“People are facing dire situations, but the root cause is the political turmoil created by the military,” said Khin Maung, who also asked to be identified by a pseudonym.
Some 220,000 civilians have been displaced since the coup, but Khin Maung worries his work cannot address what’s driving his country’s overlapping crises – the military itself. Questioning the value of aidīefore the coup, Khin Maung was proud to be an aid worker with an international NGO, and believed his work had a positive impact.īut the past few months have left him in despair. But he believes that today’s crisis requires a more vocal approach. “In an ordinary humanitarian situation, I would agree to biting your tongue and working with the government for the sake of being able to provide humanitarian assistance,” he said.
Tun Tun once saw neutrality as a crucial aspect of humanitarian work. “As a UN worker, I’m ashamed to say there is nothing more we can do.” “The UN is the butt of the joke in the Myanmar community now,” he said. He has become too embarrassed to tell all but his most trusted friends who he works for. UN agencies and bodies release public statements expressing “ deep concern”, without taking meaningful action, Tun Tun said. “This is beyond political this is the true essence of right and wrong,” said Tun Tun.Īt the same time, they face pressure from their friends and communities for working for organisations perceived to be too soft on the military. They reminded us that we shouldn’t be portraying our political views,” said Tun Tun, who like others quoted in this story, asked to be identified by a pseudonym in order to speak freely.īut for many Myanmar aid workers, it’s impossible to separate political viewpoints from the worsening humanitarian crisis driven by the military takeover. “There were a lot of staff meetings where the main goal was for us nationals to not speak out. In the weeks following the February coup, Tun Tun longed to demonstrate with his friends, but his UN office had different priorities. They’re calling for international agencies to take a stronger stand against the military regime, and to focus on supporting local organisations to lead aid responses. They describe their growing unease at the emphasis their organisations are placing on neutrality in the face of a military that has launched indiscriminate attacks on civilians, targeted healthcare and aid workers, and destroyed relief supplies.įor some, the coup has turned traditional views on the role of international aid in Myanmar on their head. Tun Tun is among five current or former local staff at UN agencies or international NGOs in Myanmar who spoke to The New Humanitarian about their experiences and ethical dilemmas since the coup. UN agencies and international NGOs have faced heavy criticism from the Myanmar public for not speaking out more forcefully, at a time when everyday citizens have risked their lives to push back against the coup through street demonstrations, strikes, and armed resistance. Neutrality is vital to establishing aid access in disasters and conflicts, according to the UN’s humanitarian aid coordination arm, OCHA, which defines the concept as not taking sides or engaging in “controversies of a political, racial, religious, or ideological nature”.īut it has garnered little public support in post-coup Myanmar, where military crackdowns have killed more than 1,000 people and triggered fresh accusations of crimes against humanity. “Of course, it’s easy to remain neutral when the act of injustice doesn’t affect you.” “Asking us to remain neutral is not the way,” said Tun Tun, a staff member at a UN field office in Myanmar. This is especially the case for local staff working for international aid agencies, who find themselves caught between organisational policies emphasising neutrality and a populace swept up in an anti-coup resistance movement. In the aftermath of the 1 February military coup in Myanmar, neutrality – one of the core principles of humanitarian aid – is being vigorously challenged.
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