I can cut it here a little bit and get to where we need to get to quickly.
I just wanted to drop down to the bottom of that page to state and draw to your attention that human trafficking, AIDS, persecution, the drug trade, child enslavement, adult slavery, political prisoners, and so on and so forth, are still quite prominent within the country. Also, there is the lack of open doors for the UN and NGOs to enter the country and to help out.
Under the present-day situation, the Kachin are constantly going through a variety of challenges, which you can see in points one to five, which my wife was going to read, but will not, I guess, at this point. Some of the things that have brought up the challenges are concerning the dam and concerning the Panglong Agreement, which was to state, for them, the idea of federalism.
As we go over to the next page, it states that the war, up to this point, has created over 75,000 internally displaced people. There is a concern for the need for food, clothing, and medicine. Again, the NGOs are not able to get into those places and bring help, like they should, so there are many people who are not able to get food and meet their needs.
I would like to read the recommendations, Mr. Chairman, and then conclude.
First is to strongly encourage the Government of Myanmar to use the Panglong Agreement as a foundation for further discussion in building the road for future peace and harmony within the various ethnic groups.
Second is to offer assistance to the new Myanmar government, in working with Aung San Suu Kyi, to clearly define and implement federalism and to show how it will work throughout the whole of the country.
Third is to encourage the Government of Myanmar to truly commit to the new constitution and to a timeline to help change the constitution, so that it will lean more towards democracy.
Fourth is to advocate with the Government of Myanmar to restore law and order equally throughout the country and to implement, without prejudice, the role of judges and the supreme court.
Fifth is to assist the Government of Myanmar to understand that diversity within a country is not a hindrance, but a blessing.
Sixth is to encourage Myanmar's leaders to truly open the door to freedom of expression, freedom of religion, and freedom to be part of the global community, and to express the need to be free from their fears.
Seventh is to strongly encourage their government to allow not only religious freedom for the people but for the religious leaders to be allowed the right to vote, the right to have membership in a political party, and the freedom to run for political office.
Eighth is to stress that the government put an immediate end to the 20 years of crimes against humanity, war crimes, genocide, and ethnic cleansing that have been going on systematically against the Kayah, Karen, Chin, Pao, Rakhine, Shan, Mon, Kachin, and Wa people.
Our hope is that all the citizens of Myanmar will be able to take their rightful place as citizens of the world, our global village. We hope that all the citizens of Myanmar will not focus on the faults of others but will encourage the potential for all to grow and mature as truly free people.
Our prayer is that the leaders of Myanmar would look beyond their individualism and rather look at their role as a community of leaders who help their citizens succeed as each one uses their gifting and talents under the watchful eye of God Almighty.
We implore you, as a subcommittee on international human rights, to take our concerns to the Canadian government so that the information would become part of a report. This report would be used to show how we as a people called Canadians will respond to the country of Myanmar, its leaders, and its peoples. We ask that human rights violations that are being carried out against their people be addressed. We seek nothing more than our demonstration, as Canadians, to Myanmar that we are willing to help them succeed on their journey of becoming a full-fledged democracy.
Thank for your time, interest, and concern about this issue of human rights.