‘Independence fund for Myanmar’ gathered hundreds of millions of Koreans…

As protests against the military regime in Myanmar spread locally, movements to support them are continuing in Korea. Hundreds of millions of won have been gathered in Korea alone for a fundraising campaign to help the local’citizen disobedience’ movement.

According to the’military dictatorship overthrowing committee’, a group of Myanmar residents in Korea for Myanmar’s democracy, on the 21st, 250 million won was remitted to Myanmar at the beginning of this month. It is said that the Myanmar military was blocking remittances from overseas, so the money was transferred through a detour. This money is paid to government officials on strike through local organizations in Myanmar.

Myanmar people in Korea and abroad collect and send money to support the strike of Myanmar officials, a so-called’civil disobedience’ movement. In Myanmar, tens of thousands of civil servants continue to strike against joining the military despite threats such as military orders to return to work, evictions from government offices, and non-payment of salaries. The purpose of the fundraising is to support their living expenses even if the military does not pay their salaries or fire them.

Mr. A, 27, who has worked in Korea since six years ago, remitted 5 million won last month. This is the money A has collected while working at a factory in Cheonan, Chungcheongnam-do for many years. He said, “I do what I can do from a distance, hoping that the day when I don’t have to protest in Myanmar comes as soon as possible,” he said. “My parents, as well as my brother and younger brothers, are all participating in the protests in Myanmar. I am sorry for Korea.” When he received a salary, he said he sent more than half of it to the Myanmar family.

B, 42, who entered Korea eight years ago and is married in Incheon, spends 300,000 won a month to help the civil disobedience movement. He said, “I am telling Myanmarians to return home to help the local protests in Myanmar to remain in Korea and do what they can do. It will be helpful.”

Fundraising campaigns to help public officials who participated in the civil disobedience movement in Myanmar are continuing not only in Korea but also around the world. In the US, residents of Los Angeles (LA) raised 67 million won, and the Myanmar support organization WLM in Japan raised about 80 million won. Most of the 250 million won collected in less than a month from the start of fundraising in Korea came from Myanmar workers in Korea. It is said that about 10% of the total was supplemented by Koreans.

As South Korean support groups sent the most money among the countries in the world, the Myanmar military government has placed human rights activist Soototu in Korea, co-president of the Military Dictatorship Overthrow, and Yan Na Ying-tun, head of the National League for Democracy and National Affairs (NLD), as the target of public want. On the 10th, a picture of the Somotu branch manager and others were posted in a local broadcast and newspaper in Myanmar.

“It means that the Myanmar military is seeing the Myanmar democracy movement as the biggest threat in Korea,” said Jeong Beom-rae, who is active in the Military Dictatorship Overthrow Committee. There is support for them,” he said.

Somotu, who was wanted for nominations, said, “It is the heart of Myanmarians in Korea that they can’t just watch while their families are fighting for their lives in Myanmar. We will support the civil disobedience movement until the end of Myanmar’s dictatorship.”

Reporter Jeong Jin-ho [email protected]