TOKYO - A Myanmar doctor who has treated people displaced by military rule for nearly four decades says Japan must prioritize civilians' safety and human rights as the country steps up engagement with Myanmar's military-backed government.
Cynthia Maung, an ethnic Karen who fled a military crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrations in 1988 and founded the Mae Tao Clinic near the Thai-Myanmar border, made the remarks last month in Tokyo amid a series of contacts between key Japanese figures and Myanmar authorities, and talks between Washington and Naypyitaw.
"It is very important to have a channel to talk and to work, but...(Japan) has to work with other countries that support democracy and human rights," said Maung in an interview following a speech.
The 66-year-old called for involving Thailand and other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations as well as Western powers, saying the "Japanese government alone can't" influence the situation in Myanmar.
In early October, Japan's charge d'affaires ad interim in Myanmar, Shogo Yoshitake, met with junta Foreign Minister Tin Maung Swe in Naypyitaw, the first known ministerial-level contact since the new administration took office in April.
Yoshitake is thought to have called for the release of democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, as well as an end to airstrikes and other violence.
On the meeting, the doctor said any engagement should be judged by whether it benefits Myanmar's people, including expanded medical and educational support and protection of media freedom.
"It is important that any discussions between the Japanese government and Myanmar's military authorities be conducted with a clear focus on ensuring that they genuinely benefit Myanmar as a whole and serve the interests of its people," she said in the speech at the Graduate School of Toyo Eiwa University.
Tokyo has condemned the 2021 military coup and has not formally recognized the newly installed junta government. Being a major investor in Myanmar before the coup, Japan has maintained humanitarian assistance while stopping short of imposing sanctions like Western countries have.
Yoshitake's talks followed a September visit by Japanese ruling-party lawmaker Hiromichi Watanabe, who said in a Facebook post he wanted to lay the groundwork for renewed bilateral ties.
A meeting between Yohei Sasakawa, Japan's special envoy for national reconciliation in Myanmar, and President Min Aung Hlaing in Naypyitaw also took place on Oct. 20, apparently on aid plans.
Meanwhile, U.S. and Myanmar officials reportedly met in Tokyo in June, followed by a meeting between assistant secretary of state Michael Vance and Min Aung Hlaing in Naypyitaw in September and another round of senior officials' talks in Tokyo in October.
The September talks focused on securing the release of an American businessman, combating fraud targeting Americans and, potentially, access to Myanmar's rare-earth deposits, Reuters reported, signaling Washington's shift away from its emphasis on democratic reform toward a transactional approach.
Maung, whose clinic was awarded the Okinawa Peace Prize last month for contributing to peace in the Asia-Pacific region after offering 2.5 million consultations and treatments over the decades, said providing humanitarian assistance alone is not enough.
Japan, she said, must build trust with people traumatized by violence and include ethnic and community leaders in decisions affecting Myanmar's future while treating such leaders as "equal partners."
"We have to trust the people who we work with," Maung said. "We have to work with the people with real empathy and sympathy."
