4
Gwangju City News
MONTHLY NEWS
Reprinted from the Gwangju Metropolitan City Hall website.
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
April 2021
Gwangju Will Always Be with the People of Myanmar On March 21, Gwangju City held a meeting at City Hall inviting workers and international students from Myanmar living in the Gwangju area. Ten Myanmar residents in Gwangju, including the representative of Myanmar in Gwangju, Myoneja; Yoon Young-dae, executive chairman of the Gwangju-Jeonnam Migrant Workers’ Human Rights Network; and Hwang Jeong-ah, representative of the Gwangju Asian Women’s Network, attended the meeting to exchange information on the country’s situation, in which many casualties have occurred due to the military coup, to listen directly to the opinions of Myanmar residents in the region, and to seek support measures at the level of the city and civil society. At the meeting, Mayor Lee Yong Sup encouraged the local Myanmar residents to oppose the military coup and support democratization, and identified their difficulties and what they need most at the moment. The Myanmar citizens who attended the meeting said that they appreciated the efforts and activities of Gwangju
2021�04��(April).indd 4
City and civic groups supporting the democratization movement in their country. One attendee stated, “In Myanmar, the casualties are increasing every day, the internet and SNS are blocked, and the situation is deteriorating,” and added, “Please support the citizens who are opposing the coup in Myanmar.” Others in attendance said that there is a need for a structure in which Gwangju City and civil society organizations can communicate with the Myanmar people living here, to share information, and that it costs a lot for gatherings. They said protesters need food and medicine support right now but hope that mid- to longterm support plans in preparation for the end of the Myanmar situation will also be devised. Mayor Lee stated, “I would like to express my deep consolation for the bloody suppression by the military coup forces in your home country, and for the victims and their families. Gwangju, a city of democracy, human rights, and peace, is strongly condemning the military’s
3/25/2021 3:27:40 PM
