announcement comes the same day as that of General MAH’s trip to Jakarta, total coincidence…
