Card Bo calls for an end to armed conflicts in Myanmar, the Golden Land
In his latest letter, the Archbishop of Yangon calls for a renewed effort to pursue the process of national reconciliation. What was an "earthly paradise" has been "mutilated" by 60 years of dictatorship and armed conflict. The country now has a million refugees and as many internally displaced people. The poverty rate is around 40 per cent. The country’s military needs to be an army “of justice and peace.”
Yangon (AsiaNews) – In order for Myanmar to be once against Suvarnabhumi, the Golden Land, it must end all the armed conflicts that are underway in various parts of the country, this according to Card Charles Maung Bo (pictured), Archbishop of Yangon and president of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC), in his latest appeal in favour of the process of national reconciliation.
The cardinal begins his letter, titled ‘Return to the Golden Land - Reap the Peace Dividends’, listing all the riches that abound on and under Myanmar’s soil: wood, oil, gas, precious stones and minerals, not to mention its imposing rivers, lush forests and vast rice fields.
“Myanmar seemed to be a gift of an indulgent God who loved the Myanmar people with favouritism.” Yet, despite “all the great treasures, Myanmar is today one of the poorest countries in South East Asia.” What was once an "earthly paradise" was "mutilated" by 60 years of dictatorship and armed conflict.
The cardinal notes that "The shopping list of mutual hatred and injustice is nauseating:” over a million refugees, more than a million internally displaced persons (IDPs), over 4 million young people forced to migrate under duress and into slavery, more than 10 million (about 20 per cent of the population) economically displaced, a poverty rate of around 40 per cent.
“It is the stupidity of men who converted a golden land into a nightmare. Since it is a man-made disaster, it can be stopped once for all by the good will of men – and women.” Indeed, “It is not late. Once we invest in hope and peace, we can return to the original Golden Land.”
Turning to “those who believe only in the power of arms,” the prelate says: A “Sixty-years war has brought no solution to anyone, only death and tears. Peace is possible, peace is the only way. [The] Gun has proved to be incapable of any solution.
“The road to [the] Panglong Peace initiative is not perfect but it is a starting point. Give reprieve to the sound of guns, give peace a chance. Our conflicts are between siblings. Myanmar is our family. Peace is the gift we can give to each other to make it a blessed family. Peace and prosperity await this nation. No more days of hatred and war.”
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