"I want to know about Myanmar now" event held

On September 22, 2024, a lecture on the Myanmar situation titled "I want to know what is happening in Myanmar now" was held at Itabashi Ward Green Hall.
In the first half, Ms. Cho Cho Aye (Representative of the Burmese Women's Union), who lives in Japan and is originally from Myanmar, spoke about the military's inhumane acts from the coup 3.5 years ago to the present and the resistance of citizens. She showed the participants photos of the area from her smartphone on the screen, and explained the difficult situation, especially for women and children. In the second half, Ms. Yaw (Yaw Funding Japan), who came to Japan to study and was about to return home when the coup occurred, now works in Japan and raises funds to send support money to her home country, spoke about the lives of citizens, which is closer to home. She said that in her hometown, schools are closed because of air raids by the military, so children are not receiving a satisfactory education, and because the military is preventing food from entering the country, people are raising livestock and growing their own vegetables, and are somehow surviving by only having one meal a day. We were able to hear earnest voices, such as how international support and Japanese ODA are not used for the benefit of citizens, but are instead used as weapons to join the military and attack the people of their own country. Participants commented, "This was an opportunity to learn about Myanmar, and I want to think about what I can do to help," and "It was shocking to hear so many vivid stories that you don't get to see on TV."

This lecture was held in response to Ms. Cho Cho Aye's words, "Myanmar has been forgotten in Japan..." I hope that this lecture will touch the hearts of all the participants, be shared with many people, and increase the momentum to support the people of Myanmar.