Cardinal Charles Maung Bo, also the president of the Federation of Asian Bishops Conferences, was among the 44 signatories to the letter sent last week to Chief Executive Carrie Lam asking the Hong Kong leader to consider the demands of the protesters for democratic reforms.





Other signatories to the letter were Bago regional parliamentarian U Kyaw Min San, former speaker of the British House of Commons John Bercow and former British foreign secretary Malcolm Rifkind, among others.

“We have been horrified to see reports of police firing teargas, pepper spray and rubber bullets at close-range at shoppers, peaceful protesters and innocent bystanders,” the letter said, referring to a new round of crackdown against protesters during the Christmas season.

The letter noted the arrest and alleged abuse perpetrated by police officers against doctors, nurses and first-aiders and members of the press.

“Reports of torture, beatings and sexual abuse in detention are also profoundly concerning,” it said. “We are therefore writing to appeal to you to re-think the position and strategy of the Hong Kong SAR Government. A cycle of violence is in nobody’s interests.”

The letter stressed that they do not condone violent actions by a small group of protesters.

But it emphasised that while “the vast majority of protesters have been peaceful, and yet they have also been attacked aggressively by the Hong Kong Police Force,” and that “those protesters who have resorted to violence have acted in desperation and frustration… understood by many around the world.”

A Hong Kong government statement released last week refuted the claims by the open letter as “biased and misleading,” and stuck to the official narrative that the police force has only responded with proportionate force consistent with international human rights standards. It rejected the suggestion of an international independent inquiry mechanism, saying that such a move would undermine Hong Kong’s governance and autonomy.





The protests beginning from last June was kindled by a proposed extradition bill that could violate democratic rights enshrined in the mini Constitution of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Basic Law, and endanger human rights by extraditing whoever in Hong Kong to the Mainland.

Myanmar and Hong Kong enjoy close economic ties. According to Myanmar’s Commerce Ministry, Hong Kong’s approved Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Myanmar totalled US$7.9 billion as of last December, making it the fourth-largest source of FDI commitments in the country, after China, Thailand and Singapore. The Yangon-based Myanmar Hong Kong Chamber of Commerce and Industry was set up last year to promote responsible investment.

Carrie Lam visited Myanmar in 2017 and met with State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. The Myanmar government supports Beijing on the crisis. Myanmar activists support the protest movement.