On February 1, 2021, military convoys entered the Burmese capital of Naypyidaw and overthrew the legitimate government. In the two years since then, more than 13,000 people have been detained for exercising basic freedoms and more than 2,800 civilians, including children, have been killed. Now, more than 17 million people in Burma are in need of humanitarian aid, and 1.5 million remain internally displaced as a result of the ongoing violence and instability fostered by the military.
Today, more than 35,000 Burmese Americans live in Indiana, making Indiana's Burmese population the largest of any U.S. state.
Our Burmese neighbors have been a welcome addition to the Indiana tapestry. They have added to the richness and diversity of the Hoosier State. But their hearts break for their home country and their friends and family who live under an illegitimate military regime.
I wrote an op-ed in the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette on why I am proud to stand with the Burmese community – both in Indiana and around the globe.
You can read my op-ed here. |