An international sports boycott of Myanmar was debated during a discussion led by a representative of the ‘NEVER AGAIN’ Association in Seoul.
On 23-25 August 2019, human rights activists
from across the world gathered at the conference on ‘Protection of
Rohingya Survivors and Accountability for Genocide’ held at the
Sogang University, one of the leading universities of South Korea,
established by the Jesuits. The opening keynote speech was delivered
by Professor
Yanghee Lee, the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation
in Myanmar.
Co-founder of the ‘NEVER AGAIN’ Association
Rafal Pankowski chaired the conference session on ‘Travel,
Culture and Governmental Relations’ which discussed the
international campaigns to end genocide against the Rohingya, a
predominantly Muslim minority in Myanmar.
- ‘The newly announced initiative of ASEAN
(Association of South East Asian Nations) to organize a future
football World Cup in Southeast Asia is an interesting opportunity
for the promotion of the region, but the ongoing atrocities in
Myanmar make it currently next to impossible for the proposed bid to
have any credibility from the human rights perspective’ - noted
Rafal Pankowski. - ‘Football can be a positive tool for peace and
intercultural understanding, but FIFA must not legitimize human
rights abuses. The same applies to the idea of Myanmar as a co-host
of the U-20 World Cup in 2021.’
The meeting was co-organized by Korean civil
society groups together with the Free Rohingya Coalition, FORSEA
(Forces of Renewal of South East Asia), EuroBurma Office and Human
Rights Action Centre. It was attended by over one hundred
participants, including a large group of Catholic nuns and ended with
a joint Buddhist-Christian-Muslim demonstration outside of the
Myanmar embassy in Seoul.
The ‘NEVER AGAIN’ Association is an
independent educational and research organization established in
Warsaw in 1996. It has campaigned against racism, antisemitism and
xenophobia in Poland and internationally. Among others, it
implemented the UEFA Euro 2012 ‘Respect Diversity’ programme:
major educational and awareness-raising activities that took place
before and during the European Football Championships in Poland and
Ukraine. It also cooperates with partners in Southeast Asia in the
field of genocide commemoration and prevention, peace and
intercultural dialogue.
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