Free Burma Action Center

UK Burma Democratic Concern Petition

2008-09-09T15:34:00.003+07:00

Trying to get back online. Much to update about the past 8 months--Nargis, the referendum, etc).

If you are a British citizen, please sign the Burma Democratic Concern's petition HERE. It calls on the UK Prime Minister to support the 1990 Elections result and to urge the International Community not to follow junta's 2010 Election plan.

The deadline to sign up is June 2, 2009

Hiatus

2008-01-23T00:19:00.000+07:00

security issues...on hiatus until further notice. please check the links on the left-hand panel for up to date news on Burma.

15 Minutes in Burma

2008-01-13T11:26:00.000+07:00

Barbed Wired I just got back from the border. Not a special trip. I left late and missed the morning bus, so I got there right before the border was going to close. Literally, I was in Burma for only about 15 minutes. It has been 2 years since I've been in Burma, but that was when I barely knew anything about the country. Now, working on the side of the opposition, it felt strange to be in Burma, which seemed on one hand a lot more familiar now in terms of my increased knowledge of its socio-political context, but on the other, a lot more foreign in how most of the tourists passing through probably don't give much thought to the true state of affairs in this military run nation.

Trapped Originally, I had wanted to just sit and people-watch for a couple of hours, and try to get a sense of what everyday life for Burmese (Burman and ethnic nationalities alike) is like. I had also briefly considered going a couple of hours deep into the country, but security concerns had me rethink that idea. This trip wasn't well-planned. Next time, I'll definitely try to get more out of it, whenever that will be.

Market Day One thing that hit me pretty powerfully is that while I was at the immigration booth, it suddenly hit me that these officials weren't evil. They were human just like you and me. I just finished reading Aung San Suu Kyi's Letter's from Burma and now I'm finishing up an interview with U Kyi Maung. At first, I was surprised at how persistently compassionate they were towards their tormentors, the SPDC.

Making a Living I suppose it is precisely this genuine goodwill that the NLD shows towards the junta that will make future national reconciliation possible. One of Daw Suu's entries wrote about the pressing difficulties civil servants face. They are woefully underpaid, which leads them to extort bribes. It's probably not out of ill-will, just the general will to survive. The immigration officials weren't mean, rather, I was surprised to see how friendly they were to me.

Bargaining Actually, on the subject of surviving, I was speaking to one Burmese activist today at lunch. In his opinion, the average Burmese can pay the average costs of living. When one considers that all the wealth in Burma is accumulated at the top to SPDC generals and their goons, and that the country's human capital is attracted to more promising opportunities in other countries, one can't help but think how the junta has survived for so long.

Barricades Are barbed wire barricades really necessary to have out in the open in a relatively peaceful market area? It was easy to see how apparent Burma is a police state ruled by terror and the barrel of the gun. What threats does the SPDC see here?

Kachin Day

2008-01-10T21:14:00.000+07:00

Today is Kachin State Day, the 60th anniversary of the founding of Kachin State. Today was supposed to a festive and happy celebration, but the Kachin National Organization has accused the junta of stealing their culture, usurping their influence, and whitewashing history. The story here.

Back Online

2008-01-07T21:47:00.000+07:00

Many apologies for the prolonged absence of posts. A lot of changes took place over the past couple of months--transitioning over to working with new NGOs and continued networking with others. Part of the reason for my silence was to give myself space and time to get accustomed to the more intense working environment that I am getting myself into.

On a different note, a Norwegian illustrator has asked me to help her promote her limited edition T shirt designs of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi HERE. 3 Euros from each sale will be donated to the Democratic Voice of Burma.

Again, please feel free to contact me at freeburmaactioncenter@gmail.com. I'll try and start posting regularly again.

AVAAZ's call on ASEAN to ACT NOW

2007-11-20T09:42:00.000+07:00

***The 19 ONLINE PETITIONS/PLEDGES FOR BURMA HERE.***
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For those in Asia, please help put the pressure on ASEAN to act now!

from AVAAZ:
Asia: Act Now for Myanmar's People
On November 21, China, India, South Korea, New Zealand, Australia and Japan join the leaders of ASEAN at the East Asia Summit in Singapore. This meeting is crucial. With thousands of monks and democrats still imprisoned in Myanmar, these Asian leaders hold vital levers over the military dictatorship there.

Coordinated Asian pressure could decide whether dialogue between Aung San Suu Kyi and the military junta is genuine, or just another con-trick. That’s why we're sending a wave of messages from all around Asia, asking leaders to offer practical support to the UN effort, and to take real steps to press the Myanmar junta into freeing the prisoners and opening real dialogue.

Sign HERE.

Enough to Break the Balance?

2007-11-19T16:17:00.000+07:00

***The 19 ONLINE PETITIONS/PLEDGES FOR BURMA HERE.***
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NEED-Burma and the Food Security Crisis in Burma

2007-11-18T18:02:00.000+07:00

***The 19 ONLINE PETITIONS/PLEDGES FOR BURMA HERE.***
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Last week, I began helping out part-time with the Network for Environment and Economic Development (NEED-Burma), an NGO that works on training Burmese on sustainable agriculture methods. Because of poor economic policies, rapid natural resource extraction, and the ongoing civil war, the food security and environmental situation in Burma is worsening. In 1960, Burma was the world's #1 rice exporter. Today, 40% of children are malnourished. This particular NGO seeks to train Burmese from all over Burma on how to grow organic and nutritious fruit and produce that does not pollute or degrade the environment.

Yesterday, NEED's Sustainable Agriculture Advisor said to me that most Burma-related empowerment groups concentrate solely on politics and democracy, but not many give environmental and agricultural training to those on the ground. NEED works to ensure that its farming methods can be replicated in any agricultural area in Burma.

Not to digress too much, but personally, as a trained environmentalist, one of the easiest and most effective ways to take care of the environment and to ensure a future for subsequent generations is to focus on how food is grown. Too much harmful pesticides is used and waste created in the food production methods that most of the world uses today.

In addition to starting a sizeable compost pile out of food waste and leaf litter, we began building an ecological sanitation toilet at NEED's model farm yesterday. It is based on the Indian Kerala system. It's a urine diversion dehydration (UDD) toilet. The urine will be siphoned off as fertilizer, the faeces will go into a drop hole for processing, and the washing water will go to an evapo-transpiration bed, probably for coconuts. To my knowledge, it will be the first of its kind in Thailand. And if this demonstration toilet is a success, and the knowledge can be transferred over to Burma, it can be the start of eco-san in Burma. That's an exciting and hopeful thought.

NEED's explanation on its choice of focusing on Sustainable Agriculture HERE.

Read the February 2007 brief on Burma's Ecological Crisis written by UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights to Myanmar Paulo Sergio Pinheiro HERE.

Myanmar says 14 killed in protests: UN investigator

2007-11-17T23:13:00.000+07:00

***The 19 ONLINE PETITIONS/PLEDGES FOR BURMA HERE.***
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The AFP brief of UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights to Myanmar Paulo Sergio Pinheiro's trip to Burma HERE. Pinheiro advocates for better medical treatment for political prisoners, prison access for the International Committee of the Red Cross, and stronger cooperation and coordination within the international arena to enact change in Burma. He will be presenting his findings to the UN Human Rights Council on December 11.
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BANGKOK (AFP) — A UN rights investigator said Friday that Myanmar's military government told him 14 people had been killed in Yangon during the violent suppression of pro-democracy protests in September.

Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, who ended a five-day mission to Myanmar on Thursday, said the government recognised that 14 people had been killed in Yangon and cremated at a cemetery that he visited during his mission.

But he said he was still reviewing the evidence he gathered in Myanmar and could not yet give his own estimate on the casualties or detentions resulting from the crackdown.

"I'm not in a position to say that this is an accurate number," he told reporters in Bangkok, the capital of neighbouring Thailand.

The Myanmar government claimed that no Buddhist monks were among the dead, he added.

Protests that began in August in anger at an overnight hike in fuel prices snowballed in September when Buddhist monks began leading marches that turned into the biggest anti-government demonstrations in nearly 20 years.

Until now, the government had put the number of dead at 10, although diplomats have estimated the toll could be much higher.

Pinheiro declined to give his own estimate of how many people had been detained over the protests, but urged better medical care for the inmates.

"They need better medical treatment," he said.

The United Nations also urged Myanmar to end its nearly two-year ban on prison visits by the International Committee of the Red Cross.

"The special rapporteur reemphasised a strong call to the authorities to re-engage with the International Committee of the Red Cross," the UN said in a statement.

Pinheiro is due to present a report on his findings to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on December 11.

The United Nations said in its statement that Myanmar had given Pinheiro "a number of detailed records that respond partially to his requests" concerning the crackdown.

Pinherio also urged the international community to better coordinate their policies to prod the ruling junta toward reform.

"If you want to achieve some progress in Myanmar, we cannot have a cacophony of policies... We need to have coordination," he said.

After Pinheiro visited Yangon's notorious Insein prison on Thursday, Myanmar released 53 inmates -- but only six of them were political prisoners, all of whom had been arrested years before the protests.

Amnesty International has estimated that 700 people arrested over the protests were still in detention, although the government has said only 91 of the nearly 3,000 originally rounded up are still being held.

Pinheiro visited Insein prison twice during his visit to Myanmar this week, a trip aimed at investigating the deaths and detentions from the junta's crackdown.

On Thursday, Pinheiro said he was allowed to meet with some political prisoners, including prominent labour activist Su Su Nway.

But Pinheiro was not allowed to meet with democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, the detained Nobel peace prize winner who has spent 12 of the last 18 years under house arrest in Yangon.

China Blocks UN Security Council Presidential Statement on Burma

2007-11-17T22:40:00.000+07:00

***The 19 ONLINE PETITIONS/PLEDGES FOR BURMA HERE.***
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Last Thursday, US Ambassador to the UN Zalmay Khalilzad has publicly stated that China has blocked the issuance of a UN Security Council Resolution on Burma. The story HERE.
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The US on Thursday alleged that China blocked the issuing of a presidential statement on Burma at the UN Security Council.

Led by the US, a majority of the countries in the 15-member Security Council had favored issuing a presidential statement after closed door consultations on Tuesday and a briefing on the Burmese issue by Ibrahim Gambari, the UN Special Envoy on Burma.

A presidential statement—though not legally binding, unlike a resolution—can only be issued with a consensus, meaning that all members of the Security Council have to agree on it and its content. China opposed issuing a presidential statement on Burma, which would have been the second one in a little over a month.

“We were disappointed by their (China’s) unwillingness to support a PRST (presidential statement). They were only willing to support a statement. We worked hard to persuade them to go for a PRST, but they did not cooperate,” the US Ambassador to the UN, Zalmay Khalilzad said.

At the same time, Khalilzad noted the cooperation of China in the past with regard to Burma in facilitating the work of Gambari.

This is for the first time that a top US official has come out openly to state that China was not cooperating with it and other like-minded members of the Security Council on the issue of Burma. This was very much evident on Tuesday during the debate on Burma at the Security Council. While China and Russia observed that sanctions against Burma were counterproductive and termed the mission of Gambari to Burma as successful, the delegates of the US, Britain and France observed that the steps taken by the Burmese junta following international pressure were timid and more needed to be done.

Ethnic Ceasefire Groups Told to Sign Statement against Suu Kyi

2007-11-17T22:19:00.000+07:00

***The 19 ONLINE PETITIONS/PLEDGES FOR BURMA HERE.***
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The Irrawaddy's Thursday article on the junta's forcing ethnic ceasefire groups to denounce Aung San Suu Kyi. This comes on the heels of a statement made by Suu Kyi released via UN Special Envoy to Myanmar Ibrahim Gambari on November 8. In it, Suu Kyi said that it was imperative to consider ethnic perspectives in any discourse relating to national reconciliation. On November 10, twelve ethnic groups welcomed Suu Kyi's statement and called for a tripartite dialogue amongst the junta, political opposition forces, and ethnic minorities. The junta's move is an attempt to counter renewed internal support for the imprisoned Nobel Peace Laureate.

The junta has again relied on its age old policy of divide and conquer by manipulating ceasefire groups for its own aims. Again, it is surprising to note that while the SPDC refuses to engage in talks with registered political parties, such as the NLD, it has no qualms negotiating with armed insurgent groups. This demonstrates that the junta is much more responsive to violent threats than legally recognized, registered political forces. Incidentally, a news story on 80,000 IDPs in Karenni State HERE.
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The Burmese government has coerced several ethnic ceasefire groups and other ethnic parties to sign a written statement saying Aung Suu San Kyi has no leadership role among ethnic nationalities, according to reliable sources.

State-run newspapers have recently run statements from several ethnic groups' which are critical of Suu Kyi. Observers say the statements are an effort to drive a wedge between pro-democracy groups and ethnic groups.

The United Wa State Army (UWSA), the Kachin Defense Army (KDA), the Kokant Army and the Shan State Army (North) met with government officials in Lashio in northern Shan State. Military officials called the leaders to sign a statement that was already written by unknown parties, sources close to the ceasefire groups told The Irrawaddy on Thursday.

“Three days ago, the junta’s Minister of Culture, Brig-Gen Khin Aung Myint, arrived to Lashio. On November 12, officials of the North-East Regional Command told leaders of ceasefire groups to come to Lashio by November 13. Wa’s deputy chairman was among them. The leaders of four ceasefire groups met with minister Khin Aung Myint and the regional commander on November 14,” said the source.

“The military officials brought anti-Daw Aung San Suu Kyi statements, already written, to the meeting. Leaders of the groups were told to sign the statements,” the source said.

Two ceasefire groups, the UWSA and Kokant, did not sign the statements during the meeting, and the SSA told authorities that it would reply to their request by November 15. UWSA is said to have an estimated 20,000 troops which is the biggest ceasefire group.

Meanwhile, the state-run-press has published the statements of other ethnic groups.

The statements in The New Light of Myanmar said they welcomed the meeting between Suu Kyi and the liaison officer, ex-Maj-Gen Aung Kyi. The statements said Suu Kyi does not represent ethnic groups, referring to her statement on November 8, which was conveyed by UN envoy Ishmael Gambari.

In the statement, Suu Kyi said, “In this time of vital need for democratic solidarity and national unity, it is my duty to give constant and serious considerations to the interests and opinions of as broad a range of political organizations and forces as possible, in particular those of our ethnic nationality races.”

Nyan Win, a spokesperson of the Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy, denied the allegations in junta newspapers that Suu Kyi claimed to represent ethnic groups.

“This kind of allegation is delaying ongoing dialogue and the national reconciliation process,” said Nyan Win.

On November 10, twelve ethnic parties based inside Burma issued statements that welcomed Suu Kyi’s November 8 statement and called for tripartite dialogue.

“We welcome dialogue between the ruling, pro- democracy forces led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and representatives of ethnic nationalities,” said the statement.

The exiled ethnic umbrella group, Ethnic Nationalities Council, also welcomed Suu Kyi's November 9 statement.

AVAAZ's Boycott on Total Oil, Chevron, and Their Subsidiaries

2007-11-17T11:06:00.000+07:00

***The 19 ONLINE PETITIONS/PLEDGES FOR BURMA HERE.***
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***The petitions and pledges are now up to 19.***

AVAAZ also is launching a global boycott of Total Oil and Chevron and all their subsidiaries that operate in Burma. You can sign AVAAZ's pledge HERE. By hitting them straight in their bottom line, AVAAZ hopes to press these corporations to either push Burma to democratic reform, or to leave the country entirely.

I will say though, while many Western Burma-related NGOs and advocacy networks believe that a complete pullout of Western companies doing business in Burma is the quickest, surefire way to weaken the junta and bring about political change in the troubled nation, the situation is not as clearcut. While companies operating in Burma can use their leverage to enact political change, company pullout can create a power vacuum, creating the conditions for even more abusive (Chinese or other energy-hungry Asian) companies to fill in the void. Chinese, Malaysian, Korean companies would readily, easily, and quickly answer the call for investment.

I have heard that Burmese on the ground are actually against a pullout of Western companies. The are afraid that if Western companies leave, Asian companies with poorer human rights records will move in. In the historic Doe vs. Unocal Case involving the construction of the Yadana pipeline, the verdict held that Unocal WAS liable for human rights abuses committed by SPDC troops hired by the oil company. Some think a more effective way to uphold human rights in Burma, especially in areas where multinationals invest, is to put pressure on Western companies to operate in a responsible manner. The Corporate Social Responsibility discourse is much more predominant and established in the West than in the East, where many countries are still subject to the "race to the bottom" for development. Hence, advocating for Western companies to observe CSR is a more suitable option on which Western activists can rely. Moreover, I personally doubt that enough companies will pull out in a short timeframe to create serious cash flow problems for the junta.

Journalist and author Ross Gelbspan has put forth the following theory in his book about climate change The Heat is On. If a totalitarian state (like Burma) suffers from severe economic instability (such as one that would occur from a massive investor pullout), the conditions would be ripe for GREATER, not lesser human rights abuses. It's the same old Asian Values argument that says economic considerations and the right to development come before civil and political rights. By supervising companies who invest in Burma and getting them to responsibly operate, the hope is that multinationals can counteract human rights abuses.

Another petition: Sign Earthrights International's petition urging Chevron to use its influence to help stop the crackdown, and to stop investing in Burma HERE.

US Citizens, Help get the Block Burmese JADE and the Burmese Democracy Promotion Acts Passed

2007-11-16T10:17:00.000+07:00

***The 17 ONLINE PETITIONS FOR BURMA HERE.***
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US Citizens, please help get the Block Burmese JADE (Junta Anti-Democratic Efforts)Act and the Burmese Democracy Promotion Act passed. Put the pressure on your Representatives and Senators for the toughest US Sanctions against Burma yet. These Acts would stop allowing the junta to launder funds, gems, timber, and other products in third countries before they are sold.

from the US Campaign for Burma:

Call Your Representative and Senators!
Make Sure the US is not bankrolling the Burmese Regime's Brutal Actions

In the House of Representatives, Rep. Lantos has introduced the "Block Burmese JADE (Junta Anti-Democratic Efforts) Act" and in the Senate, Senators Biden and McConnell have introduced the "Burmese Democracy Promotion Act". Both of these will tighten sanctions on Burma's military regime and really hit the generals where it hurts. Call in today to demand that your Representative and Senator co-sponsor. Find your Representative's info at www.house.gov and find your Senators' by going to www.senate.gov. Call today and call everyday until you get an answer! Find out more information on the resolutions and what you should do- Click Here to Take Action

The Burmese Democracy Promotion Act of 2007 (Senate) and the Block Burmese JADE (Junti Anti Democratic Efforts) has the power to force the regime to negotiate with Burma's democracy leaders and Ethnic nationalities. We must show the people of Burma that the U.S. is taking action to support their calls for freedom, democracy and human rights. Call your Senator today asking him/her to support the Burmese Democracy Promotion Act! Organize your community to call in as well. Contact details for your Senators are given below.

What the Acts Do:

The regime makes hundreds of millions of dollars each year off the sale of gems and timber. More than 90 percent of the world's rubies and fine-quality jade comes from Burma. The new sanctions will crack down on the regime's practice of avoiding U.S. sanctions by laundering gemstones and other products, especially timber, through third countries before they are sold.

This Act also freezes the assets of Burmese political and military leaders, prevents Burma from using U.S. financial institutions via third countries to launder the funds of those leaders or their immediate families, and prohibits Burmese officials involved in the violent suppression of protesters from receiving visas to the United States.

Burma also uses third countries to access the U.S. banking system. These overseas banks process accounts in and through the United States for Burma's rulers, providing the regime with much-needed hard currency. The regime uses these funds to purchase weapons and luxury goods, while the bulk of Burma's population lives in poverty.

Biden and McConnell's legislation tightens existing sanctions to prevent Burma's military rulers from profiting from sales to the United States, and blocks access to the U.S. financial system not just for Burmese human rights violators but also to those who provide the regime with banking services.

The bill also creates a new position of Special Representative and Policy Coordinator for Burma. The Special Representative will work with Burma's neighbors and other interested countries, including the members of the European Union and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, to develop a comprehensive approach to the problem, including sanctions, dialogue, and support for non-governmental organizations providing humanitarian relief to the Burmese people.

These Acts, if passed, would be the strongest action yet that the U.S. takes to pressure Burma's military regime to negotiate with Burma's democracy leaders and ethnic nationalities.

To read the legislation:

House : Block Burmese JADE (Junta Anti-Democratic Efforts) Act

Senate: Burmese Democracy Promotion Act

Contact information:

Call your Senators/ Representative's offices and ask to speak with their foreign policy staffer. If s/he is not there leave a message and ask her/him to call you back. Call today and every day until you get an answer!

Find Your Representative: www.house.gov

Find Your Senator: www.senate.gov

Senate: To add their name as a cosponsor: Let them know that to co-sponsor (Burmese Democracy Promotion Act of 2007 - S.2257)Democrats should contact Frank Jannuzi at the Committee on Foreign Relations at 202-224-4651

Republicans should contact Reb Brownell in Senator McConnell's office at 202-224-2541

House: To add their name as a co-sponsor: Let them know that to co-sponsor they should contact Eric Richardson at the Committee on Foreign Affairs office at eric.richardson@mail.house.gov or 225-5021.

Talking Points for Staffer:
- Tell the staffer you want your Senator to co-sponsor the Burmese Democracy Promotion Act of 2007

- Give her/him proof that this policy works. It cuts off hundreds of millions of dollars to the regime and will specifically target the top generals' finances.

- Mention that the military junta still deserves sanctions. On top of brutally crushing thousands of peaceful demonstrators, including monks, the military regime has destroyed more than 3,000 villages. It has forcibly displaced more than half a million people inside Burma as well as causing a million refugees to flee across the border to neighboring countries and has made no efforts to move toward democracy.

- Let her/him know it is important to send a strong signal to the regime that the US government will continue to keep American money out the hands of the junta.

- This is not the only action being taken against Burma. On top of many diplomatic efforts, the EU has imposed new sanctions, as well as Australia, and even Japan has decreased aid to Burma.

- Finally ask the staffer to call you back when your Senator has co-sponsored the Burmese Democracy Promotion Act. Important: Leave your phone number!
Let him/her know that his/her constituents care about Burma!

Check up to see if they cosponsor:
It's easy to check and see if they follow through and agree to cosponsor. THOMAS, the Library of Congress' congressional records database updates a list of all information on legislation. Click HERE to find out who has signed as cosponsors in the House, and Click HERE to see who has signed as cosponsors in the Senate.

Please let me know when you have contacted your Senator and how it went - thelma@uscampaignforburma.org. These new sanctions will hit the regime where it hurts.

Canada Announces Tougher Sanctions Against Burma

2007-11-16T09:33:00.000+07:00

***The 17 ONLINE PETITIONS FOR BURMA HERE.***
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Canada has just joined the ranks of the US and the EU in imposing tougher sanctions against Burma, barring exports to and imports from the dictatorship, as well as banning investments. The article on Canada's Special Economic Measures Act HERE.

A day after China and Russia told the United Nations Security Council that sanctions against Burma would be counterproductive, Canada, one of the strongest supporters of the pro-democracy movement in Burma, on Wednesday announced a series of tough sanctions against the Burmese junta.

Following the new sanctions, the Canadian government has imposed a ban on: all goods exported from Canada to Burma, with the exception of humanitarian goods; all goods imported from Burma into Canada; and any new investment in Burma by Canadian persons and companies.

The sanctions imposed under the Special Economic Measures Act, prohibits: the provision of Canadian financial services to and from Burma; the export of any technical data to Burma; Canadian-registered ships or aircraft from docking or landing in Burma; and Burmese-registered ships or aircraft from docking or landing in Canada or passing through Canada.

The Canadian government also announced a freeze on assets in Canada of any designated Burmese nationals connected with the Burmese government.

Announcing the sanctions, the Canadian Foreign Minister, Maxime Bernier, said, “Tougher sanctions against Burma are the right thing to do. They are right on moral grounds. The regime in Burma is abhorrent to Canadian values.”

Only a day earlier, participating in a debate on the current situation in Burma at the UN, the Burmese ambassador had urged member nations not to impose sanctions while the Russian and Chinese ambassadors had said that the imposition of sanctions against the military regime could be counterproductive. However, countries such as Canada, Britain and the United States are taking a harder line with the Burmese regime. The US Ambassador to the UN, Zalmay Khalilzad, had said at the UN on Tuesday that sanctions do play an important role in pressure building.

“The strongest message has to be sent. Sanctions are the means by which we, not just Canada, but the international community, can best exert pressure against the junta," Bernier said in a speech at the Economic Club of Toronto after announcing the sanctions.

Earlier in the day, Bernier met about 20 Burmese dissident leaders, including monks, at the Toronto Burmese Buddhist Temple. This was the first interaction of its kind between the Canadian foreign minister and senior Burmese dissidents.

“We are very delighted with today’s visit by Hon Maxime Bernier, Minister of Foreign Affairs,” said Zaw Wai Kyaw, president of Burma Buddhist Association of ontario. He also expressed appreciation of the government’s efforts and support to achieve national reconciliation, religious freedom, democracy and human rights for the people of Burma.

“We are pleased to arrange this meeting between the minister Bernier and Burmese representatives,” said Tin Maung Htoo, Executive Director of Canadian Friends of Burma. “This is indeed an historic moment, not only the minister meeting with them, but also making an important policy statement.”

UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights to Myanmar Visits Insein Prison

2007-11-13T08:18:00.000+07:00

***The 17 ONLINE PETITIONS FOR BURMA HERE.***
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Yesterday, UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights to Myanmar Paulo Sergio Pinheiro visited the notorious Insein Prison and Ngwe Kyar Yan Monastery, one of the scenes of the fallout from September's protests. The human rights envoy's purpose was to ascertain the number of deaths from the crackdown, to gauge the level of human rights abuses in Burma, and to survey prison conditions and the health of detained political prisoners. According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma), the prison was prepped for Pinheiro's visit (Irrawaddy).

The Reuter's article HERE:

U.N. human rights envoy to Myanmar Paulo Sergio Pinheiro visited Yangon’s notorious Insein prison and other detention centers on Monday where protesters were held after soldiers crushed anti-junta marches in September.

A statement by the U.N. office in Yangon gave no details of the visits, but a diplomat said earlier Pinheiro would try to meet Min Ko Naing and Ko Ko Gyi, two leaders of August’s fuel price protests believed to be held at Insein.

“He is expecting to interview detainees before the end of his mission and receive further details on their records,” the statement said. He is due to leave on Thursday.

The Brazilian law professor, on his first trip to the former Burma in four years, also visited Yangon’s former Government Technical College and a police headquarters where some detainees from the biggest anti-junta protests in 20 years were held.

He also met senior abbots of the State Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee, the state governing body of the Buddhist clergy), and visited two monasteries “involved in the recent demonstrations.”

Hundreds of maroon-robed monks were among the 2,927 people official media say were rounded up in the crackdown.

State papers have denied any monks were among the 10 official dead, even though monks reported that at least five of their brethren were killed when soldiers and pro-government thugs raided monasteries thought to be leading the protests.

Several photos have emerged on the Internet of what appear to be mutilated bodies of dead monks, although it is impossible to known when or where they were taken.

Official media say all but 91 of those arrested were released after questioning — a figure that, like the junta’s death toll, Pinheiro is likely to probe in great detail. Western governments say the real toll is probably far higher.

Relatives of political detainees, many of whom played a part in another mass uprising against decades of military rule in 1988, said conditions in Insein had improved in the run-up to Pinheiro’s visit.

“We were allowed to send things to them. We got a chance to learn their health condition. It’s the first time since they were arrested in August,” one family member told Reuters.

In the past, Pinheiro has been allowed access to all political prisoners he wished to see, but stormed out of an interview with a detainee at Insein four years ago when he discovered a tape recorder stuck beneath the table.

Before September’s crackdown, Amnesty International estimated the junta was holding around 1,100 political prisoners, including opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been under house arrest for 12 of the last 18 years.

Pinheiro’s visit, which will see him fly to the regime’s jungle capital, Naypyidaw, on Tuesday, followed the departure of Ibrahim Gambari, the U.N.’s point-man on Myanmar, last week.

Gambari’s second visit since the crackdown sparked hopes the military might be willing to talk about political reform with detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

The Nobel laureate’s political party, which won a 1990 election landslide only to be denied power by the army, quoted her as being “optimistic” during a meeting with party chiefs.

Suu Kyi, who has been under house arrest for 12 of the last 18 years, said the generals were “serious and really willing to work for national reconciliation,” party spokesman Nyan Win said.

Small-scale protest in Rangoon

2007-11-10T13:06:00.000+07:00

***The 17 ONLINE PETITIONS FOR BURMA HERE.***
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From the Democratic Voice of Burma:

Nov 9, 2007 (DVB)–Students in Botahtaung township, Rangoon, staged a short-lived protest yesterday before being dispersed by government security forces, according to an eyewitness.

Around 50 students assembled on Bo Aung Kyaw street for the demonstration.

The protestors were holding pictures of junta leader senior general Than Shwe with women’s underwear superimposed on his head, and they shouted slogans condemning the government for its crackdown on monks.

Bystanders clapped their hands in support of the protestors.

The demonstration only lasted a few minutes before government security forces appeared and the protestors dispersed.

The witness was unsure if any arrests were made because all the demonstrators and bystanders fled the scene as soon as the government forces arrived.

Text of Aung San Suu Kyi's statement released by U.N. envoy

2007-11-09T09:52:00.000+07:00

***The 17 ONLINE PETITIONS FOR BURMA HERE.***
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While UN special envoy to Myanmar Ibrahim Gambari was able to meet with Aung San Suu Kyi yesterday, he was unable to secure an audience with Senior General Than Shwe. Here's a statement released by Aung San Suu Kyi via Gambari. The AP article HERE

SINGAPORE: Following is the text of the statement by Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, released Thursday by U.N. envoy Ibrahim Gambari.
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"I wish to thank all those who have stood by my side all this time, both inside and outside my country. I am also grateful to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, for his unwavering support for the cause of national reconciliation, democracy and human rights in my country.

"I welcome the appointment on 8 October of Minister Aung Kyi as Minister for Relations. Our first meeting on 25 October was constructive and I look forward to further regular discussions. I expect that this phase of preliminary consultations will conclude soon so that a meaningful and timebound dialogue with the SPDC leadership can start as early as possible.

"In the interest of the nation, I stand ready to cooperate with the Government in order to make this process of dialogue a success and welcome the necessary good offices role of the United Nations to help facilitate our efforts in this regard.

"In full awareness of the essential role of political parties in democratic societies, in deep appreciation of the sacrifices of the members of my party and in my position as General Secretary, I will be guided by the policies and wishes of the National League for Democracy. However, in this time of vital need for democratic solidarity and national unity, it is my duty to give constant and serious considerations to the interests and opinions of as broad a range of political organizations and forces as possible, in particular those of our ethnic nationality races.

"To that end, I am committed to pursue the path of dialogue constructively and invite the Government and all relevant parties to join me in this spirit.

"I believe that stability, prosperity and democracy for my country, living at peace with itself and with full respect for human rights, offers the best prospect for my country to fully contribute to the development and stability of the region in close partnership with its neighbors and fellow ASEAN members, and to play a positive role as a respected member of the international community."

Burma the Most Corrupt and Worst Government in the World

2007-11-08T16:08:00.001+07:00

***The 17 ONLINE PETITIONS FOR BURMA HERE.***
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Transparency International, the global coalition against corruption, puts out an "annual Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), first released in 1995, is the best known of TI’s tools. It has been widely credited with putting TI and the issue of corruption on the international policy agenda. The CPI ranks 180 countries by their perceived levels of corruption, as determined by expert assessments and opinion surveys." Burma is tied for last place with Somalia. You can see the listings HERE
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From Irrawaddy:

In addition to being the most corrupt government, Burma has been ranked ‘zero,’ the worst government in the world according to the amount of freedom citizens have to voice opinions and select a government, according to the latest Worldwide Governance Indicators report.

Countries with the best overall rankings included Denmark, 100; Canada, 94; and Australia, 93.
Countries with the worst overall rankings included Burma 0, China 4 and Vietnam 8.
The Worldwide Governance Indicators (WGI) research project, covering 212 countries and territories, measured six areas of governance between 1996 and 2006 to make its rankings: Voice and Accountability, Political Stability and Absence of Violence, Government Effectiveness, Regulatory Quality, Rule of Law and Control of Corruption.
In the Voice and Accountability category, Burma has ranked near ‘zero’ since 1996.

Among Burma's neighbors: India ranked 58; Thailand, 32 and China, 4. Laos was ranked 6; Cambodia, 21; Malaysia, 38; Indonesia, 41; Philippines, 44; and Singapore 46.

The Worldwide Governance Indicators are produced by researchers from the World Bank Institute and the World Bank Development Economics Research Group.

The aggregate indicators combine the views of a large number of enterprises, citizens and experts in industrial and developing countries. The individual data sources underlying the aggregate indicators are drawn from a variety of survey institutes, think tanks, non-governmental organizations and international organizations.

More Monks March

2007-11-04T23:04:00.000+07:00

***The 17 ONLINE PETITIONS FOR BURMA HERE.***
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About 100 monks marched in Mogok, in north central Burma, source of most of the world's finest rubies and shappires, on Nov. 3rd, 3 days after 200 monks marched in Pakkoku on Oct. 31.

From the Democratic Voice of Burma. Article only in Burmese. Translated by a co-worker:

Mandalay State, Mogoke, the locals have reported that about 100 monks have peacefully marched chanting metta sutta from around 1pm. The march was met with locals coming out to support and encourage. A lot of them followed the monks on motorcycles and some marched along the sides of the monk to show support and as a form to protection. Around 3pm, local police and the military arrived to block the roads and requested the crowd to break up at PeikSwae suburb. Over a month after the protests were brutally crushed, the first protest since took place at Pakokku and today, it marks the second march by the monks from Mogoke. The peaceful march today was met with enthusiasm and support from the locals.

Burma's Link between Environmental Degradation and Human Rights Abuses

2007-11-04T22:12:00.000+07:00

***The 18 ONLINE PETITIONS FOR BURMA HERE.***
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*The petitions are now up to 18. Here's the newest one--The Burma Rivers Network's PETITION calls on the Chinese government to closely monitor Chinese companies that invest in hydropower and other extractive industries in Burma (and other countries). Nontransparent operation, poor oversight, and not keeping affect communities informed has led to environmental degradation and human rights abuses in Burma.

In my opinion, most commentators and analysts have overwhelmingly overlooked to what extent foreign and government investment in large scale development projects has lead to environmental degradation and human rights abuses. Many hydropower plants, mines, timber concessions, and other infrastructure projects are located in armed conflict areas. Villagers are often forced to work on these projects with no pay or food, often to the point of starvation, exhaustion, and sickness. Many are killed for not being able to continue carrying excessive loads.

Even worse, Burma Army soldiers are employed to ensure the security of these projects. As projects are commonly located in ethnic conflict areas, it gives the opportunity for Burmese troops to continue their use of torture, killings, sexual violence, and village destruction to further subjugate ethnic groups and to weaken the resistance movement--these projects are part in parcel of the junta's campaign to extend influence and to consolidate control.

For more on this ecological perspective, other sources to look at:

Salween Watch
Earthrights International
International Rivers Network
Foundation for Ecological Recovery
South East Asia Rivers Network
Shan Herald Agency for News

What Burma's Junta Must Fear

2007-11-04T21:52:00.000+07:00

***The 17 ONLINE PETITIONS FOR BURMA HERE.***
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An article by U Gambira, leader of the All-Burma Monks Alliance, which spearheaded nationwide protests in September. Wanted by Burma's military junta, he is living in hiding as he continues the monks' campaign.

In August, the Burmese people began to write a new chapter in their determination to find peace and freedom. Burmese monks peacefully protested to bring change to our long-suffering country. As we marched, hundreds of thousands of Burmese and our ethnic cousins joined us to reinforce our collective demand: that military rule finally give way to the people's desire for democracy.

Video and the Internet have allowed the world to witness the brutal response directed by Gen. Than Shwe, Burma's de facto ruler and military leader. Than Shwe unleashed his soldiers and the regime's thugs, who attacked us. Once again the streets in Rangoon and Mandalay ran red with the blood of innocent civilians seeking to save our country from the moral, social, political and economic crises that consume us.

Hundreds of our monks and nuns have been beaten and arrested. Many have been murdered. Alarmingly, thousands of clergy have disappeared. Our sacred monasteries have been looted and destroyed. As darkness falls each night, intelligence units try to round up political and religious leaders.

Military rule has brought Burma to collapse. Our economy is in ruins. Once the breadbasket of Asia, Burma cannot feed itself. Once we were a light for education and literacy; now, the regime has closed schools and universities. Once we breathed the air of freedom; now, we choke on the foul air of tyranny. We are an enslaved people.

My colleagues and I welcomed the strong actions of the United States to impose financial and travel restrictions on the regime and its enablers. Australia is following this model, and the European Union should as well.

Than Shwe and his fellow military leaders have sought to portray this uprising as a singular event, now over. A veneer of quiet has replaced the sounds of gunfire on city streets. Unfortunately, many in the international community buy in and actively support this propaganda.

At the United Nations, China and Russia continue to block the Security Council from facilitating a dialogue between democratic forces and the regime. Within our region, senior officials of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have condemned the regime's actions but have done little else. Perhaps most disappointing, the world's largest democracy, India, continues to provide military assistance and trade deals that help finance the regime's war on its people.

What will it take for the world to realize that Burma's generals are a menace and that because of their misrule, drugs, diseases and refugees from Burma spill across borders and wash through other societies, ruining lives?

The recent steps by U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and his special adviser, Ibrahim Gambari, to open a dialogue with Burma's generals are welcome and necessary. The United Nations can help bring peace to Burma. However, the Security Council is the proper forum. All efforts must focus on making council members take the steps necessary to coerce the generals to come to terms with the people. This involves setting a timetable for the regime to release all political prisoners, including Aung San Suu Kyi; allow free assembly; and give a full accounting of the thousands who have disappeared. The council should also seek a ban on all arms sales to the regime.

People ask whether I am disheartened and whether this latest spasm of democratic activism is over. The answer to both questions is no. Although I am wanted by the military and forced to hide in my own country, I am awed by the bravery of so many, including sympathetic security agents of the junta who opened their homes to democracy leaders and me.

Since August, I have seen my country galvanized as never before. I have watched our 88 Generation leaders bravely confront the military. I have watched a new generation of activists join to issue an unequivocal call for freedom. And I have watched as many in the police and military, sickened at what they were forced to do to their countrymen, give so many of us quiet help. The primary tools wielded by Burma's senior generals, a climate of fear and the use of violence, are no longer working -- and with nothing to lose, we are no longer afraid.

On Wednesday, more than 200 monks staged a protest in Pakokku. They stared military officers in the face. Their spirit and determination are a warning to the regime and those that prop it up.

Burma's Saffron Revolution is just beginning. The regime's use of mass arrests, murder, torture and imprisonment has failed to extinguish our desire for the freedom that was stolen from us so many years ago. We have taken their best punch.

Now it is the generals who must fear the consequences of their actions. We adhere to nonviolence, but our spine is made of steel. There is no turning back. It matters little if my life or the lives of colleagues should be sacrificed on this journey. Others will fill our sandals, and more will join and follow.

Junta expels U.N. diplomat

2007-11-02T21:29:00.000+07:00

***The 17 ONLINE PETITIONS FOR BURMA HERE.***
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Internet has been cut again after the Oct. 31's protest. The generals are afraid that Pakokku will once again be the spark that ignites nation wide protests. Many monks have been warned not to take part in new demonstrations....

The junta continues to send mixed messages to the international community: As it prepares to receive UN special envoy to Myanmar Ibrahim Gambari, it has expelled UN resident coordinator Charles Petri. CNN's article HERE. MSN's HERE.

Myanmar's Foreign Ministry has ordered a top U.N. diplomat in the secretive Asian country to leave, the U.S. Charge d'Affaires in Myanmar told CNN on Friday.

According to Shari Villarosa, U.N. resident coordinator Charles Petri was told by the ruling military junta that "he was no longer welcome in the country."

There was no immediate response from the United Nations.

News of the order for Petri to leave came as Ibrahim Gambari, the special U.N. envoy to Myanmar, was due to return to the troubled nation on Saturday.

"They say that they are interested in cooperating with the U.N.," Villarosa said, "so this seems very unusual to say the least." It was uncertain whether Petri had been given a deadline for leaving the country.

It will be the second visit to Myanmar in recent weeks for Gambari, who has a five-day visa.

The United Nations does not know who Gambari will be meeting with, but it is thought that the envoy will facilitate talks between ruling generals and Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, an opposition leader and human rights activist who has been under house arrest on and off for nearly 20 years.

In his October meeting, Gambari met with the military junta leadership as well as with Suu Kyi.

"What everybody has been seeking is the initiation of a genuine dialogue that leads toward broad national reconciliation," Villarosa said.
Don't Miss

The visit will come only a few days after dissident sources in Mae Sot told CNN that more than 70 Buddhist monks marched in central Myanmar on Wednesday.

The march, which the sources said took place in the town of Pakokku, is the first reported since a government crackdown on peaceful pro-democracy demonstrations in September, in which as many as 110 people are believed to have been killed -- including 40 Buddhist monks.

The protests were initially sparked by a huge fuel price increase imposed by the military government, but quickly escalated.

Myanmar's military junta admitted in mid-October to detaining more than 2,900 people during the crackdown, and many of them are still believed to be in custody.
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Video smuggled out of the secretive country has shown unarmed protesters being beaten by government security forces, and one man -- believed to be a Japanese journalist -- shot and killed at close range.

Myanmar's humanitarian crisis has sparked international outrage, concern and attention

Burma: Grace Under Pressure

2007-11-01T15:53:00.000+07:00

***The 17 ONLINE PETITIONS FOR BURMA HERE.***
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An interactive slide show by Geoffrey Hiller on his trip to Burma with added social commentary on the plethora of issues there. The slide show HERE.

Also, the Burma Forum of Los Angeles has put together a PDF book Please Use Your Liberty to Promote Our; Personal Accounts of Survival, Resistance and Military Rule in Burma.

The Second Rising? Buddhist Monks March Again in Myanmar

2007-10-31T14:46:00.000+07:00

***The 17 ONLINE PETITIONS FOR BURMA HERE.***
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Right along with premonitions from one of the head leaders of September's protests, the demonstrations resumed today. While much smaller in scope, today's march sends a strong signal not only to the junta but to the international community that the opposition movement still has life left. It may be the spark needed to galvanize the Burmese for renewed protests. With the world on its toes this time, we can only wait and hope for the best, but also prepare for the worst. The AP article, linked through The Washington Post, HERE.
Other reports on today's March. (Mizzima and the Democratic Voice of Burma both reported that as many as 200 monks marched)
Mizzima
BBC
CNN
Democratic Voice of Burma
Irrawaddy

YANGON, Myanmar -- More than 100 Buddhist monks marched and chanted in northern Myanmar for nearly an hour Wednesday, the first public demonstration since the government's deadly crackdown last month on pro-democracy protesters, two monks said.

The monks in Pakokku made no political statements and shouted no slogans, but their march clearly was in defiance of the government and in solidarity with the earlier, anti-government rallies led by monks in many of Myanmar's cities in September.

Those demonstrations were crushed when troops fired on protesters Sept. 27-28 in a crackdown that left at least 20 people dead by the government's count, drawing international condemnation. Opposition groups says as many as 200 people may have been killed.

Pakokku, a center for Buddhist learning with more than 80 monasteries located about 390 miles northwest of the commercial center of Yangon, was the site of the first march last month by monks as they joined _ and then spearheaded _ the biggest anti-government protests in nearly two decades.

The protests originally started Aug. 19, when ordinary citizens took to the streets to vent anger after the government hiked fuel prices as much as 500 percent. The rallies gained momentum when Buddhist monks in Pakokku joined the protests in early September.

Reports that troops had beaten protesting monks in Pakokku on Sept. 6 rallied monks around the country to join the burgeoning marches.

On Wednesday, the monks started out at Pakokku's Shwegu Pagoda, marching for nearly an hour and chanting Buddhist prayers without incident, and then returned to their respective monasteries, two monks said in telephone interviews, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.

Child soldiers 'bought and sold' in Myanmar

2007-10-31T13:49:00.000+07:00

***The 17 ONLINE PETITIONS FOR BURMA HERE.***
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Yesterday's International Herald Tribune story on the selling and forced recruitment of child soldiers. According to Human Rights Watch, while the junta is renewing efforts to recruit child soldiers, one of the main insurgent groups, the Karen National Liberation Army, has improved its record of child recruits. KNLA officers who use child soldiers are punished. The AP article HERE. Today's Reuters' article on Burma's child soldiers HERE. Irrawaddy's HERE.
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BANGKOK: Add to the many hardships in Myanmar today one more danger: being a boy. According to a report that was to be released Wednesday, the military, struggling to meet recruiting quotas, is buying, kidnapping and terrorizing boys as young as 10 to join its ranks.

The report by Human Rights Watch, the New York-based rights group, says military recruiters and civilian brokers scour train stations, bus stations, markets and other public places for boys and coerce them to volunteer. Some may simply disappear without their families' knowledge and spend years on the front lines of a brutal war against ethnic insurgencies.

"Clearly the military is preying upon children and using children to form a substantial proportion of its forces," said a co-author of the report, Jo Becker, the children's rights advocate for Human Rights Watch.

"In recent years the military has continued to expand while at the same time losing large numbers of soldiers to desertion," she said in an interview. "Recruiters and civilian agents are sweeping boys as young as 11 and 12 off the streets. Children are literally being bought and sold by recruiters."

These recruiters and agents receive cash payments and other incentives for new recruits even if the recruit fails to meet basic health and age requirements, said the report, which was based on interviews in Myanmar, Thailand and China.

The large number of child soldiers in Myanmar's army - and in the ranks of some 30 armed ethnic groups - has been known for years, and Human Rights Watch has published reports on it before.

The new report, coming at a moment of crisis in Myanmar, illustrates the kind of broad abuses that gave rise, along with economic hardships, to the huge anti-government protests in August and September that were crushed by the military junta a month ago.

"Even before the recent crackdown, many young adults rejected military service because of grueling conditions, low pay and mistreatment by superior officers," Becker said in the report. "After deploying its soldiers against Buddhist monks and other peaceful demonstrators, the government may find it even harder to find willing volunteers."

In response to criticism, the government formed a high-level committee in 2004 ostensibly to prevent recruitment of underage soldiers. "In fact the committee is a sham," Becker said. She said the committee has been active in denouncing outside reports of the recruitment of children.

Becker said it was impossible to say how many child soldiers are recruited in Myanmar, or even to be certain of the full strength of the armed forces, which is generally estimated at about 400,000.

But the report said that in interviews with 20 former soldiers, all but one estimated that at least 30 percent of their fellow trainees were boys under the age of 18. In some cases, particularly in newly formed units, as many as half were under age.

The legal age for military service is 18, and the report said recruiters and unit commanders often falsify the ages of their new recruits.

The report told of one boy who was recruited at the age of 11, even though he was only 1.3 meters, or 4 feet 3 inches, tall and weighed 31 kilograms, or 70 pounds. That former soldier told Human Rights Watch that his recruiter had bribed the medical officer to certify his eligibility.

The report quoted some former child soldiers as saying they and others had been detained in cells, handcuffed, beaten and sold by one recruiter or battalion to another.

Once in the ranks, the report said, child soldiers are subject to mistreatment by officers and are sometimes forced to participate in the human rights abuses that have been widely documented among the armed forces, known as the Tatmadaw. These include battlefield atrocities, the burning of villages, forcible recruitment of porters and sexual abuse of women.

Although in some cases the children are sheltered from combat, it said, others may be sent to fight within a few days of their arrival.

"One thing that is interesting is that many child soldiers say their first experience in combat is terrifying, they are scared of being shot and often would hide or shoot their gun in the air," Becker said. "But they acclimatized very quickly, so often by the second or third encounter they were no longer afraid."

Some of those interviewed went on to serve 12 or 13 years in the army, she said.

Desertion is punished with arrests and beatings, according to the report. It told the story of one boy, Maung Zaw Oo, who by the time he was 16 had been forcibly recruited into the army twice. He escaped after his first recruitment at age 14, only to be forced to join again soon afterward, the report said.

He told researchers that the corporal who brought him in received a large sum of money, a sack of rice and a big can of cooking oil as bounty. When his relatives tracked him down, they were told he would be released if they brought in five new recruits, the report said.

"I told my aunt, 'Don't do this,' " Maung Zaw Oo was quoted as saying. " 'I don't want others to face this, it's very bad here. I'll just stay and face it myself.' "

After that, he said, he volunteered for the most dangerous assignments, walking either first or last in a patrol.

"In the army my life was worthless," he was quoted as saying, "so I chose it that way."

Break the Burmese Blackout

2007-10-30T19:40:00.000+07:00

***The 17 ONLINE PETITIONS FOR BURMA HERE.***
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Donate to help Burmese opposition groups bypass the junta's media blackout. From AVAAZ.org:

The Burmese military has seen the power of global solidarity for the demonstrators--and has moved to shut down all communications with the outside world. As the images and stories have slowed, global media coverage of the Burmese crisis has lost its urgency.

But people power can beat the blackout.

Donate below to send crucial technical support and equipment to Burmese civil society groups, and help return Burma's voice to its people. 100% of funds donated will go to Burmese groups

Avaaz will keep no portion.

***DONATE***HERE to HELP BREAK THE BURMESE BLACKOUT.

Inside Burma: Land of Fear

2007-10-30T16:58:00.000+07:00

***The 15 ONLINE PETITIONS FOR BURMA HERE.***
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Here's a 8 minute clip of John Pilger's 1996 Interview, "Inside Burma: Land of Fear", with Aung San Suu Kyi. It contains a lot of scenes from the carnage and bloodshed from the 1988 crackdown. The full 53 minute-long video can be viewed HERE.

'Inside Burma: Land of Fear' was first broadcast in May 1996. It was written and presented by John Pilger and produced and directed by David Munro.

The film detailed the many injustices and human rights abuses that have so badly marked the country's past and present.

Amnesty International has described Burma as a 'prison without bars' of a country which has a beauty and resources probably unequalled in Asia.

Yet it is also a secret country. Isolated for the past 34 years since a brutal military dictatorship seized power in Rangoon, this rich country has been relegated to one of the world's poorest with the suffering of its people mostly unseen.

The generals who crushed democracy in Burma have ruled with a regime so harsh, bloody and uncompromising that the parallels with Cambodia under Pol Pot and East Timor under Suharto are striking.
A junta sign in Rangoon after the 1988 revolt

According to the United Nations, untold thousands have been forced from their homes, massacred, tortured and subjected to a modern form of slavery.

How was this country allowed to descend in such dramatic fashion and, after the pro-democracy uprisings of 1988, are its people any closer to being granted their rights to a vote and an economic system which will reward their labour?

Click HERE for John Pilger's articles on Burma.

Burmese Exile Media on Alert after Crackdown Warning

2007-10-30T16:07:00.000+07:00

***The 14 ONLINE PETITIONS FOR BURMA HERE.***
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Yesterday's Irrawaddy articleon the Thai Government's schedule crackdown on Burmese opposition groups based in Thailand. More information on the crackdown HERE.

A Burmese exile media organization in Bangkok has dropped its Web site news service “temporarily,” amid reports of a crackdown on such operations on Thai territory that carry material critical of Burma’s junta.

The reports surfaced last week and caused other exile media groups in Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Mae Sot to lower their profile. There were warnings of possible raids by Thai police and immigration authorities.

The Bangkok-based media organization that dropped its Web site news said it had been asked by Thai authorities to close its office “temporarily” starting from last Friday. A spokesman for the organization asked The Irrawaddy not to identify it.

Since Friday, the organization’s Web site has been carrying a message saying that “due to security and technical changes we are temporarily stopping our internet page.” The organization is reported to be still working on its printed edition.

The unnamed organization and several other Web sites and publications run by Burmese exiles have played a key role in reporting on the brutal suppression of September’s demonstrations.

They have come in for constant attack by the Burmese junta, along with overseas-based targets such as the Burmese service of the BBC and the Norway-based Democratic Voice of Burma.

Zin Lin, spokesman of Burma’s democratic government in exile, the National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma, told The Irrawaddy that its office in Bangkok had been warned by Thai authorities to adopt a “low profile.”

The NCGUB office in Bangkok was still functioning, he said. The headquarters of the government in exile are located in Washington DC.

“The Burmese state-media blamed the exile groups in Thailand for recent mass protests,” said Zin Lin.

Myint Wai, of the Bangkok-based Thai Action Committee for Democracy in Burma, told The Irrawaddy on Monday that his group is also vigilant in view of the reports of a possible crackdown.

The TACDB’s operations are mainly focused on Burmese migrant workers, many of whom have no legal documents.

Reports of a possible crackdown have also been circulating since Friday among the several Burmese organizations and NGOs working in northern Thailand’s Chiang Mai province.

Burmese officials are rumored to have asked Thai authorities to close some offices linked to the September demonstrations in Burma. In the past, the Burmese government has usually used a friendly channel to pressure Thai authorities close to Burma to harass exiled Burmese.

A source at the Democratic Voice of Burma said the DVB’s office in Chiang Mai was still operating but was taking a low profile.

Previously, some Thai officials occasionally acted in cooperation with the Burmese regime, who complain that Thailand allows opposition groups to operate and demand they take action against Burmese pro-democracy activists in the country.

In November 1995, Khit Pyaing, a Burmese-language news operation also known as New Era was raided by Thai police, and a veteran journalist, Ye Khaung, and his wife were arrested.

In October 2006, a Burmese stringer working for the Oslo-based DVB was forced to leave his home in Ranong province, southern Thailand, after voicing concern about his safety.

Previously, prominent human rights organizations, politicians and US congressmen have reacted promptly when Thai officials raided Burmese offices operating in Thailand.

During the administration of deposed Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, several offices in Sangklaburi were forced to shut down by Thai officials. The crackdown prompted international outcry and condemnation.

The Irrawaddy has learned that US and western diplomats have also been closely monitoring the situation and the safety of Burmese groups living in Thailand.

Human Rights Watch asks for intervention of international community

2007-10-30T16:06:00.000+07:00

***The 14 ONLINE PETITIONS FOR BURMA HERE.***
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New York-based Human Rights Watch has just released the following plea (linked through The Hindu HERE) for international intervention in Burma. It reports on army abuses and the new wave of IDPs/refugees. (Again, their estimates of 500,000 IDPs are conservative. According to Partners Relief and Development, an organization that assists in IDP relief missions, put this number at 2 million. I have heard of estimates as high as 4 million. More of HRW's reporting on human rights abuses in Burma HERE.
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New York (PTI): Asking not to ignore human rights violations by the army in rural Myanmar, a US-based rights group has sought the intervention of international community into the dire humanitarian situation there.

"The international community must not ignore the dire humanitarian situation fuelled by army abuses in rural Myanmar," Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch said in a just released report.

"Besides, attacking monks and democracy protestors in Rangoon, Burma's military junta is forcing ethnic minority villagers to flee their homes in the country's border areas," Adams said.

Hundreds flee to India

Hundreds of Chin people from western Myanmar have fled to India in the aftermath of the government's recent crackdown on protesters and threats and pressure by local officials in Chin State to attend mass rallies in support of military rule.

The army, the report said, continues to destroy civilian villages in its counter-insurgency operations.

The report, which follows the release of a survey carried out by the non-governmental organizations, including Thailand Burma Border Consortium (TBBC) and its local partner, said "as of mid-2007 there were 503,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) in surveyed sites in eastern Myanmar."

About 99,000 IDPs were believed to be in hiding from the army patrols, 109,000 were in military- controlled relocation sites, and 295,000 people were in areas controlled by armed groups with some ceasefire arrangements with the ruling State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), the HRW report said.

The TBBC surveyed IDPs in Tennasserim Division, Mon State, Karen State and Pegu Division, Karenni State and southeastern Shan State.

Rest of the article HERE.

The BBC's article on the ethnic Chin's flee to India HERE. Because they refuse to participate in pro-government rallies, they are heavily fined. To avoid these fines and getting arrested, they escape to India.

What's It like to live like a Refugee or IDP?

2007-10-29T10:28:00.000+07:00

***The 14 ONLINE PETITIONS FOR BURMA HERE.***
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There are more than 1 million refugees from Burma living in Thailand, India, and Bangladesh, but at least 2 million internally displaced peoples (IDPs), mainly ethnic minorities, who are fleeing from the attacking Burma Army. IDPs are basically refugees in their own countries. As they remain on territory under sovereign national jurisdiction, they are not given refugee status and are not protected by international law. They do not have the same access to basic humanitarian aid that is available to recognized refugees, so their situation is all that much more dire. In the jungle, they not only have to avoid soldiers, but landmines, tropical diseases, hunger, and the elements as well.

The most important concern that IDPs have is basic survival. Here are the everyday worries of IDPs (and refugees):

* Will I be safe?
* What will I eat?
* How do I find water?
* Can I get medical care?
* Where will I live?

Medicins San Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) has an interactive refugee camp that gives further insight into the hardships and situations that refugees and IDPs face on a daily basis. It is not Burma-specific, but does touch on general challenges that is representative of the refugee/IDP experience. Scroll down to the bottom of this page, and towards the bottom, click on "interactive guide"

A backgrounder on the global refugee/IDP situation HERE.

You can help refugees and IDPs from Burma by DONATING:
- DONATE to Partners Relief and Development's 5 Alive Program. $50 can help keep a family of 5 IDPs alive for one month. Read more HERE.

- DONATE: The Mae Tao Clinic (MTC), founded and directed by Dr. Cynthia Maung, a Nobel Peace Prize nominee, provides free health care for refugees, migrant workers, and other individuals who cross the border from Burma to Thailand. People of all ethnicities and religions are welcome at the Clinic. Its origins go back to the student pro-democracy movement in Burma in 1988 and the brutal repression by the Burmese regime of that movement. The fleeing students who needed medical attention were attended in a small house in Mae Sot.

You can help the clinic continue its work by either DONATINGor VOLUNTEERING.

Time for Thailand to Revisit its Policy on Burma

2007-10-29T10:21:00.000+07:00

***The 14 ONLINE PETITIONS FOR BURMA HERE.***
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From The Nation 10/28/07

"The Burmese crisis coupled with increased international pressure and UN efforts have shaken Thailand’s policy towards Burma to the core. Successive Thai governments have for years failed to correctly gauge the internal situation in Burma and face up to the reality."

The full article HERE.

Singapore: A Web of Cash, Power, and Cronies

2007-10-29T08:47:00.000+07:00

***The 14 ONLINE PETITIONS FOR BURMA HERE.***
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The Age's September 29th brief explaining Singapore's support of the junta. Besides providing a crucial money laundering haven for Burma's generals, Singapore has supplied the junta with arms; military training; computers, communications, reconnaissance equipment; and medical facilities (Senior General Than Shwe has received treatment for intestinal cancer there, and late Prime Minister Soe Win was a leukemia patient). The trade and investment gains are too tempting for Singaporean companies to forgo, explains an Oct. 3 article by the Yale Center for the Study of Globalization.

More Burma-related Yale Center articles:
Burma' Growing Dilemma 9/25/2007
Is Southeast Asia Becoming China’s Playpen? 1/11/2007
The Never-Ending Myanmar Nightmare 9/30/2006
Democracy in Burma: Does Anybody Really Care? 9/1/2005
Burma: Feel-Good US Sanctions Wrongheaded 5/19/2004
Crisis Puts Burma Back in the Spotlight 6/11/2003

According to the Burma Campaign UK, 10 Singaporean companies are on its "Dirty List" of for doing business with the junta, including the Development Bank of Singapore (DBS), the United Overseas Bank (UOB), the Overseas Chinese Banking Corporation (OCBC), and conglomerate Keppel Corp.

Incidentally, last week some of Burma's assets have been frozen in Singapore, but it may have been related to US sanctions barring certain money transfers from Burma(Irrawaddy's article HERE).
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SINGAPORE isn't just skilled at mandatory executions of drug traffickers, running an excellent airport and selling cameras on Orchard Road. It also does a useful trade keeping Burma's military rulers and their cronies afloat.

Much attention is placed on China and its coming hosting of the Olympic Games as a diplomatic pressure point on the rampant Burmese junta. But there is a group of government businessmen-technocrats in Singapore who will also be closely monitoring the brutality in Rangoon. And, were they so inclined, their influence could go a long way to limiting the misery being inflicted on Burma's 54 million people.

Collectively known as "Singapore Inc", they gather around the $A150 billion [$USD 130 billion] state-owned investment house Temasek Holdings, controlled by a member of the ruling Lee family.

With an estimated $A3 billion [$USD 2.8 billion] staked in the country (and a more than $20 billion [$USD 18.4 billion]stake in Australia), Singapore Inc companies have been some of the biggest investors in and supporters of Burma's military junta — this while its Government, on the rare times it is asked, suggests a softly-softly diplomatic approach towards the junta.

When it comes to Burma, Singapore pockets the high morals it likes to wave at the West elsewhere. Singapore's one-time head of foreign trade once said as his country was building links with Burma in the mid-1990s: "While the other countries are ignoring it, it's a good time for us to go in … you get better deals, and you're more appreciated … Singapore's position is not to judge them and take a judgemental moral high ground."

But by providing Burma's pariah junta with the crucial equipment mostly denied by Western sanctions, Singapore has helped keep the junta and its cronies afloat for 20 years, since the last time the generals killed the citizens they are supposed to protect.

Withdraw that financial support and Burma's junta would be substantially weakened, perhaps even fail. But after two decades of profitable business with the trigger-happy generals and their cronies, that's about the last thing Singapore is likely to do. There's too much money to be made.

Hotels, airlines, military materiel and training, crowd control equipment and sophisticated telecoms-monitoring devices for its secret police — Singapore is manager and supplier to the junta, and the "cronified" economy it controls.

It's impossible to spend any time in Burma and not make the junta richer, thanks to Singapore suppliers' contracts with the tourism industry. Singapore's hospitals also keep Burma's leaders alive — 74-year-old junta leader Than Shwe has been getting his intestinal cancer treated in a Singapore government hospital, protected by Singapore security. Singapore's boutiques keep junta wives and families cloaked in Armani, and its banks help launder their money and that of Burma's crony drug lords.

Much of Singapore's activity in Burma has been documented by an analyst working in Prime Minister John Howard's direct chain of command, in the Office of National Assessments. Andrew Selth is recognised as an authority on the Burmese military. Now a research fellow at Queensland's Griffith University, Mr Selth has written extensively on how close Singapore is to the junta.

Often writing as "William Ashton" in the authoritative Jane's Intelligence Review, Mr Selth has described in various articles how Singapore has sent the junta guns, rockets, armoured personnel carriers and grenade launchers, some of it trans-shipped from stocks seized by Israel from Palestinians in southern Lebanon.

Singaporean companies have provided computers and networking equipment for Burma's defence ministry and army, while upgrading the bunkered junta's ability to network with regional commanders — so crucial as protesting monks take to the streets of 20 Burmese cities, causing major logistical headaches for the Tatmadaw, the Burmese military.

"Singapore cares little about human rights, in particular the plight of the ethnic and religious minorities in Burma," Mr Selth writes.

"Having developed one of the region's most advanced armed forces and defence industrial support bases, Singapore is in a good position to offer Burma a number of inducements which other ASEAN (Association of South-East Asian Nations) countries would find hard to match."

Singapore's Foreign Minister, George Yeo, is the current chairman of ASEAN.

Mr Selth says Singapore also provided the equipment for a "cyber war centre" to monitor dissident activity while training Burma's secret police, whose sole job seems to be ensuring pro-democracy groups are crushed.

Monitoring dissidents is an area where Singapore has particular expertise. After almost five decades in power, the Lee family-controlled People's Action Party ranks behind only the communists of China, Cuba and North Korea in leadership longevity, skilled in neutralising opposition.

"This centre is reported to be closely involved in the monitoring and recording of foreign and domestic telecommunications, including the satellite telephone conversations of Burmese opposition groups," Mr Selth writes.

Singapore Government companies, such as leading arms supplier Singapore Technologies, dominate the communications and military sector in Singapore. "It is highly unlikely," Mr Selth writes, "that any of these arms shipments to Burma could have been made without the knowledge and support of the Singapore Government."

He notes that Singapore's ambassadors to Burma have included a former senior Singapore armed forces officer, and a past director of Singapore's defence-oriented Joint Intelligence Directorate, people with a military background rather than professional diplomats.

He writes that after the 1988 crackdown, when the junta killed 3000 protesters, "the first country to come to the regime's rescue was in fact Singapore".

When I interviewed Singapore Technologies chief executive Peter Seah at his office in Singapore, I asked about the scale model of an armoured personnel carrier made by his company on his office table. He said ST sold the vehicles "only to allies".

Does that include Burma, I asked, given that Singapore controversially helped sponsor the military regime into ASEAN?

Mr Seah was non-specific: "We only sell to allies and we make sure they are responsible." He didn't say how. ST and Temasek don't respond to questions about their activities in Burma.

Singapore is so close to Burma that one of its diplomats there wrote a handbook for its business people there. Matthew Sim's Myanmar on my Mind is full of useful tips for Singaporean business people in Burma. "A little money goes a long way in greasing the wheels of productivity," he writes.

A chapter headed "Committing Manslaughter when Driving" describes the appropriate action if a Singaporean businessman accidentally kills a Burmese pedestrian. "Firstly, the international businessman could give the family of the deceased some money as compensation and dissuade them from pressing charges. Secondly, he could pay a Myanmar citizen to take the blame by declaring that he was the driver in the fatal accident. An international businessman should not make the mistake of trying to argue his case in a court of law when it comes to a fatal accident, even if he is in the right."

Mr Sim says many successful Myanmar businessmen have opened shell companies in Singapore "with little or no staff, used to keep funds overseas". The companies are used to keep business deals outside the control of Burma's central bank, enabling Singaporeans and others to transact with Burma in Singapore.

He may be referring to junta cronies such as Tay Za and the drug lord Lo Hsing Han. Lo is an ethnic Chinese, from Burma's traditionally Chinese-populated and opium-rich Kokang region in the country's east, bordering China. He controls a massive heroin empire, and one of Burma's biggest companies, Asia World, which the US Drug Enforcement Agency describes as a front for his drug-trafficking. Asia World controls toll roads, industrial parks and trading companies. Singapore is the Lo family's crucial window to the world, as it controls a number of companies there. His son Steven, who has been denied a visa to the US because of his links to the drug trade, married a Singaporean, Cecilia Ng, and the two reportedly control Singapore-based trading house Kokang Singapore.

A former assistant secretary of state for the US Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, Robert Gelbard, has said that half Singapore's investment in Burma has "been tied to the family of narco-trafficker Lo Hsing Han".

Tay Za, who is romantically linked to a daughter of junta leader Than Shwe, is also well known in Singapore. He was prominent in the Singapore media last year, toasting the launch of his airline Air Bagan with the head of Singapore's aviation authority. Dissident groups say the trade-off for Tay Za's government business contracts in Burma is to fund junta leaders' medical trips to Singapore.

Myanmar regime officials in Moscow for military cooperation talks

2007-10-29T08:35:00.000+07:00

***The 14 ONLINE PETITIONS FOR BURMA HERE.***
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From Deutsche Presse-Agentur. After China, Russia is one of the junta's biggest military supporters. Russia, along with China, vetoed the UN Security Resolution against Burma last January and also has lobbied against sanctions. Now, the Russian Federation is considering continuing its military training of the brutal dictatorial killing machine of Burma. The details HERE.

Moscow - Representative of Myanmar’s military junta, which four weeks ago brutally cracked down on pro-democracy protests led by Buddhist monks, are in Moscow for talks on cooperation with Russian security services, reports said Sunday.The week-long talks will be specifically focussed on a proposed programme to have Myanmar officers trained in Russian military facilities, news agency Interfax cited Russian Ground Forces spokesman Igor Konashenkov as saying.

Russia as a veto power in the UN Security Council has rejected tightening of sanctions on the junta over its suppression of democracy, and has in the past supplied the regime with military equipment including combat jets and helicopters.

Myanmar’s military and police had on Friday staged a march in the country’s capital Yangon, assembling particularly around the area where last month’s monk-led protests took place.

The street demonstrations led by the monks in September and the subsequent crackdown by the ruling military junta led to 10 deaths, the government said.

Independent observers claimed the number of victims was much higher.

Pulling the Plug: A Technical Review of the Internet Shutdown in Burma

2007-10-29T01:14:00.000+07:00

***The 14 ONLINE PETITIONS FOR BURMA HERE.***
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The OpenNet Initiative's bulletin on media censorship in Burma:

This bulletin examines the role of information technology, citizen journalists, and bloggers in Burma and presents a technical analysis of the abrupt shutdown of Internet connectivity by the Burmese government on September 29, 2007, following its violent crackdown on protesters there. Completely cutting international Internet links is rare. Nepal, which severed all international Internet connections when the King declared martial law in February 2005, is the only other state to take such drastic action. Although extreme, the measures taken by the Burmese government to limit citizens’ use of the Internet during this crisis are consistent with previous OpenNet Initiative (ONI) findings in Kyrgyzstan, Belarus, and Tajikistan, where authorities controlled access to communication technologies as a way to limit social mobilization around key political events. What makes the Burmese junta stand out, however, is its apparent goal of also preventing information from reaching a wider international audience.

The shutdown of Internet connectivity was precipitated by its use by citizens to send photographs, updates and videos that documented the violent suppression of protests in Burma, information that contributed to widespread international condemnation of the Burmese military rulers’ gross violations of human rights.

We examine the impact of communication technology in shaping these key political events in Burma, the limitations of these tools, and the prospects for the next round of information wars.

The rest HERE.

Burmese junta continues with the campaign of oppression and torture

2007-10-29T01:12:00.000+07:00

***The 14 ONLINE PETITIONS FOR BURMA HERE.***
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Today's Asiantribune.com article focuses on the jailing and torture of female political activists, including nuns and pregnant women:

Burmese junta continues with its oppression and torture campaign ignoring the demands of the people of Burma and the International community. It is alleged that they have taken women activists captive and tortured them, including physical beatings and verbal violence.According to the Women’s League of Burma, even elderly women activist are not spared this criminal and inhumane treatment. “In these circumstances, we are very concerned about women’s activists, the nuns and pregnant women who have been detained by the regime,” the WLB said.

Women’s League of Burma also pointed out that the State Peace and Development Council continues with its oppression and torture campaign, while stalling talks and ignoring the demands of the people of Burma and the International community.

In fact 26th of October, marks one month since the State Peace and Development Council’s (SPDC’s) vile crackdown on the peaceful protests led by the Buddhist monks in Burma. On this occasion, Women’s League of Burma LB wants to pay tribute to all monks, nuns and civilians, including students of 88 Generation, members of the National League for Democracy and all women activists who bravely joined these peaceful demonstrations. WLB will always honor them for their heroic deeds.

Given below the text of the statement released by trhe Women’s League of Burma:

WLB is very heartened by the international responses condemning SPDC and imposing tougher sanctions against SPDC for their criminal assaults and murders of the Buddhist monks, who were marching on the streets and praying for peace.

However, SPDC has responded to condemnation with charades trying to disguise their intractability. They have to date completely ignored the wishes of the people. They persist in claiming that they will follow only their own 7- step roadmap, and continue with the formation of the constitution drafting committee without even consulting with the very individuals who are named as being in the committee.

Far from showing restraint, the SPDC has continued the hunt down those who participated in the peaceful demonstrations. They have taken women activists captive and tortured them, including physical beatings and verbal violence.

Even elderly women activist are not spared this criminal and inhumane treatment. WLB sees these acts as contradictory to the SPDC words of “dialogue” and are also in direct contradiction to the calls from the people of Burma and international community for an end to the violence and committing to a peaceful political solution. In these circumstances, we are very concerned about women’s activists, the nuns and pregnant women who have been detained by the regime.

We call SPDC to allow ICRC to meet all women political detainees and prisoners at once and arrange for their immediate release.

At the same time, we demand SPDC to immediately stop hunting down women activists who led and joined the peaceful demonstrations. SPDC must stop referring to or treating them as “criminals”.

On 23 October 2007 women activists in- hiding and fleeing sent an urgent appeal to UN Secretary General, Ban-ke-mon. We call for UN Secretary General, Ban-ke-mon and UN special envoys to treat this appeal as an extremely serious and urgent issue. We expect that they will use their good offices and position to make SPDC stop arresting those who participated in the demonstrations, and provide international protection of their safety.

Now it has been one month since crackdown, but SPDC has shown no concrete signs of meaningful action towards reaching a political solution. Instead they have spent the month launching smear campaigns against the heroic Buddhist monks and demonstrators.

The entire world has heard the call from the people of Burma and the whole world knows that the SPDC’s actions in the past month are aimed at undermining and sidelining the people’s demands.

WLB strongly feels that it is time for SPDC to realize the folly of their own actions; stop insulting the people of Burma and international community’s intelligence; and stop playing games at this crucial time in our lives and World history. For example letting UN envoys into the country but not giving them access to the people; taking Daw Aung Suu Kyi out of her house to have “one hour” meeting with SPDC official. No one is fooled by these token gestures. It is time SPDC was sincere about finding a political solution.

The first step to show their sincerity and enable dialogue to begin must be the immediate release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi today.

On this day marking one month of increasing SPDC violence and oppression, WLB demands that SPDC start the political process today, in order to put an end to the decades of suffering endured by the people of Burma and build peace and democracy.

"My father was a soldier"

2007-10-28T20:34:00.000+07:00

***The 14 ONLINE PETITIONS FOR BURMA HERE.***
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Today, I met with two political activists from different ceasefire areas in Burma.
One taught in a missionary school in Shan State. He was telling me about Burma's poor educational system and the burdens of tax and forced labor. In his area, each agrarian family had to pay a year agricultural tax of 10,000 kyat or about $7.50. ($1 = 1,325 kyat). That's a huge chunk of change for a country whose per capita GDP-according to the UN-is $217, making it one of the world's 20 poorest countries. The USA Today report HERE.

(According to one of my Burmese contacts, the way that the junta got Burmese citizens to turn out en-masse for the nationwide pro-government rallies proceeding the crackdown was to threaten them with penalties of 50,000 kyat ($38.50). BBC reported on ethnic Chins who fled Burma because they couldn't afford paying the 10,000 kyat fines for not attending the rallies. Those who have refused to attend have been jailed. The report HERE).

In addition to these exorbitant taxes and fines, villagers from this particular area in Shan State had to forferit 10% of their harvests to the Burma Army. Also, they occasionally have to serve as forced labor for road construction projects and Burma Army camp maintenance.

He also told me of his father. His father joined the Kachin Independence Army, the military arm of the Kachin Independence Organization, in the early 60's and fought the Burma Army for 10-11 years. After the KIO signed a ceasefire in 1993, the KIA splintered into smaller factions.

The other activist, who I had met on a previous occasion, came from Mon State, a territory that the insurgent New Mon State Party brought under ceasefire in 1995. When I asked him what he thought of the current negotiations, he said, "It's not real. We have 50 years of experience [in dealing with the junta]. They just like to tell the world that they're talking with Aung San Suu Kyi. When our leaders went to negotiate with the government [more than 40 years ago], they were arrested [After the SLORC came to power]. We lost our [15] leaders that way. After we signed the ceasefire, they didn't let us take part in the National Convention. We know them well. We need the international community to act, especially China and ASEAN.

I asked him how he and other activists maintained hope for a peaceful and democratic Burma. He replied, "That's all we do all day, everyday, is talk about how to keep hope."

Burma: No Turning Back / State of Fear

2007-10-28T18:50:00.000+07:00

***The 14 ONLINE PETITIONS FOR BURMA HERE.***
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Frontline World has recently posted "Burma: No Turning Back", an eyewitness account of a Western journalist who was present for the brutal crackdown that followed last month's protests. It is eyewitness video testimony of what the situation is. Please forward it widely, and feel free to link to it. Here's the URL:
http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/blog/2007/10/burma_no_turnin.html

PBS also has an in depth documentary online titled "Burma: State of Fear".
http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/burma601/index.html

More FRONTLINE/World Burma Coverage

Burma: Voices of Dissent
Reporter Anuj Chopra was in Burma just before the protests turned into the largest demonstration against the ruling military regime in two decades. Read his eyewitness report and watch a short interview clip with a dissident inside the country.

Myanmar's Hidden AIDS Epidemic
FRONTLINE/World reporter Orlando de Guzman reports on Burma's AIDS crisis. He travels inside the country talking to doctors and health workers, one of whom explains that it is "the lack of freedom, the lack of scientific information, freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, these very fundamental rights that have been denied the Burmese people, have made the spread of HIV more likely and more grave."

Burma: Can Sanctions Bring Democracy?
In 2004, FRONTLINE/World reporter Joan Bieder ventured inside Burma, a country which appears to be "moving backward," to report on the impact of U.S. economic sanctions against a military regime that stills holds Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi under house arrest.
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Dispatch's horrifying, yet informative report Burma's Secret War is linked HERE and embedded below. In Burma's Secret War, "Dispatches exposes the new surge in violence inflicted on the Burmese people by their own regime. Enslaved by a brutal military dictatorship which wields absolute power, Burma is a secretive state where suppression reigns and dissent is not tolerated.

Journalist Evan Williams, who is banned from entering the country after reporting on Burma for more than 10 years, goes undercover to investigate the mass ethnic cleansing, forced labour and vicious clamping down of political opposition which characterise the dictatorship." HERE is Investigative TV Journalism website Four Corner's synopsis of William's report.

Government troops clash with KNLA

2007-10-28T09:58:00.000+07:00

***The 14 ONLINE PETITIONS FOR BURMA HERE.***
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Below, another example of the junta's desire to extend infrastructure projects into ethnic areas and how the military breaks down unity amongst the different insurgent groups and gets them to fight each other.
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Norway-based Democratic Voice of Burma's Oct. 27 article HERE:

Oct 26, 2007 (DVB)–Fights between the Burmese government army and ethnic rebels have been on the increase in Karen and Karenni states as the government tries to clear land for a road-building project.

Karen National Union spokesperson Saw Hla Ngway told DVB that fights have been reported between Burmese troops, backed by the Democratic Karen Buddhist Association, and the Karen National Liberation Army, the armed wing of the KNU.

The KNLA’s Battalion 18 under Brigade 6 has clashed with the government army as it advances into Karen rebel territory to clear land for a major road-building project to take place between Thailand and Burma.

Saw Hla Ngway said that another skirmish took place in the Ywartanshae area on Tuesday between KNU troops and about 400 soldiers from DKBA Battalions 906 and 909, led by Major Chit Thu and Major Nakhanmwe. The number of the casualties is still unknown.

"The fights are going to continue as the government is trying to clear the land by supplying the DKBA with all the weapons and facilities they need," Saw Hla Ngway said.

Seven other clashes have been reported from Karenni state involving insurgent group the Karenni National Progressive Party. The group's secretary (2) Khoo Oo Rah claims the fights resulted in one KNPP death, while six from the SPDC side were killed or injured.

Resistance in the Burmese jungle

2007-10-27T21:40:00.000+07:00

***The 14 ONLINE PETITIONS FOR BURMA HERE.***
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Today's BBC story HERE. Another very informative article-by AP-on Burma's Secret War against Ethnic Minorities HERE.

*This article states that almost 100,000 IDPs fleeing from the Burma Army are hiding in the jungle. Partners Relief and Development, an organization that provides direct relief for IDPs, estimates that at least 2 million villagers are on the run. I have heard of estimates as high as 4 million.
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The leader of a Burmese ethnic army has urged all opponents of the ruling junta to unite in the aftermath of last month's uprising.

"All those battling the regime must co-operate," said Colonel Yawd Serk, of the Shan State Army (SSA).

"If we cannot unite, and if the international community does not come to our help, then nothing will change in Burma for a decade."

Thousands of people are hiding out in Burma's dense jungles.

Colonel Serk, speaking at his fortified hilltop camp in the jungles close to the Thai border, did not sound optimistic.

He said he doubted the military government was serious about dialogue, and accused the United Nations of merely "talking, but doing nothing practical.

"As long as China, Russia and India continue to arm the regime then civilians will suffer."

Common cause

For years the steep green hills of eastern Burma have hidden a vast and chaotic conflict between rival ethnic armies, drug-smuggling militias and the unrestrained brutality of the Burmese military.

Civilians have been systematically targeted by government troops, with some 3000 villages destroyed and, according to the latest estimates, almost 100,000 people currently in hiding.

Half a million have been forced to abandon their homes.

The SSA says it has already begun preliminary talks with Burma's main democratic opposition group, the National League for Democracy, and also with representatives from another ethnic group, the Karen National Union, to try to seek a common negotiating position.

But most ethnic forces - like the United Wa State Army, whose frontline forts are within shouting distance of the SSA on the neighbouring hilltop - have signed ceasefire deals with the junta.

Despite growing signs of frustration, they may not be so easily persuaded to join any new alliance.

'Separate state'

The SSA is already preparing for the worst.

Burmese rebel soldier: "They killed monks and civilians, that is why we want our separate state"

In a clearing in the jungle, I saw about 300 new recruits - conscripted from villages across Shan State - busy training.

They appeared to be well disciplined and fairly well equipped with automatic weapons and new uniforms.

There are reports that other ethnic armies, including ceasefire groups, are also rearming and recruiting - partly as a result of the recent crackdown, but also because of growing disillusionment with the junta's proposed new constitution and its "roadmap to democracy".

"The Burmese killed my brother," said Sai Leng, aged 28. "The Burmese are our enemy, and we are fighting for independence."

He and his colleagues had all heard about the protests in Rangoon, and the subsequent military crackdown.

"They killed monks and civilians," said Sai Leng. "This is why we want our separate state."

Drugs trade

The rebel soldiers say they are helping civilians flee oppression
Nearby, a smaller group of 30 soldiers was preparing to head back out into the jungle.

They said they expected to be away for three months and their mission was to help civilians fleeing from government offensives.

Colonel Serk said he had 8,000 soldiers under his command and an annual operating budget of approximately £300,000 ($615,000).

He insisted that his army was not involved in the local drug trade - which appears to be flourishing after years of decline - and was vigorously fighting it.

Funding for the SSA came, he said, from taxes on local civilians.

Child victims

The conflict has affected children and left many without parents.

Thousands of civilians now live at the SSA camp, having fled from villages deeper inside Burma over recent years.

The headmaster of the local school said a third of all children there were orphans.

Fourteen-year old Neung sat in a wooden dormitory doing her homework.

She said she had been raped by Burmese troops two years earlier and had fled into the jungle.

She dreamed of becoming an SSA soldier, she said, but a wounded leg meant she would not be able to join up and fight the enemy.

Donate to the Mae Tao Clinic, help give medical aid to Refugees, Migrant Workers, and Others who cross from Burma to Thailand

2007-10-27T20:41:00.000+07:00

The Mae Tao Clinic (MTC), founded and directed by Dr. Cynthia Maung, a Nobel Peace Prize nominee, provides free health care for refugees, migrant workers, and other individuals who cross the border from Burma to Thailand. People of all ethnicities and religions are welcome at the Clinic. Its origins go back to the student pro-democracy movement in Burma in 1988 and the brutal repression by the Burmese regime of that movement. The fleeing students who needed medical attention were attended in a small house in Mae Sot.

You can help the clinic continue its work by either DONATINGor VOLUNTEERING.

from the Mao Tao Clinic's donation page:

Welcome to the Mae Tao Clinic’s donation page. We have set up several partnerships with international organizations through which you can make tax-deductible donations to the Mae Tao Clinic.

The Mae Tao clinic spends many thousands of dollars on training health workers and buying essential medicines each year. Following are some examples of what your donation can help to buy.

* US$4 - Cost of teaching materials for one child for one year
* US$5.75 - Anti Malarials
* US$15 - Cost of measuring and producing one prosthetic leg for a landmine victim
* US$100 - Cost of training one new health worker to work at the clinic or in
conflict areas of Burma
* US$150 - Cost of supporting one teacher in a school for internally displaced
children for one year
* US$200 - Vitamin A and Deworming Programme: School Health Team to provide Vit A and
Deworming to 6000 Burmese students along the border twice a year
* US$300 - Cost of supporting a child to stay at a boarding house to access education
for one year
* US$430 - Essential Medicines: Cost of medicine per day at Mae Tao Clinic – serving
at least 200 patients per day
* US$625 - Family Planning Services: Cost of providing family planning supplies for
one month at Mae Tao Clinic

We have also put together a more detailed PDF spreadsheet outlining some of these medicines and their annual consumption totals, as well as associated costs the Clinic has to cover. Please click HERE to download and view it.

Please select one of the options below.
Donations from United States in US$
Donations from Canada in Canadian $
Donations in all other currencies

10 Reasons to be Involved in Burma

2007-10-27T19:44:00.000+07:00

***The 14 ONLINE PETITIONS FOR BURMA HERE.***
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Why get involved in Burma? If you or your family or friends don't know much about what's going on and want to know more, here's a quick introductory rundown of the problems there. By the Free Burma Rangers. This is from printed material, not online, at least, not to my knowledge--so no link, sorry.

1. For human dignity. The power of the oppressor is unrestrained: girls being raped, children chased from their homes, parents murdered, restricted education, and people living in fear are wrong. Arbitrary arrests, and forced relocation are other tools of the regime. The idea that every human being has value crosses all political, religious, economic, and social lines, and for this we need to stand with the people of Burma.

2. For the restoration of democracy. There was a democratically-elected government that was forcefully displaced by a brutal dictatorship.

3. For the release of political prisoners. Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who is still under house arrest, is one of an estimated 1,400 political prisoners. (This number is probably closer towards 1,900 now after September's crackdown. According to BBC's article HERE, 500 of the close to 3,000 protesters arrested are still being held in detention as of Oct. 17).

4. For ethnic rights, honor, and future peace. Ethnic minorities comprise over 40% of the population of Burma and thus should be equitable partners now and in Burma's future. Without them there is no just or durable solution for a peaceful and democratic Burma. Burma's brutal campaign against ethnic minorities has resulted in more than 1 million internally displaced people [with some estimates putting the number of IDPs anywhere from 2 to 4 million], over 1 million refugees, and gross human rights violations such as Burma's large scale use of landmines to terrorize civilian populations. Many of the ethnic peoples of Burma were allies for freedom in World War II. It is a matter of honor not to forget them.

5. For public health. There is a growing AIDS epidemic in Burma, and in overall health, Burma ranks as one of the world's worst. Approximately one out of every 10 children in Burma die before their 5th birthday. The ratio is twice as high among the thousands of families forced to flee their homes by the military's ongoing campaigns.

6. For an end to religious persecution. There is a wide-spread religious persecution in Burma and this is a violation of a foundational and sacred human right.

7. For an end to forced labor and use of humans as minesweepers. Each year the regime forces thousands of civilians to work on State projects and , during military campaigns, uses people to carry supplies and as human minesweepers.

8. For the protection of the environment. Unchecked and large scale clear-cutting of some of the world's last remaining natural teak and other tropical hardwood reserves, toxic mining practices, and the poorly planned building and proliferation of dams are among the many destructive practices that are damaging the country now and for future generations. The wanton and unchecked destruction of the environment in Burma is not only harmful to Burma, but to all surrounding countries.

9. For the control of narcotics. Burma is one of the main producers of amphetamines in the world, and is #1 in Southeast Asia. After Afghanistan, Burma is the #2 producer of opium/heroin in the world.

10. For regional security. Burma is building up its military with assistance from other regional dictatorships and this, along with its interest in a nuclear program, makes it a regional security threat. Its immoral leadership and lack of accountability also make it a potential global threat.

Poor Healthcare System Plagues Myanmar

2007-10-27T19:39:00.001+07:00

***The 14 ONLINE PETITIONS FOR BURMA HERE.***
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Today's AP article on Burma's poor medical system HERE:

They travel for days though checkpoints, across dangerous roads and past Myanmar’s bribe-hungry soldiers to make it to the Thai border. They’re not refugees fleeing the junta — they simply want to see a doctor.

Myanmar has one of the world’s worst health care systems, with tens of thousands dying each year from malaria, tuberculosis, AIDS, dysentery, diarrhea and a litany of other illnesses. While there are hospitals in the impoverished Southeast Asian nation also known as Burma, only a few can afford to pay hospital workers the various “fees” in the tightly controlled nation fueled by corruption.

“Even if you use the toilet in the hospital you have to pay money,” said a 70-year-old man from Phyu Township, who journeyed two days by bus to see a doctor at the Thai border town of Mae Sot and have a cataract removed. He declined to give his name for fear of reprisals.

“They never think of improving health care,” he said. “They only pull the trigger. Because they are holding the guns, we have to live like this.”

Last year, more than 100,000 Burmese sought help at the 120-bed Mae Tao Clinic in Thailand, where free care is offered through local and international funding and no one is turned away. About half were migrants who work illegally near the border, while the rest live inside Myanmar and make the trip solely for medical care.

“I’ve been getting treatment from three hospitals inside Burma, but you have to buy everything — even medicine,” said Ottoma, a 55-year-old monk who traveled three days from Shwekyin township near Yangon, the city formerly known as Rangoon, for treatment of an enlarged prostate.

“The monks have no money,” he said, sitting cross-legged in a traditional maroon robe. “We only get money from people who contribute; but people are very poor.”

The flow of people seeking treatment here hasn’t changed much since the violent crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrations in Myanmar. The peaceful protests were sparked by anger following government-imposed fuel hikes of up to 500 percent — a move that boosted the cost of everything, including health care.

The sick are issued day passes to enter Thailand, but many bribe immigration officials to stay longer for treatment ranging from land mine injuries to chronic ailments that have festered from neglect or improper care.

“Among the displaced people here, the most threatening problem is in communicable diseases,” said Dr. Cynthia Maung, wearing a simple sarong and sandals.

She fled Myanmar in 1988 following a violent crackdown on student pro-democracy protests and started the Mae Tao Clinic a year later in a small house.

Today, the vast compound includes a delivery room, surgical ward and artificial limb workshop. It has a community feel, with women doing laundry as children play on swings and slides outside. But the sounds of rattling coughs and screaming babies, hungry or in pain, fill the rooms.

Many patients come too late and die in the clinic, while newborn babies and the elderly are sometimes abandoned by family who simply cannot afford to care for them, Maung said.

The situation inside Myanmar is complex and health data are often unreliable or difficult to gather, especially from restive areas of the country dominated by ethnic minorities who have been at civil war for decades.

Big killers such as tuberculosis, with nearly 100,000 new cases reported annually, plague the country of 54 million people. The AIDS virus has reached the general population, with more than 1 percent of the nation infected. While the rest of Southeast Asia has largely tamed malaria, it kills 3,000 people a year in Myanmar.

Stephen Atwood, UNICEF’s regional adviser for health and nutrition in East Asia and the Pacific, says the military government does a fair job of conducting childhood immunization campaigns and routine vaccinations, but adds it’s impossible to assess the health situation in many ethnic areas that are off-limits to foreigners.

Neighbors Laos and Cambodia have poor health systems that perform even worse than Myanmar’s by some measures.

But in 2000, the World Health Organization ranked Myanmar’s overall health care system as the world’s second worst, above war-ravaged Sierra Leone.

One in three Burmese children is malnourished. About 105 per 1,000 children die before age 5 in Myanmar, compared with 19 per 1,000 in nearby Vietnam and 7 per 1,000 in the United States, according to UNICEF.

At least 360 of every 100,000 women die in childbirth, compared with 130 in Vietnam and 17 in the U.S.

Most of Myanmar’s health care is funded by international sources, with the government spending only about 3 percent on health annually, compared with 40 percent on the military, according to a report published this year by researchers from the University of California, Berkeley and Johns Hopkins University.

Some countries, however, are reconsidering their aid packages. Japan, Myanmar’s largest donor, announced it had canceled a multimillion-dollar grant to protest the death of a Japanese journalist who was among at least 10 people killed when troops fired into crowds of peaceful protesters during the Sept. 26-27 crackdown.

An estimated 90 percent of Burmese live on just $1 a day, and the United Nations ranks the resource-rich country among the 20 poorest in the world following decades of mismanagement under military dictatorship. Tony Banbury, the U.N. World Food Program’s regional director, visited Myanmar this month and estimated at least 5 million people were going hungry. He called on donor countries not to neglect the people suffering there.

Travel restrictions, human rights abuses and the government’s tight control over humanitarian organizations have forced some agencies to pull out. The Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria withdrew funding in 2005, though Australia and a number of European countries made up the difference last year.

The French arm of Doctors Without Borders left Myanmar last year and even the International Red Cross issued a rare public criticism in June, denouncing the government for forcing prisoners to serve as military porters among other human rights abuses.

“People who have no money go to a clinic and they cannot get care,” said Chit Win, of the Back Pack Health Worker Team, a group that sneaks medical supplies across the border into eastern Myanmar. “Most people say the best thing to do is just wait to die.”

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On the Net:

Mae Tao Clinic: http://www.maetaoclinic.org/

What Burma Wants from the World

2007-10-27T19:24:00.000+07:00

***The 14 ONLINE PETITIONS FOR BURMA HERE.***
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All from BBC.
The hardship that sparked Burma's unrest. Oct. 2
What Burma wants from the World. Oct. 9
Burma 'still hunting protesters'. Oct. 17
Unlikely resistance in Burma's Mandalay. Oct. 25
Inside Burma; Your Questions Answered. Oct. 12
Poverty driving Burmese Workers East. Oct. 10
China's crucial role in Burma crisis. Sept. 27
Burma minority 'fleeing to India'. Oct. 23
Japan adds to pressure on Burma. Oct. 16

No Breakthrough in Suu Kyi's Talks with Junta

2007-10-27T10:29:00.000+07:00

***The 14 ONLINE PETITIONS FOR BURMA HERE.***
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Today's Agence France Presse's story HERE:

The Myanmar junta’s talks with detained democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi were no more than a bid to deflect criticism of its bloody crackdown on protesters before top UN envoys visit, analysts say.

The Nobel peace prize winner on Thursday was briefly allowed out of her home, where she has spent 12 of the past 18 years under house arrest, to meet with Labour Minister Aung Kyi, who was named to build ties with the opposition.

Although no details of the hour-long talk have been released, images of the meeting were broadcast on state television, a rarity in a country where Aung San Suu Kyi has spent years out of the public eye.

“It was significant in a sense that at least the military and Aung San Suu Kyi held talks,” Chaichoke Chulsiriwong, an expert on Myanmar at Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University, told AFP on Friday.

“But we have to remain cautious,” he added.

The junta rarely has direct dealings with Aung San Suu Kyi, whose National League for Democracy party won 1990 elections but was never allowed to govern.

In appointing Aung Kyi, viewed as a moderate in the junta, the ruling generals seemed to indicate the military was prepared for at least a minimal level of contact.

“But we can never trust this military government. … The ruling generals will do everything to ease international pressure, which is very strong after the crackdown,” Chaichoke said.

At least 13 people were killed and more than 2,100 people locked up by security forces that suppressed the September protests — the biggest challenge to military rule in nearly two decades — with bullets, baton charges and tear gas.

The junta has been widely condemned for its actions, and needs to be seen as taking steps ahead of next week’s expected visit by UN special envoy Ibrahim Gambari, said Thailand-based Myanmar analyst Aung Naing Oo.

“It was very clear — the junta had no choice but to hold talks with Aung San Suu Kyi,” he said.

“The government felt it had to do something positive in order to defuse international pressure.”

Gambari, who is making his second trip to Myanmar since the unrest began, will be followed by Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, the UN special rapporteur on human rights.

Speaking from Japan where he met top leaders on the Myanmar issue, Gambari said the Thursday meeting was “only the first step” in what he hoped would be a resumed dialogue between Aung San Suu Kyi and the junta.

Others, though, were not so optimistic.

“The regime has no will to make any concessions, despite pressure from the international community,” said one western diplomat with extensive experience dealing with the junta. “There is no change in their attitude.”

The meeting, however, could have been an attempt to dictate what Aung San Suu Kyi can say to the UN envoys, whom she is likely to meet, said Debbie Stothard of Alternative ASEAN Network on Burma, a human rights group.

The regime was “trying to set limits on what she says and does,” she said.

Aung San Suu Kyi has staunchly refused to drop her support for international sanctions on the regime, a condition set by junta leader General Than Shwe for further talks toward national reconciliation.

Knowing she is not likely to change her stance could give the generals an excuse to abandon future talks, said Yoshihiro Nakanishi, a Myanmar expert from Japan’s Kyoto University, where detained democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi studied during the 1980s.

“If talks do not materialize, the military government can easily blame Aung San Suu Kyi,” he said.

"Enduring linkage" Against Junta

2007-10-27T10:28:00.000+07:00

***The 14 ONLINE PETITIONS FOR BURMA HERE.***
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The highlights of Oct. 27's CNN article "Enduring linkage" against junta:

1. Opposition leaders relate how protests evolved inside Myanmar
2. Pending constitution would legitimize military rule, opposition says
3. Myanmar analysts: Linkage between students, opposition leaders, monks

Three trends that will keep Burma on the world's radar

2007-10-26T23:11:00.001+07:00

***The 14 ONLINE PETITIONS FOR BURMA HERE.***
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The Nation's (Bangkok)Oct. 22 article HERE:

After the violent crackdown last month and Rangoon's dismissal of the UN's call for dialogue, three broad trends have emerged that will ensure that the perpetual Burmese crisis never again falls off the world's radar screen.

First, there is a stronger coalition of countries calling for additional and tougher sanctions, as well as increased humanitarian assistance and contact with the junta. The other is the acknowledgement of the pivotal role played by China and other neighbouring countries, including India and Thailand, in a peaceful transition in the months and years to come, as nobody is advocating an abrupt regime change in Burma. Finally, a strong coalition of human-rights and civil-society organisations around the world have raised awareness and educated the global community about the Burmese atrocities.

Ironically, these trends were brought about by the junta's brutal crackdown against Buddhist monks last month. The Rangoon junta has been able to get away scot-free with their less publicised oppressive acts against the Burmese people and opposition forces since 1988. Rangoon has been adept at playing realpolitik and trade-off games with major powers interested in its rich energy resources. The suffering of the Burmese has, for the first time in nearly two decades, unmistakably registered. So far, the international community's response has been swift and sustained.

Since the early 1990s, Western countries led by the US and the European Union have maintained various forms of sanctions against the Burmese regime, ranging from trade and investment, to financial visa matters. Last week, US President George W Bush announced additional sanctions targeting three dozen senior officials. Both the US and the EU are working together on banking sanctions that would freeze offshore accounts belonging to the junta leaders, their families and associates. An arms embargo is on the drawing board. These sanctions are smarter and more specific.

The regime's brutality, witnessed through countless video clips and photos, has bridged the perception gap that existed among key countries engaging Burma. Previously, only the US and the EU saw eye to eye on the need for sanctions. Japan and Australia preferred a middle-of-the-road approach with humanitarian aid and limited programmes. However, the latter two have hardened their positions following the crackdowns and continued arrests of dissidents.

For Japan, it was a wake-up call. The cold-blooded killing of Japanese video journalist Kenji Nagai abruptly shifted the mood of Japanese policy-makers who had previously shown tolerance over the Burmese situation. The Japanese stance has been that a softer approach coupled with human-resource development programmes would gradually change Burma and make it more democratic. So far that has proven to be wishful thinking.

Under heavy public pressure, the new Japanese government under Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda has downsized foreign assistance a little bit. Tokyo does not want to lose all the contracts that also directly benefit the Burmese. As the largest donor to Burma, any drastic reduction or halt from Japan would certainly hurt the Burmese, especially if the cuts pertained to various human-resource training areas.

To mitigate the repercussions on the Burmese people from increased sanctions, the EU has announced more humanitarian assistance that would benefit citizens there directly, notably those in non-economic matters. Burma urgently needs proper public services in education, healthcare and disease control - three priority areas that have been neglected for decades. The regime has ignored these fundamental imperatives, as most of the country's resources and finances were spent on military affairs and the relocation to the new capital of Naypyitaw.

As far as the region is concerned, the focus has been on the role that China could play in ending the regional crisis. Beijing has been very discreet in pressuring Burma. This represents a unique opportunity for China to lay down a foundation as a responsible international player. China was brought into action in the Darfur crisis by the threat of an Olympic boycott. In the case of Burma, China has shown a willingness to take up international concerns and debates at the UN Security Council (UNSC).

China realises that its close ties with Burma and passivity is hurting its "face", meaning prestige, and "international stature" before the Olympic Games. For selfish reasons, China must help Burma to find a way out in order to maintain stability. Beijing no longer has a business-as-usual attitude towards Rangoon. Both India and Thailand, which have extensive energy deals with Burma, have yet to break ranks with the regime. Likewise, after expressing revulsion regarding the atrocities in Burma, Asean must show it can move beyond rhetoric.

Finally, in the globalised village wired by the Internet, non-governmental organisations such as MoveOn.org, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and various concerned groups have kept the world informed about the situation in Burma. They have also gone a step further by mobilising them into action. MoveOn.org gathered over a million signatures for its petition on Burma over the Internet and that will be soon passed on the UNSC and Chinese President Hu Jintao. This kind of massive grassroots pressure across a borderless world exclusively on Burma is something new.

Taken together, these trends aim at keeping the Burmese crisis alive in the public debate at all levels. They show that in order to deprive the regime of legitimacy, the international community must not yield and must work as a team.

The opportunity has come and must not be lost to make sure that the regime will not come back and fight another day.

Thailand to launch operation against Burmese dissidents

2007-10-26T19:08:00.000+07:00

***The 14 ONLINE PETITIONS FOR BURMA HERE.***
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Thailand loves Burmese oil, gas, and hydropower. Business interests are clearly at work here.
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From Mizzima, off Burmanet, HERE
Offices of pro-democracy Burmese opposition groups in Thailand will be searched by security personnel in the kingdom as part of an “operation”, informed sources told Mizzima.

The nation-wide operation will be launched in two weeks. Sources say the measure follows the Burma military junta’s claims that Thai-based organizations instigated or were helping recent anti-regime protesters in the neighbouring country.

The regime has linked the monks leading the demonstrations in August and September with Maesot based organizations.

The Burmese Religion Minister Brig Gen Thura Myint Maung, in the state-run newspaper today said, “Bogus [fake] Monks” who are in contact with opposition groups based in Thailand had instigated the recent protests in Burma.

Myint Maung, citing the names of monks who organized the protests, said, “All 15 monks have visited Maesot in Thailand and some of them have attended explosive training courses and community organizer (CO) courses there.”

Help Keep 5 Alive

2007-10-26T18:19:00.000+07:00

***The 14 ONLINE PETITIONS FOR BURMA HERE.***
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Please consider donating to Partners Relief and Development's 5 Alive Program.

$50 will help keep a family of five internally displaced persons alive for one month.

Donate HERE. You can download Partners' 5 Alive Brochure HERE.
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You have ended up on a desolate island with only 5 belongings. You found them in the waterproof backpack that somehow made it to the sandy shore. What do you hope you find inside the pack? A journal? A pen? Mirror? Bug repellant? The truth is that you will not survive long in the elements on an unknown island. Unless of course you happen upon a shopping centre.

The ethnic minorities of Burma are going through a similar exercise... except for them it's not a game.

One of the Burma Army's strategies is to crush all resistance from the ethnic groups by destroying their villages, their homes and their livelihood. They go from village to village, systematically destroying everything. If people are found in their way, they will be destroyed as well.

When people are hiding from their own government and are unwilling or unable to leave their country, they are classified as Internally Displaced Persons. Innnocent people have to run for their lives. Mothers, fathers, grandparents and children all have to leave their homes with only the few belongings they can carry. The belongings they bring have to be able to sustain them for the next few months.

We have asked what the 5 most important items are. The list is simple. This is what a family of 5 needs to survive for a month:

1. 75 kilograms of rice; 5 kilograms of salt
2. 1 cooking pot
3. 1 lighter
4. 1 machete
5. 1 large plastic sheet for making a roof in the jungle

The items on the list above can help save a family of 5. It costs $50 to do so. Partners wants to keep as many groups of 5 Alive as possible. You can donate $50 now to keep 5 Alive.

The life or death difference you can make

The generous support of our 5 Alive campaign has made the difference between life or death for literally thousands of people. Partners currently support 20 teams who bravely enter combat areas to demonstrate God's love among people whose lives have been brutalized by Burma's terrible war. Please keep praying, keep supporting our 5 Alive program, and keep speaking on behalf of those victims of war who have no voice.

This child and her community were helped by relief teams in April 27, 2006. Partners was able to send in medicine, shelter materials, and clothes for thousands of people who were chased from their homes and communities by Burma Army troops.

The current situation

There are currently more than 25,000 people displaced in North Eastern Burma alone, we have confirmed the deaths of 76 innocent people, and there are 33 new camp-hide sites now established to care for those who can't carry on alone.

This year, the Burma Army has stepped up its attacks against the ethnic minorities, bringing their usual dishonour and destruction with them. The situation inside of Burma is worse now that it has been in ten years, yet the world remains quiet, mostly blind to the atrocities and oppression against a gentle and peace-loving people. They shoot without remorse, rape without regret, enslave without apology. Everyday, more hearts are damaged, more innocence is stolen, and more hope is shattered. Yet still, in the midst of hardship and trial, these amazing people continue to love and grow, pray and hope, laugh and live. Their capacity for love is astounding, and they mostly refuse to be bitter.

Just Ask yourself this question: "What if it were my family?"

Naw Paw Htoo, aged 60, comes from Tongoo District in North Eastern Burma. When I interviewed her last week in Ei Tu Hta Camp, she was composed and friendly. Nine months ago the Burma Army attacked and occupied her village, and looted property. They burned down the houses, shot 7 of her neighbors, and forced the others in her community to hide in the jungle. Naw Paw Htoo fled with two of her five children, the other three are still inside Burma. She and her children walked over a month to reach the border, finally ending up in Ei Tu Hta camp where she is today.

Three years ago, Naw Paw Htoo's husband was killed when he went to the nearby town to buy food. The Burma Army tied his hands behind his back, dragged him through the jungle, hung him in a tree upside down, gouged out his eyes and then drowned him. Naw Paw Htoo helped with the burial and funeral.

Because of generous donations from people like you, Partners helped establish this temporary camp where Naw Paw Htoo now lives. Patners organizes school for the children, and helps arrange for medical facilities and care. Thank you for caring so much that you give towards these crucial needs. If you would like materials to help inform your friends and community about what is going on in Burma please contact us.

Donate HERE.

Giving aid to IDPs--Putting Oneself in Harm's Way

2007-10-25T20:15:00.000+07:00

***The 13 ONLINE PETITIONS FOR BURMA HERE.***
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Today, I met with workers from Free Burma Rangers, one of the leading humanitarian organizations providing relief to internally displaced persons inside Burma's armed conflict zones. They smuggle medicines, clothes, cooking utensils, matches, plastic sheeting, and other basic survival equipment to the hundreds of thousands of ethnic peoples displaced by attacks by the Burma Army. They have to travel through the jungles for days to weeks at a time to reach IDPs, all the while avoiding SPDC patrols, landmines, and tropical diseases. They administer medical aid to SPDC attack survivors, malaria and landmine victims, and to those suffering from numerous other illnesses.

The personal risk is great. You can get shot at, blown up by landmines, or stricken by malaria. I heard of 5 of FBR's casualties. One was killed by a landmine. Another was captured, tortured, and then executed. One died from cerebral malaria, and two drowned.

Another IDP medical assistance organization is the Back Pack Health Worker Team. Several of their members have died in the field.

Such brave determination and sacrifice.

You personally can help IDPs by donating to Partners Relief and Development's 5 Alive Program. $50 will keep a family of internally displaced persons alive for one month. Donate HERE. You can download Partners' 5 Alive Brochure HERE. You can also join Partners' listserv off its homepage.
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Update on Pinheiro's Visit to Burma, NLD talks with junta

2007-10-25T19:43:00.000+07:00

***The 13 ONLINE PETITIONS FOR BURMA HERE.***
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Some quick updates on the UN talks and UN special rapporteur on human rights for Myanmar Paulo Sergio Pinheiro's trip to Burma.

Suu Kyi Meets Junta's Official

By The Associated Press

Pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi—under house arrest for 12 of the last 18 years—met for about one hour with a Burmese military government official Thursday afternoon, a diplomat said.

Pinheiro Hopes for More Cooperation This Time

By Yeni

Amid mounting international pressure, Burma's military rulers have now agreed to a return visit by the UN's human rights rapporteur for Burma, Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, who was appointed to the position seven years go.

Pinheiro Says He’ll End Visit If Junta Doesn’t Cooperate

By Lalit K Jha/United Nations

UN human rights envoy Paulo Sergio Pinheiro says that unless the Burmese junta cooperates fully with him when he visits Burma in November he will immediately leave the country.

ASEAN should stop passing the buck on Burma

2007-10-25T18:59:00.000+07:00

***The 13 ONLINE PETITIONS FOR BURMA HERE.***
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The Alternative ASEAN Network on Burma released a briefer today.

The full report can be downloaded HERE.

The briefer asserts that ASEAN countries must exercise their substantial influence on Burma’s military leaders to secure the delivery of genuine political and economic reforms, instead of using China as an excuse for inaction. The briefer reveals that:

* Burma relies on petrol and diesel supplies from Malaysia and Singapore to keep business running and military vehicles on the road. The military is the biggest consumer of fuel.

* Burma relies on trade with ASEAN for 51.3% of foreign exchange revenue, with gas sales to Thailand alone accounting for 48.4% in 2005/06.

* Burma relies on Thailand and Singapore as their biggest sources of new Foreign Direct Investment, constituting a total of 98.61% of FDI in the past 2 years.

* Burma relies on Singapore’s financial services to store and move the wealth that they drain away from Burma.

The briefer recommends an ASEAN freeze or even a slowdown on economic, material, and diplomatic support in order to shepherd the regime to political dialogue and the achievement of genuine reforms. Action should include a temporary freeze on large Burmese-held bank accounts and other financial assets in Singapore as part of a money-laundering review.

Panty Power Campaign for Burma

2007-10-25T08:42:00.001+07:00

***The 13 ONLINE PETITIONS FOR BURMA HERE.***
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From The Guardian-

[Burmese] embassies in the UK, Thailand, Australia and Singapore [and all around the world] have all been targeted by the "Panties for Peace" campaign, co-ordinated by an activist group based in Chiang Mai, Thailand. [In this campaign, activists mail female underwear to Burmese embassies all around the world].

The [maneuver] is a calculated insult to the junta and its leader, General Than Shwe. Superstitious junta members believe that any contact with female undergarments - clean or dirty - will sap them of their power, said Jackie Pollack, a member of the Lanna Action for Burma Committee.
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Find the Burmese embassy closest to you HERE.
(For those in Melbourne, Australia, they'll be an Panty action at the State Library at 12:30 on Oct. 26. More info HERE).

More information about the Panty Power Campaign HERE.

Walking a Thin Line

2007-10-24T22:45:00.002+07:00

***The 13 ONLINE PETITIONS FOR BURMA HERE.***
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There were about 150 activists there tonight. But I didn't know how many spies were present. It was supposed to be a vigil to mark the one month anniversary of the largest protests in Burma in almost 20 years and the 12 years that Aung San Suu Kyi has been held under house arrest. Today was Aung San Suu Kyi Day. It was a sea of red, which represented the saffron robes of the monks who led the protests. I saw a couple of All Burma Students' Democratic Front/NLD fighting peacock headbands as well. One participant was wise enough to cover his face with a red bandanna.

I instinctively was on my guard. Not so much for my own protection, but that of my coworker's.

As there were camera crews snapping away, as well as a lot of personal cameras clicking, I tried to stay low.

I thought it was a shame that an opportunity to show solidarity and further network with fellow activists was overshadowed by my security concerns.

A couple of associates were talking openly about our work after the vigil, and one was especially vocal and injudicious about dropping names. Although they were more senior than me in experience (not by that much, though, in my opinion), I didn't think they were being very prudent.

I asked my co-worker after we left, "Do you think there were spies tonight?" "Naja mi" was his response. Which translates into. Probably, or Most definitely.

He's used to it. I am not.

While I develop my networks and get deeper into this work, I am steadily realizing to what extent I have to be cautious. By no means am I a big fish, but then again, better safe than sorry.

Trying to get my photos posted, but the USB port is electrocuting me. Sorry.

Support Free Speech in Burma!

2007-10-24T21:32:00.000+07:00

***The 13 ONLINE PETITIONS FOR BURMA HERE.***
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Reporters Without Borders (website HERE)has a PETITION calling for the immediate release of Win Tin, one of Aung San Suu Kyi's mentors. You can sign the petition HERE.

According to Reporters Without Borders' 2007 Worldwide Press Freedom Index, Burma is rated 164. China is 163. You can view the index HERE. The Irrawaddy has posted an article on the dangers of reporting in Burma HERE.

Win Tin, one of the political mentors of Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, continues to serve his 20-year prison sentence. He is regularly offered freedom in exchange for a signed promise to give up all political activity. But "Saya" (Teacher), as his friends call him, has always refused to cut such a deal and break his ties with the National League for Democracy, which was cheated out of its landslide victory at the 1990 general elections.

He was convicted of "subversion" and "anti-government propaganda." In 1996, he was held for five months in a dog-kennel at Rangoon's Insein prison. He has since had two heart attack and lost most of his teeth. Now 75, he has been shuttling back, and forth between his cell and the spartan prisoners' wing of Rangoon hospital for the past few years.

These days, Burma's military rulers treat him with a little more respect and he now has his own cell. But he is still not allowed to write anything.

He was arrested in July 4, 1989 for simply expressing his right of expression, which is guaranteed under Article 19 of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Please help set him free HERE. (http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=2059)

"I come from a 'black' area"

2007-10-24T10:14:00.000+07:00

***The 12 ONLINE PETITIONS FOR BURMA HERE.***
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In a country split by civil war, there are three areas. The "white" areas are those held by the SPDC. "Grey" denotes areas held in contention. And "black" is for insurgent controlled territory.

Today, I met Htu Plway*. He is a stateless person, a person without citizenship. His parents fled Burma in the early 80's. While he was born in Karen State, he doesn't have any identification papers, which makes it all the more dangerous for him to do the kind of work that he does. He is especially at risk whenever he crosses the border going either way.

One of the first things he said to me was "I come from a black area." Coming from a "black" area makes it all the more difficult for one to freely travel, let alone crossing the border.

He told me later in the day that without identification papers and a country to call his own, he's not sure about his future. When I asked him what country he would like to call home. He said "Any".

He was in Mawlamyine, the capital of Mon State, at the height of the protests in late September. He took part for 3 days before the officials there closed the monastery and sent the monks home.

There was no violence, but had he been arrested, he would have been in a precarious situation. Without any papers, he could've languished in jail for a long time. He knows how lucky he is.

I was surprised to see that for someone who works in a constant state of physical insecurity, how well-informed he was about the varying responses to Burma from the international community.

Through our conversation, I could also sense his frustration and disappointment of not only the weakness of the UN's response, but also the failure of the different opposition groups in uniting together and their recent inaction in the recent protests. He told me that when he approached one of the ceasefire groups, they told him, "If you get into trouble, don't come to us for help."

(Many of the ceasefire groups choose a tentative peace over bloodshed, as they know they are no match for the Burma Army's artillery. Some benefit from trade concessions granted under the ceasefires, and would rather stick to the status quo than restart their civil war. The truth is that ceasefires help the junta future entrench themselves in insurgent held areas. It never ceases to amaze me that the junta will only respond to the power of the gun. While it is willing to negotiate with armed insurgents, it fails to seek dialogue with the democratically-elected government.)

I didn't want to probe too much, as I just met him. But I'm sure I'll have a lot to learn from his experiences. Perhaps a bit is lost in translation, as my Thai is not that good. But one thing is for sure, that I am constantly humbled by working with and for these human rights and environmental activists. It just amazes me that they keep fighting even though they are fighting against almost impossible odds. Hope keeps them afloat.

* I changed his name to protect his identity

Oct. 24, AUNG SAN SUU KYI DAY

2007-10-24T08:56:00.000+07:00

***The 12 ONLINE PETITIONS FOR BURMA HERE.***
__________________________

from Burma Campaign UK, website HERE
______________________

Just a quick note to remind you that tomorrow is Aung San Suu Kyi day. Tomorrow she will have been under arrest for 12 years.

Could you send me any photos that you take of the day.
This is so that we can distribute your photos to press outlets worldwide to draw attention to the Burma. All submitted photos will be displayed HERE.
http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/burmacampaignUK

Please make sure that on the day you take a photo of 12 people dressed in white wearing Aung San Suu Kyi masks. Download the mask HERE. (http://www.burmacampaign.org.uk/ASSKmask.pdf) with their hands tied together. All cities around the world will be doing this.

You can send me photos to burmacampaignuk@gmail.com

If you have any photos you'd like to add to our collection from the October 6th global day of action (viewable at the above web address) please also email them to this address.

If you have any videos you'd like to submit to our YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/burmacampaignuk) please also send the link to this address.

Thanks, Lets hope tomorrow goes well!

Stop the Bloodshed in Burma - Sign the Petition

2007-10-23T17:59:00.000+07:00

A new petition addressed to ASEAN, from US-based Human Rights First. Please sign before the ASEAN meeting on November 17th HERE. (http://action.humanrightsfirst.org/campaign/burma_neighbors.

***The other 11 ONLINE PETITIONS FOR BURMA HERE.***
__________________________

Stop the Bloodshed in Burma - Sign the Petition

Monks and innocent citizens were recently slaughtered in Burma for peacefully protesting the oppressive military junta. How much longer can we allow these serious human rights abuses to be perpetrated?

We must bring peace and stability to the region as quickly as possible. China and the countries neighboring Burma can play a very important role at an upcoming meeting, but we need you to help make it happen. The direct influence of these countries on the military junta in Burma cannot be overstated.

Take a minute today to ask these countries to take action on Burma.

Subject:
Take Action on Burma at ASEAN Meeting

Your Excellencies,

It is time for Burma's neighbors to take serious action to stop the bloodshed and bring peace and stability to the region. Therefore, we call upon you to ensure that the upcoming ASEAN meeting in Singapore on November 17, 2007 includes a robust discussion about how ASEAN members States and their partners, including China, can urge the State Peace and Development Council to stop killing peaceful protestors, release political prisoners, and begin a democratization process.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations argued for Burma's admission to the group in 1997, claiming that this would encourage respect for human rights and a democratization process in that country. Ten years later, Burma's military continues to use arms against its own citizens - including Buddhist monks, women, and children - who are guilty of nothing more than a desire for peace, democracy, and human rights in Burma.

The Government of China has repeatedly claimed that the current crisis in Burma is an "internal affair," but the members of ASEAN know better. As ASEAN legislators from Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand stated recently, "Burma is indeed a regional security and stability threat." Burma's neighbors-ASEAN member States and China alike-have a special responsibility to encourage the SPDC to respond to its own citizens' legitimate demands without violence or repression.

We believe the following demands should be made of the SPDC at the upcoming ASEAN summit:

* Stop using violence to quell peaceful dissent in the event of future protests;

* Account for all those persons killed, incarcerated, or illegally detained during the recent protests;

* Release all political prisoners;

* Lift restrictions on the monks who participated in recent protests;

* Lift conditions for a meeting with Aung San Suu Kyi.

As a Security Council member, it is in China's interest to ensure that all Security Resolutions relating to Burma are implemented. As neighbors of Burma, it is in the interest of China and all ASEAN members to press the SPDC to start the democratization process. Absent peace and human rights in Burma, sustainable regional security is impossible.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
[Your address]

Stop the Bloodshed in Burma - Sign the Petition

Monks and innocent citizens were recently slaughtered in Burma for peacefully protesting the oppressive military junta. How much longer can we allow these serious human rights abuses to be perpetrated?

We must bring peace and stability to the region as quickly as possible. China and the countries neighboring Burma can play a very important role at an upcoming meeting, but we need you to help make it happen. The direct influence of these countries on the military junta in Burma cannot be overstated.

Take a minute today to ask these countries to take action on Burma.

Subject:
Take Action on Burma at ASEAN Meeting

Your Excellencies,

It is time for Burma's neighbors to take serious action to stop the bloodshed and bring peace and stability to the region. Therefore, we call upon you to ensure that the upcoming ASEAN meeting in Singapore on November 17, 2007 includes a robust discussion about how ASEAN members States and their partners, including China, can urge the State Peace and Development Council to stop killing peaceful protestors, release political prisoners, and begin a democratization process.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations argued for Burma's admission to the group in 1997, claiming that this would encourage respect for human rights and a democratization process in that country. Ten years later, Burma's military continues to use arms against its own citizens - including Buddhist monks, women, and children - who are guilty of nothing more than a desire for peace, democracy, and human rights in Burma.

The Government of China has repeatedly claimed that the current crisis in Burma is an "internal affair," but the members of ASEAN know better. As ASEAN legislators from Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand stated recently, "Burma is indeed a regional security and stability threat." Burma's neighbors-ASEAN member States and China alike-have a special responsibility to encourage the SPDC to respond to its own citizens' legitimate demands without violence or repression.

We believe the following demands should be made of the SPDC at the upcoming ASEAN summit:

* Stop using violence to quell peaceful dissent in the event of future protests;

* Account for all those persons killed, incarcerated, or illegally detained during the recent protests;

* Release all political prisoners;

* Lift restrictions on the monks who participated in recent protests;

* Lift conditions for a meeting with Aung San Suu Kyi.

As a Security Council member, it is in China's interest to ensure that all Security Resolutions relating to Burma are implemented. As neighbors of Burma, it is in the interest of China and all ASEAN members to press the SPDC to start the democratization process. Absent peace and human rights in Burma, sustainable regional security is impossible.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
[Your address]

Oct. 24th UN Day / Aung San Suu Kyi Day

2007-10-23T08:22:00.000+07:00

***The 11 ONLINE PETITIONS FOR BURMA HERE.***
__________________________

from US Campaign for Burma:

This Wednesday, October 24th, is an important day for Burma. It is: 1) United Nations Day, 2) The day when Aung San Suu Kyi will have been under house arrest for a total of 12 years, and 3) One month since the uprisings in Burma were at their peak.

We will be marking this day with a host of actions around the world.

- Several organizations are working together to organize in 12 cities around the world. At 12 noon, demonstrators dressed in white (as political prisoners are forced to wear inside Burma) will gather in front of Chinese embassies. Please let us know if you want to participate in the demonstration in Washington, DC.

- A group of Burmese monks and exiles have been marching from Albany, NY to the United Nations in a peace walk. On Wednesday, please join with them as they continue their march from the Burmese regime's Mission in New York to the United Nations from 10-11 am. The Mission is located on 10E and 77th St. For more info, the cell phone for the peace walk is (518) 605-8506.

- For those of you who cannot participate in these actions we are asking you to ensure that the American public does not forget Burma. We are asking you on this day to reinvigorate public attention by writing an op-ed article for your local newspaper, write a post on your blog or facebook profile, host a teach in for your friends and neighbors, or for more suggestions visit our action page

The Burmese regime may be the jailer of Aung San Suu Kyi and thousands of other prisoners, but China holds the key to her release. The United Nations Security Council (of which China is a member) must act urgently as more and more people are being hunted down, arrested and tortured. China must not block Security Council action. We will show that we will not allow Burma's regime to hide its abuses from the world.. The United Nations Security Council needs to pass a global arms embargo now!

International Aid Groups Ask Junta to Eliminate Barriers

2007-10-20T22:56:00.000+07:00

***The 11 ONLINE PETITIONS FOR BURMA HERE.***
__________________________

US President George Bush has called on the junta to make good on its promises and allow humanitarian groups to enter Burma. Humanitarian aid is greatly needed in a country where social services are barely visible. One example of the great suffering in the country can be seen through government expenditure. While more than 50% of the national budget is spent on the military, less than 2% is spent on healthcare. The educational system is a shambles, and 40% of children are malnourished. This is happening in a country that boasted one of the highest literacy rates in Asia and was the world's #1 rice exporter 50 years ago.

Before the crackdown, the International Committee of the Red Cross pulled out of the country, as the government impeded its work. Now, the junta is refusing the Red Cross access to detainees to survey prison conditions and to administer medical assistance.

_____________________
Irrawaddy article HERE.

Thirteen humanitarian organizations working in Burma have called on the military government to allow international aid groups to help the poorest members of society who lack adequate health, education and food.

Inger Sandberg, an adviser to Norwegian People’s Aid, said, “The situation is getting worse, particularly for the poorest people after the oil and commodities price increases in Burma.”

The aid groups said the military regime's policies have weakened the ability of local communities to aid members of society who have fallen below subsistence levels.

The statement called for a more open working environment for local and international humanitarian organizations and a significant build up of humanitarian assistance to directly address the needs of the poor.

Presently, international and local humanitarian groups cannot respond to people's needs because of constraints put in place by the military government, sources said.

Organizations that signed the statement include the Action Contre la Faim, Aide Medicale Internationale, Asian Harm Reduction Network, Cooperazione e Sviluppo onlus, Deutsche Welthungerhilfe/German Agro Action, Enfants du Monde Droits de l'Hommes, International HIV/AIDS Alliance, Malteser International, Medecins du Monde, Norwegian People's Aid, Population Services International, Save the Children and Terre des Hommes Italia.

The statement also urged the international community to increase efforts to address the humanitarian needs of the Burmese people.

The recent increase in fuel prices and commodities have exacerbated the already fragile living conditions faced by many Burmese citizens, according to the statement.

Meanwhile, the UN agency in charge of fighting hunger has issued a plea for the world to provide more food aid to the people of Burma.

About 5 million people are chronically short of food, according to the World Food Program, which tries to provide aid to 500,000 people each month. However, because of constraints, only 200,000 people now receive aid each month.

The UN estimates that more than one-third of Burmese children suffer from malnutrition and estimates about 100,000 die each year.

US imposes tighter Sanctions on Junta, Crackdown Continues

2007-10-20T22:28:00.000+07:00

***The 11 ONLINE PETITIONS FOR BURMA HERE.***
__________________________

As the crackdown continues, President Bush has added 11 more junta officials and 12 business cronies to the US Treasury's sanctions list. Any of their assets in US jurisdiction will be frozen, and a visa ban will be imposed as well. This is a welcome addition to the roll of 14 top junta leaders and 260 Burmese officials and their families already on the sanction list.

On Thursday, US Representative Tom Lantos, chairman of the House Foreign Relations Committee, introduced the Block Burmese JADE Act in the House of Representatives. If passed, it would prevent Burmese gemstones bound for US markets to be laundered through third countries.

Despite sanctions by the EU, US, Australia, and Japan, the junta has continued its pursuit of suspected dissidents. According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma), five people connected with the 88 Generation were arrested early yesterday morning in a house raid.

The full article, "Continues Crackdown as US Applies Sanctions" HERE.
"Bush Applies More Sanctions on Junta Leaders, Cronies" HERE.

Tell Chevron to Stop Paying Royalties to the Junta

2007-10-20T21:37:00.000+07:00

***The 11 ONLINE PETITIONS FOR BURMA HERE.***
__________________________

A short film clip about Chevron's involvement in Burma. It calls for Chevron to hold royalty payments to the junta in escrow until the return of democracy in Burma. .
The video can be linked HERE.

Please sign Earthrights International's petition urging Chevron to use its influence to help stop the crackdown, and to stop investing in Burma HERE. It calls on Chevron to "use [its] presence in Burma to pressure the military regime to respect human rights, including the rights to freedom of association and freedom of speech, and to refrain from using any further force against peaceful protestors."

SOME MORE INFORMATION ON CHEVRON
Chevron's Pipeline is the Burmese Regime's Lifeline. Truthdig. Oct. 2, 2007
Chevron's links to Burma stir critics to demand it pull out. San Francisco Chronicle. Oct. 4, 2007
Information for the Protest of Chevron corporation for their involvement with oil and gas projects in Burma. Chevron Protester. Oct. 2, 2007
SIGN Earthrights International's PETITION urging Chevron to use its influence to help stop the crackdown HERE.
Information for the Protest of Chevron corporation for their involvement with oil and gas projects in Burma (Myanmar). Protest Chevron's Blog HERE.

MORE INFORMATION ON THE OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY'S INVOLVEMENT IN BURMA HERE.

To learn more
-- For a quick overview of Burma, its people, economy and recent history, go to the World Factbook from the Central Intelligence Agency HERE

-- Chevron Corp. has a brief statement on Burma on the company's Web site. Read it HERE:

-- Want to call Chevron? The main number for the company's San Ramon headquarters is (925) 842-1000.

-- The French oil company Total operates the Burma natural gas project that includes Chevron as a minority investor. For Total's take on the project, look HERE.

Junta Presses On With “Exclusive” Constitution Drafting

2007-10-19T20:53:00.001+07:00

from the Irrawaddy. Article HERE.

The appointment by Burma’s ruling junta of a committee to write a draft constitution, without the participation of the opposition National League for Democracy, is being regarded as further proof that the generals have no intention of listening to international pleas for an all-inconclusive process of national reconciliation.

Two Buddhist monks walks under a huge billboard advertizing the National convention in Rangoon [Photo: AFP]The committee, appointed on October 18, is being hailed by the Burmese government, the State Peace and Development Council, as another important step on its seven-stage “road map” to democracy, described as “2/2007.”

Aung Htoo, Secretary of the Burma Lawyers’ Council, told The Irrawaddy on Friday that the job of writing a constitution still lay legally with winning candidates in the 1990 election. That was enshrined in a junta statement described as “1/90,” which was still technically in effect.

NLD candidates won 80 percent of the votes in the 1990 election.

“According to the junta’s 1/90 statement, only those elected can write the constitution,” said Aung Htoo.

Aung Htoo said the 1/90 statement and a later one, 11/92, calling for the establishment of a National Convention, conflicted with each other. “It means the junta doesn’t follow its statements and the law itself,” he said.

Aung Htoo said a further statement, 5/96, ruled out any public participation in drawing up a new constitution, ensuring it would be an “exclusive” process and not an “inclusive” one.

Although the proposed draft of the constitution enshrines some civil rights, such as freedom of expression, it retains such articles as 10 (A), 10 (B), “Protection of the State from Threat”, which date from 1975. These laws allow the state to detain citizens without trial for up to five years, said Aung Htoo.

NLD spokesman Thein Nyunt confirmed that the party had signed the 1/90 statement in 1990 and still stood by its terms, which dictate that elected candidates in the 1990 election should write the new constitution.

Thein Nyunt rejected the junta’s 5/96 statement. “The 5/96 [statement] means non- participation by the public in the constitution process,” he said. “The constitution is for all Burmese. So all must join in.”

Win Min, of Chiang Mai University, said the committee might have been formed at this time because of international pressure and to show the global community that the regime is confident it can proceed without an inclusive process.

“Here the important actor is China [which] can push the junta for an inclusive process for national reconciliation and democracy in Burma,” said Win Min.

Mahn Sha, general secretary of the Karen National Union, said the formation of the committee showed that the regime was demonstrating to the international community that it was going its own way regardless. The KNU could not accept such a one-sided approach to writing the constitution, he said.

“The real solution for real change in this country is dialogue between the military rulers and dissidents,” Mahn Sha said.

A spokesman for the New Mon State Party ceasefire group, Nai Oung Ma-nge, told The Irrawaddy that the party had walked out of the National Convention because it felt its proceedings were unjust. The party would not accept any unjustly drafted constitution, he said.

In a further comment on events in Burma, Aung Htoo said: “Some diplomats and experts said recently that the role of the Tatmadaw [Burma’s armed forces] prevented anarchism in Burma, even though there are many armed groups. But they failed to see that state-backed terror on civilians is also creating anarchism.”

Oct. 24th. Aung San Suu Kyi Day. Organize a Protest!

2007-10-19T12:51:00.000+07:00

from the Support the Monks' protest in Burma Facebook Group:

**ACTION OF THE DAY**
ORGANISE A PROTEST FOR THE 24TH

October 24th has been designated Aung San Suu Kyi day.

Aung San Suu Kyi is the democratically elected leader of Burma, on the 24th she will have been under house arrest for 12 years.

To mark this at 12 noon in 12 key cities around the world where 12 people will come together wearing Aung San Suu Kyi masks and dressed in white to protest outside Chinese embassies. Why China? Because they can exert the most influence over Burma and so far they have been dragging their feet. Why White? Because that's what political prisoners are made to wear. The 12 peaceful protestors will be chained together.

We're also trying to organsie candle lit vigils in the evening. this is where you come in, PLEASE ORGANISE A CANDLE LIT VIGIL WHERE YOU LIVE to show solidarity with Aung San Suu Kyi and the thousands of political prisoners in Burma.
For more details and to get your protest listed read this post and add your protest as a comment http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=24957770200&topic=3893

One thing you can do now is to add Aung San Suu Kyi as a friend on Facebook and leave her a note of support on the wall http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=605512080&highlight

Junta Presses On With “Exclusive” Constitution Drafting

2007-10-19T07:50:00.000+07:00

from the Irrawaddy HERE:

The appointment by Burma’s ruling junta of a committee to write a draft constitution, without the participation of the opposition National League for Democracy, is being regarded as further proof that the generals have no intention of listening to international pleas for an all-inconclusive process of national reconciliation.

The committee, appointed on October 18, is being hailed by the Burmese government, the State Peace and Development Council, as another important step on its seven-stage “road map” to democracy, described as “2/2007.”

Aung Htoo, Secretary of the Burma Lawyers’ Council, told The Irrawaddy on Friday that the job of writing a constitution still lay legally with winning candidates in the 1990 election. That was enshrined in a junta statement described as “1/90,” which was still technically in effect.

NLD candidates won 80 percent of the votes in the 1990 election.

“According to the junta’s 1/90 statement, only those elected can write the constitution,” said Aung Htoo.

Aung Htoo said the 1/90 statement and a later one, 11/92, calling for the establishment of a National Convention, conflicted with each other. “It means the junta doesn’t follow its statements and the law itself,” he said.

Aung Htoo said a further statement, 5/96, ruled out any public participation in drawing up a new constitution, ensuring it would be an “exclusive” process and not an “inclusive” one.

Although the proposed draft of the constitution enshrines some civil rights, such as freedom of expression, it retains such articles as 10 (A), 10 (B), “Protection of the State from Threat”, which date from 1975. These laws allow the state to detain citizens without trial for up to five years, said Aung Htoo.

NLD spokesman Thein Nyunt confirmed that the party had signed the 1/90 statement in 1990 and still stood by its terms, which dictate that elected candidates in the 1990 election should write the new constitution.

Thein Nyunt rejected the junta’s 5/96 statement. “The 5/96 [statement] means non- participation by the public in the constitution process,” he said. “The constitution is for all Burmese. So all must join in.”

Win Min, of Chiang Mai University, said the committee might have been formed at this time because of international pressure and to show the global community that the regime is confident it can proceed without an inclusive process.

“Here the important actor is China [which] can push the junta for an inclusive process for national reconciliation and democracy in Burma,” said Win Min.

Mahn Sha, general secretary of the Karen National Union, said the formation of the committee showed that the regime was demonstrating to the international community that it was going its own way regardless. The KNU could not accept such a one-sided approach to writing the constitution, he said.

“The real solution for real change in this country is dialogue between the military rulers and dissidents,” Mahn Sha said.

A spokesman for the New Mon State Party ceasefire group, Nai Oung Ma-nge, told The Irrawaddy that the party had walked out of the National Convention because it felt its proceedings were unjust. The party would not accept any unjustly drafted constitution, he said.

In a further comment on events in Burma, Aung Htoo said: “Some diplomats and experts said recently that the role of the Tatmadaw [Burma’s armed forces] prevented anarchism in Burma, even though there are many armed groups. But they failed to see that state-backed terror on civilians is also creating anarchism.”

In Myanmar, Rivers, Forests Suffer

2007-10-18T19:02:00.000+07:00

***The 11 ONLINE PETITIONS FOR BURMA HERE.***

The AP article HERE.

Truckloads of illegal timber cross the Myanmar border to sawmills in China, while markets along the Thai border openly sell bear paws, tiger skins and elephant tusks.

Further inland, the repressive military regime plans to dam one of Asia's purest rivers, and allows gold and gem mines to tear up hillsides and pollute groundwater for quick cash.

Myanmar has become notorious in the region for ignoring international and its own environmental laws in a single-minded effort to make the money that environmentalists say helps keep the regime in power.

"They may have laws on the books but they mean extremely little," said Sean Turnell, an expert on the Myanmar economy with Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia. "I would say environmental considerations mean zero to them. It wouldn't even enter their heads."

After decades of self-imposed isolation, the junta in the late 1980s began courting foreign investors with offers of stakes in gem mines, forest tracts and hydroelectric projects. Foreign investment allowed the regime to double its military to 400,000 soldiers while offering neighbors like China and Thailand access to cheap raw materials and energy to feed their growing economies.

A Myanmar government spokesman did not respond to a request for comment on its environmental record. Chinese government officials could not be reached for comment and Thailand denied its investment in Myanmar contributes to the country's environmental destruction.

Hardest hit in the rush to develop the country formerly named Burma have been its rivers and forests, environmentalists say.

Over the past decade, they say, two dozen dams have either been built or are scheduled to be built mostly with the help of Chinese and Thai firms. They accuse the government of uprooting tens of thousands of villagers to make way for the dams to provide electricity mostly to Thailand and China.

Among the planned dams are at least five on the Salween, which rises in Tibet and is considered one of Southeast Asia's last untamed rivers. A first dam is also planned on the Irrawaddy, which activists fear will result in the forced relocation of 10,000 villagers and the decimation of its shoreside fishing communities.

"This region is one of the world's biodiversity hot spots," said Naw La of the Kachin Development Networking Group, a coalition of environmental groups watching Myanmar. "If this dam is built on the Irrawaddy, the fish populations will decrease. A lot of people will be suffering because their livelihoods will disappear."

Along Myanmar's border with China, illegally felled timber is transported to China, according to the Britain-based group Global Witness. From there, it becomes flooring and furniture for European and American homes.

Global Witness said most of the logging takes place in an area described as "very possibly the most biodiverse, rich, temperate area on earth," home to red pandas, leopards and tigers.

About 95 percent of Myanmar's total timber exports to China are illegal, Global Witness said, costing its treasury $250 million a year. Much of the profits go to Chinese firms as well as regional military commanders and ethnic guerrilla groups, it said.

The borders along China and Thailand also are host to massive, unregulated markets that sell everything from illicit gems to animal parts. At the Tachileik market on the Thai border and Mong La market on the Chinese border, vendors openly sell tiger and leopard skins, bear paws, ivory and live turtles.

The markets are filled with Western tourists looking for souvenirs and Asia businessmen supplying traditional medicine and food markets in China and other Asian countries, activists said.

"Given the high demand and extent of the trade in Myanmar, many species will be lost," said Chris Shepherd, a senior program officer for conservation group Traffic. "Rhinos in Myanmar are probably already extinct due to trade. Tigers are on a huge decline. Elephants are in huge decline. The list goes on and on."

Even the few environmental success stories in Myanmar seem to have a dark side.

The junta in 2001 created the world's largest tiger reserve in Hukaung Valley with help and funding from the U.S.-based Wildlife Conservation Society. It contains as many as 150 tigers -- about a third of the total in Myanmar.

But the Kachin group says the junta has allowed widespread gold mining in the reserve. Three gold mines are polluting the rivers through the valley with mercury, cyanide and other chemicals, the group said in a report released this year.

US Wants UN to Investigate Reports of Rape by Burmese Army

2007-10-17T18:44:00.000+07:00

***The 11 ONLINE PETITIONS FOR BURMA HERE.***
__________________________
Today's article from the UN HERE:

Saying the Burmese military is using rape as an instrument of systematic repression against ethnic minorities, the US on Tuesday urged the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to conduct an investigation into such cases.

“We want the UN secretary-general to do a very thorough investigation into the cases (of rape by the Burmese army) we receive and report back to the general assembly so that we can be prepared to take action,” Kristen Silverberg, assistant secretary for International Organization Affairs, told The Irrawaddy after a panel discussion on the issue at the UN.

“We have documented evidence of little girls in Burma as little as eight years old, ten years old being subject to rape by Burmese soldiers. So we want the international community to focus on this issue,” Silverberg said.

The United States plans to introduce a resolution during the current session of the UN General Assembly “condemning the use of rape as an instrument of state policy.” The draft of the proposed resolution does not name any nation, but it targets countries like Burma and Sudan where the US says there is strong evidence of their security forces using rape as a tool of repression against targeted communities.

Referring to the panel discussion on “Rape as an Instrument of State policy,” Silverberg said: “We have seen in Burma as these experts described today the systematic use of rape and sexual violence against ethnic minorities as a way of intimidating the communities as a part of the government’s campaign of violence against them.”

Silverberg said the US has also urged Ibrahim Gambari, the UN Envoy on Burma, to raise this issue with the Burmese military junta during his upcoming visit to the country.

In the panel discussion, L. Dwelling, the joint general secretary of the Women’s League of Burma, alleged that there was a pattern of sexual and gender-based violence against women dissidents in central Burma during the recent crackdown.

“We have reached a conclusion that it is state policy in Burma to allow soldiers to commit rapes against women and girls. The government is fully aware of the numerous reports about this issue.”

Urging the international community to protect the women and children of Burma, Dwelling said: “Our reports show that sexual and gender-based violence are happening across the country—in Shan, Karen, Mon, Chin and other ethnic areas—and that the circumstances under which they take place are disturbingly similar from one area to another.”

Lway Aye Nang, a presidium board member of the Women’s League of Burma, in her presentation reminded the international community about security council resolution No.
1325 on women, peace and security.

“We at the Women’s League of Burma believe that it is time that the international community lives up to its responsibilities towards the people of Burma. We call for the full implementation of Resolution 1325 in all efforts to promote peace and reconciliation, democracy and respect for human rights in Burma.”

EU Widens Sanctions Against Burma

2007-10-17T10:09:00.000+07:00

***The 11 ONLINE PETITIONS FOR BURMA HERE.***

On Monday 15 October, we won a partial victory – the 27 EU Foreign Ministers agreed to place trade and investment bans on the generals' timber, mining and gemstone interests, and to prepare further measures depending on whether the brutality stops and progress is made toward dialogue and democratic transition. Thanks to everyone who took action and signed the AVAAZ petition!

The full AP article HERE.

Forced labour, extortion and the state of education in Dooplaya District

2007-10-17T09:58:00.000+07:00

***The 11 ONLINE PETITIONS FOR BURMA HERE.***

from Karen Human Rights Group, website HERE.

As world attention focused last month on the large-scale public demonstrations in Rangoon and other major urban centres around Burma, the magnitude of domestic frustration over the military's systematic impoverishment of the civilian population became evident to the international community. This frustration is keenly felt by the people of Dooplaya District in southern Karen State and found expression last month in local anti-regime gatherings. Amongst other abuses, forced labour and extortion in their many guises have been leading causes in the economic collapse and resultant frustration with militarisation in Dooplaya District. A crucial factor making these abuses even more oppressive in Dooplaya and other areas of Karen State as compared with central Burma is the multiplicity of armed groups which compete with each other and with the region's civilian administration for the spoils of village-level exploitation. Across Dooplaya District the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) Army; the regime's district and township-level civilian administration; the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA); and the Karen Peace Force (KPF) all continue to fatten themselves off of the toil of village labour. Amongst other detrimental consequences, this persistent predation has undermined opportunities for educational advancement and the application of such education beyond traditional village livelihoods or subservience within the local system of militarisation.

To view the report click HERE

About KHRG

The Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG) was founded in 1992 and documents the situation of villagers and townspeople in rural Burma through their direct testimonies, supported by photographic and other evidence. KHRG operates completely independently and is not affiliated with any political or other organisation. Examples of our work can be seen on the World Wide Web at www.khrg.org, or printed copies may be obtained subject to approval and availability by sending a request to khrg@khrg.org.

For more details of the report, or interviews, please contact KHRG at khrg@khrg.org

TAKE ACTION! Tell the UN Sec. General to Demand End to Torture in Burma

2007-10-17T09:45:00.000+07:00

From the US Campaign for Burma

Ban Ki-moon: Telephone The Burmese Regime Today to Demand End to Ongoing Torture in Burma

The military continues to hunt down those who have participated in peaceful demonstrations. We are calling on you to take a few moments today to be part of the global voice calling for an end to the abuse of monks and civilians arrested.

This past weekend the military captured 4 promiment democracy activists, including Htay Kywe, one of the last remaining leaders of the 88 Student Generation that had not been captured. The 88 Student Generation has been at the forefront of organizing protests, with the courage to stand up to the ruthless and brutal regime no matter the cost. Htay Kywe had evaded arrest until now. During the past two months, he was vital in educating the world about what was happening inside Burma. We are deeply concerned about his health and safety.

Also arrested was Mee Mee, whose picture with her fist in the air, has become an iconic symbol of the Burmese people during the protests in August and September (as seen above). We fear for her and the suffering she will most likely endure, as a political prisoner and as a woman.

The few remaining members of the 88 Student Generation have already sent a letter to Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon urging him to take action to protect prisoners, and stop arrests, and we must support their call.

It is more than just these arrests that concern us. Thousands of monks and civilians have been arrested in the past 2 weeks and we are receiving disturbing reports about the treatment of these prisoners. Torture, denying medical treatment and food, disrobing monks, and even death are regular occurrences for those imprisoned. We are deeply concerned for the fate of those imprisoned. Many activists have serious medical problems because of their previous imprisonments. For a list of monasteries raided, people arrested, disappeared, and killed, go to the AAPP website (Assistance Association for the Political Prisoners of Burma) HERE.

Please just take a few moments today to send an email to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, urging him to take more concrete measures to ensure that the brutal treatment of prisoners stops. SEND AN EMAIL HERE. http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1189/t/3074/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=16909 He needs to pick up the phone today and demand from the Burmese Generals that the arrests and torturing of political prisoners stops. He must make it a personal priority to call Burma's generals, to demand that the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) or other organizations can at least have access to the prisoners and to push for the release of all political prisoners.

Tell Chevron to Divest from Burma NOW

2007-10-16T07:56:00.000+07:00

Join the over two thousand people who have already taken action -
Sign the petition urging Chevron to use its influence NOW!

Listen/Watch Katie Redford discuss the issue on Democracy NOW!

As you already know, the pro-democracy protests in Burma that began in response to sharp increases in fuel prices were violently suppressed. But the oil and gas corporations themselves, who are partnered with the military government in gas export projects, have shown no sign of trying to prevent further bloodshed.

Instead, Thai-owned PTTEP issued a statement assuring the public that their investment was not jeopardized by the unrest. Furthermore, India’s ONGC Videsh, along with India’s Petroleum Minister Murli Deora, traveled to Burma amidst the protests to sign three new deals to extract and export natural gas.

And Chevron Corporation, the largest remaining U.S. company in Burma is now a partner with the junta in the notorious Yadana natural gas pipeline project. This project alone funnels tens of millions of dollars to the regime, money the military desperately need to retain its stranglehold on power. Despite Chevron's material support for the regime, and direct complicity in extensive human rights abuses, Chevron claims that it can play a positive role in contributing to the protection of human rights. Empty rhetoric is not a substitute for action, however, and now is the time for action. EarthRights believes these companies are not socially or politically neutral; given Unocal/Chevron's shameful behavior thus far, Chevron owes the people of Burma a moral obligation to immediately use its influence with the regime to help prevent the mass slaughter of peaceful protestors.

TAKE ACTION NOW - Sign the petition urging Chevron to use its influence!

***The other 10 ONLINE PETITIONS FOR BURMA HERE.***

Desperate Burmese Labor in Thailand

2007-10-16T02:12:00.000+07:00

I was first exposed to the issues facing illegal Burmese migrants during the time I spent doing tsunami relief in Thailand 2 years ago. I saw migrants living in dilapidated shantytowns, their houses made out of cheap metal sheeting. When they went to work, there were 20 to 30 packed in the back of a pickup. Cheap manual labor.

I later learned that without resident permits, they were not entitled to workers rights or social services, like sanitation, healthcare or education. But for many, this is a small trade-off compared to the relative security life in Thailand affords compared to living in Burma.

The following article gives you some insight to the challenges that migrants face working in Thailand and in neighboring countries.

***The other 10 ONLINE PETITIONS FOR BURMA HERE.***
___________________________
The WallStreet online article HERE.

Myawaddy, Myanmar — Shortly after dawn six days a week, scores of young women scramble down a muddy track north of this border town and clamber aboard metal boats for a short trip across the Moei River, the narrow, cocoa-brown boundary between Myanmar and Thailand.

The women, victims of the economic ruin visited on this country by the world’s most enduring military dictatorship, are on their way to work in a factory on the opposite riverbank in Thailand. In the late afternoon, they cross back to Myanmar.

The commute serves a global textile industry driven by powerful forces. One is the misery of the nation formerly known as Burma, home to legions desperate for work. Another is America’s appetite for low-cost lingerie.

The women work at Top Form Brassiere (Mae Sot) Co., a unit of a Hong Kong-listed company, Top Form International Ltd. Most of the six million bras it will sew at its plant along the Moei River this year will end up in U.S. stores under names like Maidenform and Vanity Fair.

In the early morning, Buddhist monks go out on the streets of Mae Sot, Thailand, to collect alms and say prayers.

The labels say “Made in Thailand.” The workers, though, come mostly from Myanmar.

“There is nothing over there for them,” says Michael Lurer, boss of the Top Form factory. The 32-year-old American argues that his jobs, providing take-home pay of about $3 a day, offer an opportunity for the hungry from Myanmar. “They have no food, no income, no nothing,” he says, standing outside his riverside plant, a few miles from the Thai town of Mae Sot.

Debate over globalization, particularly over locating production in impoverished lands, has raged for years. Fans say it brings economic opportunity and development. Critics say it drives down wages world-wide and encourages exploitation.

Isolated Myanmar, where military rulers last month crushed peaceful protests led by Buddhist monks, offers an especially raw example of the border-crossing pressures and dilemmas unleashed by international trade.

Globalization is reaching into the most remote and politically toxic nooks and crannies of the world economy. U.S. and European sanctions stop most Western companies from setting up shop in Myanmar. But the long arm of trade gets around the barriers in places like this border zone, by sucking labor into neighboring countries.

Myanmar also poses an ethical conundrum for Westerners concerned about the role multinationals may play in propping up rogue regimes. Myanmar is such an economic wasteland that many of its roughly 56 million people lust for jobs few others want to do. Cost-conscious factory bosses across the border, while acting simply out of self-interest, end up providing jobs that both the people of Myanmar and its military government need.

The former British colony was once the world’s largest rice exporter, with a promising economy. The military took power in 1962 and launched a self-reliance drive, seizing businesses and booting out Indian businesspeople.

Military rulers in the late 1980s began to court foreign investment and trade, which developed with Asian neighbors, but repressive policies continued to stymie relations with the West. In recent years, although surging energy prices boosted Myanmar’s revenue from natural gas, the regime blew a large chunk of its cash on building a new capital and on fuel subsidies.

Here in Myawaddy, a big frontier town, shops sell local garlic and other produce, but are otherwise stocked almost entirely with goods from Thailand and China. Myawaddy has only a handful of paved roads and few cars. Electricity is erratic. Jobs are scarcer still.

The main employer, a big garment factory, shut down several years ago as orders dried up, in part because of U.S. and European sanctions. The biggest enterprise now is a distillery, Grand Royal Whisky, which churns out rot-gut booze that sells for $1 a bottle. Smuggling across the river is the principal growth industry.

The Moei is lined with small jetties, from which boats — for a small fee — carry people and goods between Thailand and Myanmar.

Myanmar is “rotting like a dead fish,” says Saw Sei, a penniless 39-year-old who last week walked across Friendship Bridge from Myawaddy to the Thai town of Mae Sot. To start what he hopes will be a new life, he borrowed the equivalent of $15 from friends — at 10% monthly interest — and says he’ll take any job in Thailand that pays $1.50 a day or more.

Myawaddy was quiet during the protests in Myanmar’s two largest cities, Yangon and Mandalay, and the junta’s crackdown on them. Still, security agents monitor local monasteries and tail visitors through the town’s potholed backstreets.

Myanmar’s economic desperation, which deepened in August with boosts in the price of motor fuel and cooking gas, was a catalyst for the protests. It has driven at least 100,000, and possibly two or three times this number, to seek work over the border in and around Mae Sot. In all, more than two million people from Myanmar are thought to work in Thailand, though only a quarter of that number have Thai work papers.

The relatively fortunate get jobs in a few factories like Top Form, which says it registers all of its migrant workers and pays the minimum daily wage set by regional authorities: 147 baht, around $4.30. Mr. Lurer says he employs 1,450 people, mostly women from Myanmar. The factory is clean and well-ventilated. It has a staff nurse and works with a local hospital.

Some workers complain that they have to pay a third of their wages for food and lodging on the premises, whether needed or not. Top Form says it is required to provide lodging for migrant workers, and that the money goes to an outside owner of the dormitory. Beds are in a ramshackle temporary shelter made of metal sheets until builders finish a big new dorm.

Mr. Lurer says employees are supposed to sleep on the premises. Many do. But, he says, he can’t stop some crossing the river to Myanmar. Unlike many factories, which keep staff virtually imprisoned, “We’re not going to lock the gates,” he says.

Most Burmese, as everyone still calls them, who cross the river for jobs toil illegally for a fraction of the minimum wage. They labor in sweatshops, on building sites, in brothels or at other grubby work shunned by most Thais. Hospital figures show that foreigners in Mae Sot who had the health checks required by work permits totaled only 21,337 this year — no more than a fifth of the migrants.

Take S D Fashion Co., sealed off behind a high wall and big metal gate. It employs hundreds of workers from Myanmar but hasn’t had a single one screened for health this year, according to hospital records. Its human-resources manager says the factory has registered some but not all of its workers, blaming bureaucracy.

Labor activists denounce what they say is systematic exploitation in the border zone. They have had some success in curbing the worst abuses. A Thai labor tribunal in May ordered an S D Fashion subcontractor to give the equivalent of $36,000 to 134 underpaid workers. The case had begun when workers, mostly unregistered, tried to negotiate better conditions and were promptly fired.

Ma Naing, 43, crossed the Friendship Bridge from Myanmar 18 years ago and has since labored at half a dozen Thai factories. Not one paid even half the minimum wage, she says. She says her last boss had her handcuffed when she refused to sign a form saying she received the legal wage. She later escaped with help from a labor-rights organization tipped off about her ordeal.

Despite rampant abuse, neither workers nor labor-rights activists want foreign buyers to cancel orders from factories on the border. This, they say, would merely leave migrants without work and shift the abuse to other places with low labor costs.

“There is too much cheap labor in the world — this is the big problem,” says Than Doke, an activist in a 1988 student-led uprising in Myanmar that, like the recent protests, was brutally suppressed. Now in exile in Mae Sot, he helps run a group called the Burma Labour Solidarity Organization.

In 2003, it and a Norwegian group compiled detailed evidence that a Mae Sot factory was using underage and underpaid workers to produce goods bearing the brand name Tommy Hilfiger. The U.S. garment company says the production either was unauthorized or involved counterfeits. According to labor activists, the factory fired 800 workers and closed.

“There is a real moral dilemma for everyone involved,” says Kevin Hewison, a scholar at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill who has studied Myanmar’s migrant labor. Abuse needs to be tackled, he says, but “if this leads to workers losing jobs and being sent back to Burma, a lot of people will be hurt.”

Sanctions present a similar dilemma. The U.S. barred investment in Myanmar in the late 1990s and cut off trade in 2003. Europe imposed more limited restrictions in 2004. Most major Western companies now avoid direct involvement in Myanmar, except for a “grandfathered” investment by Chevron Corp. in a Myanmar gas field and pipeline and a stake in the same project held by France’s Total SA. The White House wants to tighten the economic squeeze in response to the regime’s current repression.

The aim is to punish Myanmar’s secretive leaders. But the sanctions hit ordinary people hardest — and help drive job seekers across the Moei River.

Just before the military’s assault on protesters Sept. 27, Mr. Lurer of Top Form visited sewing workshops in Yangon. He says he went to figure out why bra workers with years of experience kept turning up at his Thai plant pleading for work. The reason, he says, is that Myanmar’s bra factories have nearly all shut down because Western markets won’t take their goods.

After his return from protest-clogged Yangon, which he left just hours before the army started shooting, Mr. Lurer faced a small protest of his own. About two dozen of his Burmese workers took umbrage when a supervisor criticized their production rate. During a lunch break, they marched off to a Buddhist temple. The supervisor followed and asked them to sign resignation papers. They refused and went back to the factory.

Mr. Lurer called in the workers and showed them a copy of Time magazine with pictures of the turmoil in Myanmar. He says he told them they were free to stay or leave and, whatever their decision, would “not get shot, unlike over there.”

One worker, Moe Moe, who lives with her husband and a child in a hut on the Thai side, says she spoke up with complaints and was told to stop making trouble. All of the workers except her returned to the job. Mr. Lurer says he has checked the workers’ production figure and discovered that the supervisor was wrong to reprimand them.

For Asian bra factories, labor is a far smaller part of expense than materials. But the availability — and therefore the cost — of labor varies sharply from place to place. It’s the labor variable that lures underwear and other manufacturers to the Thailand-Myanmar border.

Amnart Nantaharn, head of the Mae Sot branch of the Federation of Thai Industries, blames the spotty registration of migrant workers on cumbersome Thai bureaucracy. He says labor activists — several of whom were attacked in the past by unknown assailants — stir up trouble needlessly.

Factory bosses shouldn’t worry too much about formalities such as work registration, Mr. Nantaharn says. “I tell them we can protect them” by talking to soldiers, police and others. “You don’t always have to pay money.”

Mr. Lurer at Top Form says his plant allows “no monkey business. None.” His biggest buyer is an intimate-apparel business, recently bought by Berkshire Hathaway’s Fruit of the Loom unit, which includes the brands Vanity Fair, Lily of France, Bestform and Vassarette. No one at Berkshire was available for comment, and several efforts to reach Fruit of the Loom officials for comment were unsuccessful.

Another big customer is New Jersey-based Maidenform Brands Inc. It says it requires all suppliers to comply with all labor laws and hires auditors to review each factory.

Top Form International sells more than 55 million bras a year. It does about 60% of its manufacturing in China. But the company said in a recent annual report that it would continue moving production “from expensive locations to low cost and labour abundant areas.”

The result: staff cuts in China’s increasingly expensive Guangdong province and near Bangkok, coupled with expansion on the Moei River. Mr. Lurer is building a new workshop and wants to add more Myanmar bra stitchers. He has also opened a separate Top Form plant in the center of Mae Sot. There, Myanmar workers make what he says are state-of-the-art seamless panties, also for export.

Like many factory bosses on the border, Mr. Lurer takes a dim view of labor activists, who have twice taken Top Form to labor tribunals over compensation claims by workers who said they’d been fired. Top Form won one case and lost one. Mr. Lurer says his plant gets “stabbed in the back” because it employs only registered workers who have the right to complain.

Min Lwin, secretary of the Federation of Trade Unions Burma, an exiled labor group, says Top Form follows the rules more than most companies. While some workers are “upset with conditions” at Top Form, he says, others “think Michael [Lurer] is their savior.”

Mr. Lurer is a migrant himself, having grown up in Florida, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Hong Kong and studied at a university in Dalian, China. He learned multiple languages, including some Burmese. Frequently on the road, he’s had bad luck with transport. He totaled a car on a mountain road and was in a plane crash at Mae Sot airport.

Before opening the riverbank plant in 2004, Mr. Lurer, Top Form’s regional director, had traveled across Thailand looking at sites. He checked out the border with another impecunious neighbor, Laos, but concluded that Laos, with only 6.5 million people, didn’t have a sufficient number of people so hungry for work they would cross the border into Thailand for it. Myanmar had a population more than eight times as large as Laos and was bursting with desperate people hunting for jobs.

It did have a few drawbacks. A big one was the presence of heavily armed men in rugged areas nearby. The stretch of riverbank across from his Thai bra factory is controlled by an outfit called the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army, an armed rabble from Myanmar’s restive Karen ethnic group. Members of the DKBA used to fight the Myanmar junta. Now they collaborate with it.

Mr. Lurer, who has struck up a rapport with the group, says he occasionally hears gunfire in the distance at night but hasn’t had any trouble. DKBA troops monitor river traffic from a rickety hut covered with tropical foliage.

More menacing for Top Form, says Mr. Lurer, are copycats trying to break into bra making. Last year, a knitting factory owned by Hong Kong and Thai interests poached about 10 of his workers and tried to expand into the lingerie business. The effort flopped. The border region, says Mr. Lurer, “is a cutthroat place.”

Hiatus

2007-10-14T21:33:00.000+07:00

Please TAKE ACTION and sign the following AVAAZ Petition HERE. It calls on the EU foreign ministers to impose sanctions on Burma. This comes as a critical time, as they will meet on Monday, Oct. 15, tomorrow! Please forward widely.
(http://www.avaaz.org/en/eu_squeeze_the_junta/tf.php?cl_tf_sign=1)

***The other 10 ONLINE PETITIONS FOR BURMA HERE.***

Hey guys,

I want to thank you all for visiting this site and doing your part to learn more, raise awareness, and call for action on the suffering and repression in Burma. More than 600 people from 30 countries have passed by this website in the past week alone!

Tomorrow, I being to make my way closer towards the border for my next post. I'll be working with activists who campaign against the extraction of conflict water resources and the environmental destruction and human rights abuses that that entails. Sorry for being so vague, but for the time being, I have to take the necessary precautions to protect myself and those for whom I work. I do not know what my internet access will be like once I touch down, but most likely, considerably less frequent than now.

In the meantime, I suggest that you look towards other news sources (linked on the left), most notably Irrawaddy and Burma News. Look around, for many of these sources get their stories days before CNN and Reuters. And for the burgeoning activists in you, please visit Burma Watch's website. The have many of the petitions listed, as well as information on other actions, ie, lobbying for EU sanctions, boycotting companies that invest in Burma, and boycotting the Olympics. The other 10 ONLINE PETITIONS FOR BURMA HERE. (There's one calling on the Nobel Prize Committe to confer this year's prize to the monkhood in Burma. While Al Gore and the IPCC have already jointly won this year's prize, I don't think starting next year's lobbying early is a bad idea!)

And for the avid readers, I recommend the following books:

1. Christina Fink's Living Silence lays a very good background on the political/social/cultural/religious aspects of life under military rule. She gives a simple, yet informative briefing on historical events, and her presentation of complicated facts is very easily understood. A good first book on Burma.

2. Aung San Suu Kyi's Freedom From Fear. Start at part 3. Gives insight into the thinking of Suu Kyi as demonstrated by her letters to various international governance bodies and human rights organizations, and also includes personal reflections from people who know/knew her best.

3. Emma Larkin's Finding George Orwell in Burma

4. George Orwell's 1984, Animal Farm, and Burmese Days

Also, for those who haven't already done so, please consider joining the Support the Monks' protest in Burma and the US Campaign for Burma Facebook groups.

Let me know if you have any questions or comments, and if you need help finding reputable organizations to whom you can donate, please feel free to email me.

freeburmaactioncenter@gmail.com

Be well, and keep fighting the good fight.

for a FREE BURMA,

Prison Conditions, Torture Techniques Appalling

2007-10-13T10:05:00.000+07:00

beatings rigorous to cause permanent injury; shackling of the legs or arms; burning victims with cigarettes; applying electric shocks to the victims' genitals, finger tips, toes, ear lobes, and elsewhere; suffocation; stabbing; rubbing of salt and chemicals in open wounds; forcing victims to stand in unusual and uncomfortable positions for extended periods of time, including 'riding the motorcycle,' which entails standing with warms outstretched and legs bent, and the 'helicopter,' in which the victim is suspended by the wrists or feet from a ceiling fixture and then spun around; deprivation of light and sleep; denial of medicine, food, exercise, and water for washing; employing the 'iron rod' in which iron or bamboo rods are rolled up and down the shins until the skin is lacerated; ordering solitary confinement with extremely small and insanitary cells for prolonged periods, and using psychological torture including threats of death and rape.

URGENT ACTION: PETITION TO CALL ON THE EU FOR SANCTIONS

2007-10-12T20:30:00.000+07:00

Friends, please TAKE ACTION and sign the following AVAAZ.org Petition HERE. It calls on the EU foreign ministers to impose sanctions on Burma. This comes as a critical time, as they will meet on Monday, Oct. 15, in 3 days! Please forward widely.
___________________
This Monday October 15, the 27 foreign ministers of the European Union will meet--and decide whether to keep their word on Burma.

More than three weeks ago, the day before the junta's brutal crackdown began, the EU warned that it would "not hesitate to reinforce and strengthen the existing sanctions regime" if the government resorted to violence.

As atrocities in Burma worsen, the EU must act. By threatening the generals' economic interests, targeted sanctions can squeeze the military and push them into negotiations without hurting the Burmese people. That's why the democracy movement and Aung San Suu Kyi are asking us to act, saying "Please use your liberty to promote ours."

Let's stand with the Burmese people and urge our foreign ministers to strengthen the sanctions - while offering aid and incentives for progress. Enter your information below, personalize the email message--or just hit send.

Sign the PETITION HERE.

(http://www.avaaz.org/en/eu_squeeze_the_junta/tf.php?cl_tf_sign=1)

***The other 10 ONLINE PETITIONS FOR BURMA HERE.***

No thanks, we'll handle it our way, says China.

As the Torturing Continues, UNSC adopts weak statement

2007-10-11T23:03:00.000+07:00

***The 10 ONLINE PETITIONS FOR BURMA HERE.***

In addition to accounts of the junta cremating protestors dead and alive, The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma) has reported deplorable conditions of prison cells and the use of torture against 88 Generation leaders, monks, and civilian dissidents held in detention centers. According to The Democratic Voice of Burma, a Norway-based radio station run by dissident journalist, because of torture, poor jail conditions, and the refusal of medical attention, detained protestors are dying in custody. The report HERE. U Than Aung and a member of Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy Party, Win Shwe (story HERE), are two of the dozens to have died in detention, claim opposition groups. Another report, by Reuters, HERE.

Moreover, the junta has denied the International Committee of the Red Cross access to detention centers to observe prison conditions and give medical aid.

In response to the military's violent use of force, today, the UN Security Council has issued a nonbinding "Presidential Statement," however, the spirit of the document may have been compromised by softening the language in order to placate China. While this marks an initial step by the UNSC to bring positive change to Burma, many pro-democracy groups are waiting for global concerns to be translated into concrete actions. With the exception of the US, economic and diplomatic sanctions--which China, India, and Japan do not support--have not been implemented (story HERE).

from CNN:
_____________
A compromise statement approved Thursday by all 15 U.N. Security Council members -- including close Myanmar ally China -- emphasized "the importance of the early release of all political prisoners and remaining detainees."

The United States, Britain and France proposed a stronger text that would have condemned the violence and called for the immediate release of the political prisoners and detainees, singling out the detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. But the text was watered down to get approval from China.

The council statement was read at a formal meeting shortly after the U.N. announced that Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was sending his special envoy to Myanmar, Ibrahim Gambari, back to the region next week for consultations with key governments on international efforts to promote talks between the government and the opposition.

The United States and other countries have pushed for international sanctions, but China said that only a more conciliatory approach would work.

"We believe that the situation there is relaxing and turning in a positive direction," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said. "The international community should help in a constructive way to help Myanmar to realize stability, reconciliation, democracy and development."

Sanctions a Viable Option that Hasn't Been Tested

2007-10-11T22:46:00.000+07:00

***The 10 ONLINE PETITIONS FOR BURMA HERE.***

China, India, and Japan have all argued against economic sanctions for Burma, saying that it would further destabilize the authoritarian state. However, for years Aung San Suu Kyi supported economic sanctions against the military regime. Her reasoning is that, despite the perception that the brunt of sanctions would be borne by rank-in-file Burmese, the lion's share of Burma's international trade benefits the junta and its supporters, and does very little to actually improve the quality of life for Burmese citizens. Rather, foreign investment has been linked with environmental destructive projects in which the extraction of resources has been linked to forced labor and forced relocation in Burma, amongst many other human rights abuses.

According to an article by AP released today, Philip S Robertson Jr, a human rights activist based in Bangkok, supports this view:

"Basically, the only country that's really taken any sort of significant sanctions against the Burma regime so far has been the United States," said "There are people saying, `Oh, sanctions haven't worked.' I would say that sanctions haven't really been tried."

Robertson added that Burmese citizens may be willing to put up with additional financial burdens if it helps quicken the junta's demise. The full article HERE

Ethnic Groups Lack Unity, Stay Out of Protests

2007-10-11T21:53:00.000+07:00

***The 10 ONLINE PETITIONS FOR BURMA HERE.***

The majority of armed ethnic insurgent groups have refrained from taking part in recent protests, not because they did not support the demonstrators, but because the various factions lack cohesion and are not united under a common standard and for decades have fought amongst themselves. Some, like the Karen National Liberation Army, continue the armed struggle for the independence that was promised them under the conditions of the 1947 Panglong Agreement, while others have signed ceasefires with the junta. With the signing of ceasefires, some insurgent groups such as the United Wa State Army, the New Mon State Party, and the Kachin Independence Organization have all have successfully negotiated for trade concessions, many of which include opium, whose production in Burma, according to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime has increased by 46% this year alone (story HERE). Much of the global trade in hard drugs comes from Burma--It is the world's second largest producer of heroin and Southeast Asia's #1 supplier of methanphetamines.

These unlawful trade deals, which constitute insurgent armies' primary source of funding, and the absence of a unified front amongst ethnic groups gives the Tatmadaw more political and military leverage and actually enables the military to further encroach on insurgent controlled territories. And public dissatisfaction with the ceasefires has eroded the support base of insurgents. Rather than fighting militarily or politically, some groups are complicitly facilitating the black market trade which keeps the junta afloat.

As a side note, it should be acknowledged, that while the junta has been more than willing to negotiate with illegal armed insurgents, to date, it has refused to hold unconditional talks with legal political entities, like the NLD. Perhaps it is because the military's rulers do not see political parties which subscribe to nonviolent means of civil disobedience as a threat. However, when confronted by opposition groups that resort to violent methods, they are more keen on having discussions.

Aung San Suu Kyi speaking on behalf of nonviolence below (linked HERE):

In her book Living Silence, Christina Fink notes that ethnic groups have traditionally been marginalized because of Burman feelings of superiority and because under the British, minorities were given different administrative and political systems than the Burmans. Moreover, many of the ethnic Kachin and Karens converted to Christianity and Catholicism, so do not identify with the needs and wants of the Burman Buddhist majority.

The demands of the minorities were never satisfactorily addressed even before independence, as the caretaker government feared the British would renege on their promises of grantly independence, they hastily drew up a Constitution without the participation of all nationalities.

And as some ethnic groups fought with the British against the Burma Independence during World War II, and were subject to disproportionate revenge and human rights abuses at the hands of the BIA, a high level of mistrust and suspicion still exists today.

Irrawaddy's article "Lack of Unity Kept Ethnic Groups Out of the Showdown" HERE.

Read more on the junta's secret war against ethnic minorities HERE.

The Oslo Center for Human Rights' Letter: 21 Former World Leaders Call on China to Change Position on Burma, Support Arms Embargo

2007-10-11T05:54:00.000+07:00

***The 10 ONLINE PETITIONS FOR BURMA HERE.***

Last week, 21 world leaders issued a letter (full text HERE) to Chinese President Hu Jintao with 3 demands, including support of an international arms embargo against the ruling junta:

(1) Support the international calls for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and all political prisoners in Burma;

(2) Utilize fully China's unique position to facilitate/support a peaceful tri-partite dialogue, as referred to ...by the UN General Assembly; and

(3) Support Security Council agreement on a peaceful binding resolution designed to strengthen the multilaterla political efforts and impose an immediate arms embargo for Burma.

In spite of the UN Secretary General, the UN General Assembly, ASEAN, the EU, 59 former Presidents and Prime Ministers and all living Nobel Peace Laureates' support of Aung San Suu Kyi and democracy in Burma, China is surprisingly obstinate in its continued support for Burma.

Here is Archbishop Desmond Tutu's call for peace in Burma. Tutu, a Nobel Peace Laureate, is a leading support of the Olympics Boycott on the condition that China continues its backing of Burma's generals.

HERE is the press conference video of Tutu on Sept. 28, two days after the crackdown began. Same as the video embedded below:

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Today's email from US Campaign for Burma

When one reads the Olympic slogan "One World, One Dream" it may seem hypocritical to some that China would block a UN initiative to ban arms shipments to a miltary regime that only uses them on their own people. Yet, it is true.

In fact, the UN Security Council is right now working on a non-binding statement to criticize the slaughter of innocent monks and civilians in Burma, and China is even trying to "water down" the language so it is as weak as possible. Shameful. (AFP Article HERE).

We are only just beginning to fight, and China is going to be hearing from a lot more people in the very near future. As long as China refuses to do anything meaningful on Burma, we will support an Olympic boycott. (More info on the Olympics boycott HERE). As of now the Olympic games are a shameful tribute to the worst kind of behavior. Take a minute today to send an email to the Olympic organizers letting them know where you stand. We want millions of people to email them and let them know you plan to boycott the Olympics: ticketsupport@beijing2008.cn

China is greatly concerned about the possibility of a boycott -- that is why last week they called an emergency press conference in Washington, DC to defend themselves -- but at the press conference, they announced no changes in their policy on Burma. It was just a sham. (Washington Post Article HERE).

Let's take action today -- let them hear you loud and clear.

Aung Din, Jeremy Woodrum, Jennifer Quigley, and Thelma Young

China Seeks Revisions of UNSC Statement

2007-10-10T21:56:00.000+07:00

***The 10 ONLINE PETITIONS FOR BURMA HERE.***
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Despite harsh international criticism and threats of an Olympic boycott, China's support for Burma has not diminished, but rather threatens to undermine possible UN Security Council action. For more on the Olympic boycott on behalf of Burma (and Darfur, Tibet, and other victims of China's policies), please visit the No Olympics blog HERE.
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News.com.au's article published yesterday:

UN security council experts met today to finetune a Western-sponsored statement condemning the bloody military crackdown in Burma, but China pressed for softer language.

Experts from the council's 15 members huddled behind closed doors this afternoon in a search of consensus on a draft that could be submitted to their ambassadors for approval.

Early today, China's deputy UN ambassador Liu Zhenmin said there would be consultations "to improve the text", meaning to soften language in the draft submitted by the United States, Britain and France on Friday.

The three Western powers introduced their text after the council heard a report from UN envoy Ibrahim Gambari on his recent mission to Burma to defuse the crisis.

The draft would condemn "the violent repression of peaceful demonstrations" by Burma's rulers, urge them to "cease repressive measures" and release detainees as well as all political prisoners, including opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

It was submitted amid intense pressure for strong council action from world public opinion following outrage over Burma's deadly repression of peaceful anti-government protests led by Buddhist monks late last month.

Official figures reveal at least 13 people died and more than 2100 were locked up in the crackdown as security forces used live rounds, baton charges and tear gas to crush protests involving up to 100,000 people.

On Saturday, protests were held in several cities around the world in support of Burma's embattled pro-democracy movement.

"What is important is that the council give a strong message in support of Professor Gambari," a South African diplomat said as he went into the meeting.

The diplomat predicted agreement on a text by Wednesday at the earliest.

Italy's UN Ambassador Marcello Spatafora for his part stressed that it was urgent for the council to send a "strong, unified' message to Burma's ruling junta.

"There's a sense of urgency to send a strong message, a unified message, at the right moment. That is now," he said.

Unlike a resolution, a presidential statement requires the consent of all 15 members to be adopted.

China, which has close ties with Burma and favours constructive engagement with its military regime, warned last week that putting pressure on the ruling generals "would lead to confrontation".

China's UN envoy Wang Guangya Friday urged members to adopt "a prudent and responsible approach".

The United States has threatened to push for UN sanctions against the military regime, including an arms embargo, if it refuses to halt its crackdown and refused to cooperate with Mr Gambari's mediation for national reconciliation.

But any sanctions resolution was likely to face resistance and possibly a veto from China and Russia, which deem the turmoil in the South-East Asian country an internal matter and not a threat to broader peace and security.

Last January, China and Russia used a rare double veto to block a US-sponsored draft resolution that would have called on Burma's rulers to free all political detainees and end sexual violence by the military.

In a conciliatory move apparently aimed at forestalling tough council condemnation, Burma's rulers trumpeted the release of hundreds of monks and demonstrators and donated thousands of dollars as well as food and medicines to monasteries in rangoon.

And junta chief Than Shwe named the deputy labour minister, Aung Kyi, as the "manager for relations" with Aung San Suu Kyi, four days after the military supremo made a heavily conditioned offer to meet with the Nobel Peace prize laureate, state television said.

Aung San Suu Kyi, who has come to symbolise Burma's peaceful struggle for democracy, has spent most of the past 18 years under house arrest.

On Friday, Mr Gambari had said that all council members agreed the status quo in Burma "is unacceptable and unsustainable" and backed his plan to pay a return visit to Burma before mid-November.

New Petition Calling on UN Secretary General's Support

2007-10-10T13:27:00.000+07:00

The Alternative ASEAN Network on Burma (Altsean-Burma) has a petition calling on UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon for steadfast support of a binding resolution requiring the restoration of democracy to Burma
HERE.

I have added in to the 9 other petitions HERE. The html still says "9," because if I changed the title, the old url would be inaccessible for others who've already marked it.

Please feel free to link the petitions page and get the word out! Let me know if you come across other petitions that I haven't linked, or have any comments or suggestions about this blog. Thanks.

freeburmaactioncenter@gmail.com

Confirmed Reports of Junta's Cremation of Protesters, Dead and Alive

2007-10-10T01:33:00.000+07:00

***The 10 ONLINE PETITIONS FOR BURMA HERE.***
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The junta has ordered the large scale burning of protesters' bodies in a heavily guarded secret crematoriums located northeast of Yangon. The burnings began on the night of September 28, less than 24 hours after the military opened fire on the monk led demonstrations. The burning of bodies is a guarantee that the death toll will never be known. No identification of bodies is performed. The full report from BurmaNet News can be read HERE.

Almost a week ago, US Campaign for Burma posted a clip of a woman stating that protesters were being burnt, including ones still alive. The clip can be accessed HERE.

The full scale of the violence employed in raids on monasteries is finally being made known. More and more reports are coming confirming earlier allegations that the junta is in fact massacring monks. Up to 200 had their heads bashed in at Mwe Kya Jan monastery.

Refusing Conditional Talks, NLD calls for Open Dialogue

2007-10-09T23:52:00.000+07:00

***Don't forget, the 10 ONLINE PETITIONS FOR BURMA HERE.***
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The National League of Democracy (NLD) issued the following statement today in response to Than Shwe's offer to meet with Aung San Suu Kyi on the condition that she ends her call for international sanctions against the ruling junta:

"The success of a dialogue is based on sincerity and the spirit of give and take," said the statement by the National League for Democracy. "The will for achieving success is also crucial and there should not be any preconditions."

Whether the junta is making a genuine effort towards national reconciliation or is just stalling for time, the NLD's answer puts dictator Than Shwe in a difficult position. Perhaps he was hoping that the 12 years of incarceration have dampened Suu Kyi's indominable fighting spirit, that while on the cusp of a peaceful revolution, she would readily trade her moral authority and political courage for mere token concessions rather than risk more killings. Suu Kyi knows far well that giving in will just play into the junta's hands, allowing the ruling elite to continue to stall on its promises for political change and social rejuvenation.

Enters Than Shwe's dilemma. For if he fails to concede to the demand for open dialogue, his retroactive reaction will undoubtedly stoke the dual flames of internal dissension and international disapproval. However, if he gives in, it's a sure sign that his power and influence over the domestic affairs of Burma are not immune from international pressure, and any deviation from this 15 years of subscription to hardline, iron-fisted rule may serve as the harbinger of his political demise. Most likely, regardless of which choice he takes, it will bring about unfavorable consequences for him. Already, his power base is eroding.

Today, the British Broadcasting Corporation reported that a diplomat at Myanmar's embassy in London resigned to protest the military's use of force to quell last month's uprisings. Ye Min Tun said,

"I have never seen such a scenario in the whole of my life. The government is arresting and beating the peaceful Buddhist monks," he told the BBC. "I think that my fellow colleagues will make their decision on their own -- but I can't say that anybody's going to follow my way."

British government records have Ye Min Tun listed as a second secretary on the embassy's staff roster.

This comes after Hla Win, a mid-ranking major and former intelligence officer, defected after the crackdown began. He is the most senior official to defect so far, and his claims have many fearing that the death toll may have surpassed that of the 1988 uprising:

“Many more people have been killed in recent days than you’ve heard about. The bodies can be counted in several thousand.” He fled to Thailand after refusing orders to raid two monasteries, kill the monks, and dump their corpses deep in the jungle."

Consul General of Myanmar Stalls Tourists

2007-10-09T17:08:00.000+07:00

***The 10 ONLINE PETITIONS FOR BURMA HERE.***
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***A true account of my own experiences today***

Wiping the sweat away from my brow and practicing line over line in my head, I approached the service window at Consul General of Myanmar's office today. Perhaps I had not in my mind developed a clear strategy, but my purpose was more or less clear: Get a tourist visa. In a time like this, why would anyone think of visiting Burma for travel and/or leisure? Maybe it was not the safest or smartest approach, however, I wanted a legitimate greenlight to enter the strife-ridden country to bear witness to not only the carnage of the past few weeks, but the difficulties of daily life in Burma. I had no set plan to step foot over the border, but just in case the situation got much worse, a visa would allow me to roughly document events of which the world needs to be aware. Only now do I fully understand how stupid and risky this would be and that I must more attentively keep my rash superman complex in check. I had to keep in mind that unlucky fates have fallen on other journalists, and I would need to reevealuate my choices.

I nervously approached the counter. In the elevator, I had planned to start with a "Beh lo leh," which is the equivalent of an informal "How're you doing?" But I could tell by the clerk's demeanor that I could spare her the superficial niceties.

The ensuing conservation went something like this:

I told her I'd like to apply for a visa.

"What kind?"

"A tourist visa...um, how long does it take to process?"

"Not sure...2-3 weeks. Maybe longer"

"But the sign over there says that it can be issued in one day"

"That's old. That was before."

It didn't dawn on me that this sudden change in policy was in response to the recent protests. On the way back to the ground floor, I shared an elevator with a couple other workers in the consulate. When I asked about the new visa processing wait time, one responded, "The visa office now is under special conditions. We have to [do background] check[s]."

What was originally a one day turnover time now was an indefinite wait. How I read the situation was that the Consul is taking efforts to keep tourists out, hoping that the current unrest in Burma quickly "blows over." I suppose this is the Consul General's precaution against journalists' posing as tourists and tourists' smuggling photos and information out of the country. There was no way I was going to leave my passport there and give them the luxury of a couple weeks' time to do a comprehensive background check on me.

**pictured, a tourist application form for the Union of Myanmar

Burma's Secret War against Ethnic Minorities

2007-10-09T16:20:00.000+07:00

from AP

While international attention has focused on the protests for democracy in Myanmar's cities, a hidden war has decimated generations of the country's powerless ethnic minorities, who have faced brutality for decades.

The Karen, the Shan and other minority groups who live along the Myanmar-Thai border have been attacked, raped and killed by government soldiers. Their thatched-roofed, bamboo homes have been torched. Men have been seized into forced labor for the army, while women, children and the elderly either hide out in nearby jungles until the soldiers leave or flee over the mountains to crowded, makeshift refugee camps.

Children from the Karen National Union insurgent army at the 51st anniversary celebrations of the army's rebellion.

"Many, many thousands of Karen have died in those 60 years," Karen National Union secretary general Mahn Sha said this week of his people's struggle for autonomy since 1947.

The military junta has denied reports of atrocities and says the ethnic rebels are "terrorists" trying to overthrow the government.

The Southeast Asian nation, formerly known as Burma, has more than 100 subtribes. Myanmar's diverse minority groups make up nearly a third of the country's 54 million population.

About two-thirds of the country belongs to the Burman ethnic majority, which is also known as the Myanmar. The other ethnic groups include the Shan, the Karen, the Chin, the Mon, the Arakan or Rakhine, and the Kachin.

Thousand of refugees, mostly from a Muslim ethnic minority known as Rohingyas, have fled over Myanmar's western border with Bangladesh over the years because of persecution by the military junta and economic hardship. The Kachin in the far north, along the border with China, have clashed with the central government, as have the Chin in the central western region bordering India, and the Mon in the south along the Andaman Sea.

But the military is most aggressive in the eastern states along Myanmar's 1,300-mile border with Thailand, a frontier longer than the Texas-Mexico border.

Mary Callahan, a Myanmar expert at the University of Washington, said the junta has signed 27 cease-fire agreements with rebels, many of them allowing ethnic groups to keep their arms.

The Karen National Union is the only major ethnic rebel group not to have concluded a cease-fire and its separatist struggle is one of the world's longest-running insurgencies.

The Karen struggle is concentrated in Karen and Kayah states in the middle of the Thai border region, but fighting also sometimes flares in Shan state to the north. Mon and Taninthayi states, which border Thailand in the south, have been quiet for more than a decade.

After the junta's brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in 1988, many Burmese fled to the Thai border. The ethnic minorities did not trust them at first, but after years of interaction and intermarriage, some of the students-turned-soldiers settled along the border.

Now minority groups wonder if there will be a new influx of Burmese because they led the recent pro-democracy protests in Yangon and other cities. The Karen have held meetings to express solidarity with the anti-government protesters.

The current protests began on August 19 after the government sharply raised fuel prices in one of Asia's poorest countries. But they are based in deep-rooted dissatisfaction with 45 years of repressive military rule.

"The people have decided never to stop and never to surrender. They [the government] cannot stop all the people all the time," said Mahn Sha of the Karen National Union.

Myanmar protesters will be welcomed by the ethnic groups, but the question remains how both can use the unrest to their advantage.

"We need to work together with the Mon, other groups, the students, to fight the [junta]. We have a common enemy and common goals," Mahn Sha said.

"It is the beginning of the crack that could bring down the dictators. Even if these protests are crushed, it will still be a big block out of that tower. We all look at this with hope," Dah Say, a Karenni who is a member of the Free Burma Rangers, said in a telephone interview Wednesday.

The actor Sylvester Stallone, who just finished filming his "Rambo" sequel on the Salween River separating Thailand and Myanmar's Karen state, drew attention to the violence along the border.

He said his movie crew was shocked by the border situation, calling it a "full-scale genocide."

"I witnessed the aftermath -- survivors with legs cut off and all kinds of land mine injuries, maggot-infested wounds and ears cut off. We saw many elephants with blown off legs," he told The Associated Press on Monday.

"We hear about Vietnam and Cambodia -- and this was more horrific," he said.
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Dispatch's horrifying, yet informative report Burma's Secret War is linked HERE and embedded below. In Burma's Secret War, "Dispatches exposes the new surge in violence inflicted on the Burmese people by their own regime. Enslaved by a brutal military dictatorship which wields absolute power, Burma is a secretive state where suppression reigns and dissent is not tolerated.

Journalist Evan Williams, who is banned from entering the country after reporting on Burma for more than 10 years, goes undercover to investigate the mass ethnic cleansing, forced labour and vicious clamping down of political opposition which characterise the dictatorship." HERE is Investigative TV Journalism website Four Corner's synopsis of William's report.

Other videos can be seen on the left panel of the blog or at youtube.

If you haven't already, please SIGN THE 9 PETITIONS FOR BURMA HERE.

Amid offers of conditional dialogue, Junta pushes to seize UN data discs

2007-10-09T09:52:00.000+07:00

***Don't forget, the 9 ONLINE PETITIONS FOR BURMA HERE.***
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Than Shwe's offer of holding conditional talks with main opposition leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi should not be seen as a symbol of weakness or indicative of, in anyway, caving in to international criticism. His appointment of deputy labor minister and retired general Aung Kyi as a liaison between the junta and Suu Kyi, at Gambari's suggestion, may have for the time being pacified China and Russia. But the international community is all too aware that Than Shwe rose through the ranks precisely because of his mastery of psychological warfare. Many are convinced that his offer of talks and appointment of an envoy to Suu Kyi is but merely a ploy to fend off internal and external dissent, and to buy more time. Yesterday's AP article on this story HERE. The commentary, "Burma's Diplomatic Offense" HERE.

Unfortunately, Than Shwe's supposed actions of goodwill are incongruous with the junta's continued efforts to stem protests and quash political dissidents. HERE is today's article by The Times and AFP. The piece "Junta in move to seize UN data discs" tells of the junta's attempts to seize UN data discs, which have sensitive information on anti-government political leaders and organizations. UN workers are fighting to keep the files confidential. While the junta sought the appropriate diplomatic channels through which they could legally obtaining the coveted information, UN staffers spent much of the weekend frantically deleting the files, as they fear the information will be used to identify opposition leaders, many of whom have already going into hiding.

Gambari's Four Demands, the UNSC's Five Points of Consensus, and Sanctions

2007-10-09T09:17:00.000+07:00

A Oct. 8 UN report (linked HERE) lists UN special envoy to Myanmar Ibrahim Gambari's demands, as well as the Five Points of Consensus to which the UN Security Council agreed on Monday:
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Gambari said the UN is waiting for a concrete response from the Burmese government on the issues raised by him. These include: release of political prisoners; humanitarian access to those in need; cessation of hostilities against ethnic minorities; health and educational issues; and co-operation with the ILO.

“Then we have added some new ideas; for example, how to deal with the underlying process of discontent of an economic and political nature, and also possible ideas about constitution review. Now we are just waiting for the response. We will judge by what they actually do,” Gambari said in response to a question.

After his third briefing before the Security Council in ten days, Gambari said five points of consensus have emerged.

“One is that unity among Council members is the key to really getting Myanmar and the authorities to move along the lines that we all want, which is peaceful, democratic Myanmar, with full respect for human rights,” he said.

“Secondly, there is strong support among all Council members for the role of the good offices of the Secretary General.

“Third, there is a consensus… that the status quo ante is unacceptable and unsustainable and is probably unrealistic. We cannot go back to the situation before the recent crisis. The underlining factors—socio-economic and political—must be addressed,” he said.

Fourth is the critical role of Asean, the neighboring countries and regional powers.

“The fifth point that emerged by consensus in the discussions is that a return visit to Myanmar and to the region would be useful in order to keep the momentum, which we must not allow to slip,” Gambari said.
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Back to the issue of sanctions and the generals' opinion that Burma is in the throes of economic development and ecstacy, a commentary indicates:

"In 2005, the average Burmese citizen had an annual income of $170, compared to $350 and $400 in Cambodia and Laos."

The difference between Burma and other poor Southeast Asian countries is that Burma has been unable to prove to the world that it is capable of good governance, and so has suffered from reduced aid and stringent sanctions, not to mention rejection by development institutions like the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund.

The Junta's "Road Map to Democracy" a sham

2007-10-09T08:10:00.000+07:00

Than Shwe has been quote by the New Light of Myanmar as stating, "Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has called for confrontation, utter devastation, economic sanctions and all other sanctions." Only after she gives up these four demands, will Than Shwe be willing to engage in a dialogue with her.

However, UN special envoy to Myanmar Ibrahim Gambari and Malaysia have stressed the necessity of unconditional sanctions to help both parties gain trust and cooperate in achieving national reconciliation.

While Suu Kyi has called for the international community to enact sanctions against the junta, she have never publicly wished for chaos and the overthrow of the government.
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from today's New York Times Article "Myanmar Reaches Out to Dissident:

A commentary on Monday in the government’s English-language newspaper, The New Light of Myanmar, indicated that the government was not planning to release her any time soon, despite widespread demands from abroad.

“The three demands of the protesters — lowering consumer prices, release of Aung San Suu Kyi and political prisoners, and national reconciliation — cannot be satisfied through protest,” the paper said.

It added: “Now, those responsible are making arrangements to draft the state Constitution and collect the list of voters. When the state Constitution is approved, the fulfillment of the three demands will be within reach.” The drafting of a new constitution is one of the steps on a “road map” that the junta says will lead to a form of “disciplined democracy,” but the constitutional guidelines it adopted in August assured that the military would play the dominant role in any government.

The completion of a constitution and its approval in a referendum could still take many months or years, some analysts have said.

French Oil Giant Total SA's Total Denial

2007-10-08T23:37:00.000+07:00

Let's not forget Total SA. Besides American-owned Chevron, French oil giant Total is one of the junta's most substantial investors. From Total alone, the military regime pockets $750 million annually.

According to the Students Against Total website, Total is responsible for being complicit in:

"Funding one of the worst regimes in the world-providing them with $750 million per year while they use rape as a weapon, torture political prisoners and carry out ethnic genocide

Using slave labour on their pipeline (Total recently came to an out-of-court settlement with 6 villagers who had Total in court for using them as slaves)

Employing Burmese soldiers (including child soldiers) to guard their pipeline and not investigating or pressing for investigations into the abuses comitted by the soldiers in the area-including the rape last year of a 14 year old by 16 soldiers guarding the pipeline

Providing the French government with millions of dollars a year in response for France vetoing all EU resolutions against Burma"

According to an Earthrights International reported (linkedHERE), one of the most incriminating articles of evidence against Total and Unocal (Total bought out the latter after it lost the monumental case DOE VS. UNOCAL, in which an Alien Tort Claim brought against UNOCAL was won by 15 indigenous villagers from Burma)was a telegram sent from the US Embassy in Yangon to the US State Department in 1995. It was sent my Joel Robinson, Unocal's manager for special projects. I exposed Unocal's knowledge and acceptance of the environmental degradation, forced relocated of villages, and forced labor of civilians in connected with the Yadana gas pipeline project. Robinson so notably wrote:

"It is impossible to operate in a completely abuse-free environment when you have the Burmese government as a partner."

It was thought that corporate social responsbility would be a cornerstone principle of Total CEO Christophe de Margerie's approach to oil extraction. Previously, he declared "We have to go where the oil and gas is, though not at any cost." However, he has reversed his stance, defiantly stating that Total will not pull out at Burma.

According to Journalist Evan Williams's expose Burma's Secret War, which is linked HERE, Total SA works out of British tax havens in the Bermuda Islands. The UK has been trying to stop this for years, but due to EU common law, the British government's hands are tied.

MORE INFORMATION ON TOTAL SA
Boycott Total Oil: The Students Against Total's website.
Total Out of Burma's website HERE.
For Total, pulling out of Myanmar not the answer.International Herald Tribune. Sept. 27, 2007
Total's response to allegations of human rights abuses HERE. Total SA website.
Last Friday, Total's CEO says Total won't leave Burma. His statement HERE.

The Dirty List of companies doing business with Burma's junta, compiled by The Burma Campaign UK.

The Clean List of companies that have either pulled out of Burma, or made a principled decision not to do business in Burma. It is not comprehensive, but does give a scope of how public outcry has led to corporate social responsibily. The list details the companies' reasons for pulling out or refraining from investing in Burma. Also compiled by the Burma Campaign UK.

Oct 9 Day of Action Against Chevron

2007-10-08T23:19:00.000+07:00

Today is the Day of Protest against American oil giant Chevron. Chevron joins the ranks of France's Total SA and South Korea's Daewoo as the biggest investors in Burma's bountiful oil and gas deposits.

SOME MORE INFORMATION ON CHEVRON
Chevron's Pipeline is the Burmese Regime's Lifeline. Truthdig. Oct. 2, 2007
Chevron's links to Burma stir critics to demand it pull out. San Francisco Chronicle. Oct. 4, 2007
Information for the Protest of Chevron corporation for their involvement with oil and gas projects in Burma. Chevron Protester. Oct. 2, 2007
SIGN Earthrights International's PETITION urging Chevron to use its influence to help stop the crackdown, and to stop investing in Burma HERE.

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***from http://protestchevron.blogspot.com***
CALL TO ACTION!

We will be holding the CHEVRON PROTEST through FAX and PHONE calls on TUESDAY October 9th from 1:00pm-3:00pm Pacific Time (9:00pm-11pm GMT).

Chevron pays millions of dollars in oil and gas royalties to the current military junta. We will demand that they put these royalties in escrow for the legitimate, elected government of Burma headed by Aung San Suu Kyi. These monies are being pocketed by the military leaders - it is not their money.

HERE is the contact info for each Chevron office throughout the world.
We will be calling the California Headquarters office from 9pm-11pm GMT -- 1-3pm US Pacific Time

You should also call your local Chevron office at 1-3pm your local time if you are outside the US/Canada/Mexico

When you call or fax ask for David O'Reilly, the CEO, to register your concern and protest Chevron's activity in Burma and ask that they put the royalty money in escrow for the elected government of Burma.
The company is holding an investor update at 2pm local time so this is the perfect window of time to call.

Find Chevron's contact information for your country HERE.

The Oil and Gas Industry is the Junta's Lifeline

2007-10-08T22:36:00.000+07:00

*****Again, the NINE (9) online PETITIONS HERE, including a new petition against the Shwe Gas Project, and one calling for Chevron to divest.*****

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American company Chevron, France's Total SA, South Korea's Daewoo, and the Gas Authority of India are some of the major investors in Burma's oil and gas resources. The Yadana, Yetagun, and Shwe Gas Projects have exploited the voiceless, caused human rights abuses, destroyed the environment, and propped up the military dictatorship. From the Shwe Gas Project alone, it is estimated that the junta will pocket more than $2 billion annually. In developing these resources, the junta forcibly relocates villages and uses villagers as slave labor.

Soldiers, contracted by investors to protect project sites, have been implicated in killings, beatings, and arrests, and sexual violence against women is commonplace, perpetuating the cycle of human rights abuses.

Also, rather than benefitting local communities, who largely depend on wood for fuel, the SPDC exports its energy resources--not just oil and gas, but hydroelectric power as well--out of the country. This creates a vicious positive feedback loop, as reliance on wood causes increased deforestation and environmental degradation. The revenue from these "conflict resources" benefits only the junta and gives the SPDC purchasing power for arms, which are used to further control and suppress the population. You can read more on Burma's complete lack of corporate social responsibility HERE.

More news links and further information:
Trade and Security Trump Democracy in Burma. Business and Human Rights Resource Centre
Earthrights International's campaign to call on the oil and gas industry to help stop the violence in Burma
"An Industry Blind to People's Tears. The Bangkok Post. Sept 15, 2007
Firms Seek Access to Myanmar Oil Fields. Associated Press. Sept. 29, 2007
Burma: Business As Usual For Big Oil. Oil Change International. Oct. 1, 2007
Myanmar's Resources Provide Leverage. The New York Times. Oct. 1, 2007
Pipeline Politics. The Irrawaddy. Oct. 5, 2007

SHWE GAS
The Shwe Gas Movement's website.
Sign the Shwe Gas Movement's petition to halt South Korea's Daewoo from extracting gas in Western Burma until human rights are upheld HERE.

CHEVRON
Chevron's Pipeline is the Burmese Regime's Lifeline. Truthdig. Oct. 2, 2007
Chevron's links to Burma stir critics to demand it pull out. San Francisco Chronicle. Oct. 4, 2007
Information for the Protest of Chevron corporation for their involvement with oil and gas projects in Burma. Chevron Protester. Oct. 2, 2007
Burma Watch's Global Day of Protest Against Chevron, Oct. 9. Burma Watch.
Sign Earthrights International's petition urging Chevron to use its influence to help stop the crackdown, and to stop investing in Burma HERE.

TOTAL SA
Boycott Total Oil's website.
For Total, pulling out of Myanmar not the answer.International Herald Tribune. Sept. 27, 2007
Total's response to allegations of human rights abuses HERE. Total SA website.
Last Friday, Total's CEO says Total won't leave Burma. His statement HERE.

The Dirty List of companies doing business with Burma's junta, compiled by The Burma Campaign UK.

The Clean List of companies that have either pulled out of Burma, or made a principled decision not to do business in Burma. It is not comprehensive, but does give a scope of how public outcry has led to corporate social responsibily. The list details the companies' reasons for pulling out or refraining from investing in Burma. Also compiled by the Burma Campaign UK.

Continued support for junta earns China sharp criticisms

2007-10-08T17:56:00.000+07:00

The 9 PETITIONS FOR BURMA HERE. (feel free to link it and anything off this blog)
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Last week spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Washington Wang Baodong said that the Chinese Government was concerned about the situation in Burma but did not feel that it constituted a threat to regional or global peace and security. CNN quoted him declaring,

"China has been working on the various parties in the country, focusing its effort on the prevention of the occurrence of large-scale bloody events," Baodong said. "We believe this is a domestic issue that does not constitute a threat to the international community."

Last Friday Wang Guangya, China’s ambassador to the UN, stated that while situation in Burma was “disturbing,” it did not justify sanctions or Security Council action.

China's (and Russia's) unapologetic claim that the ongoing strife in Burma is an internal affair has further incensed the opposition and drawing the very ire that China so despearately seeks to avoid leading up to the upcoming Olympics. Many activists including Archbishop Desmond Tutu are calling for a general boycott of the Olympics. While the Chinese government doesn't want the conflicts in Burma and Darfur and the political issues of North Korea and Tibet to cloud over the importance of the Olympics, they are convinced that the idea of a boycott will never the realized. China's perspective explained HERE.

Actually, the fact is that Burma's internal woes do much to destabilize both the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. Thailand and Bangladesh bear the brunt of migrants fleeing the carnage. In addition to the 2 to 4 million internally displaced peoples within Burma, there are more than 1 million refugees in neighboring Thailand and Bangladesh. Illegal migrants put much stress on social services of host countries--to the point where Thai authorities are resistant to give refugee status to most of the Burmese who cross the border.Moreover, drug trafficking is a global issue. The International Drug Trade finds its supply base in Burma. Because of corruption and poor government monitoring, Burma is the world's #2 supplier of heroin and Southeast Asia's #1 supplier of methanphetamines.

Not learning from the uproars received response to their vetoing of the UN Resolution on Burma last January, China and Russia continue their hard-line defense of Burma. Their argument against sanctions--a view supported by the American, Chinese, South Korean, and Indian companies operating within Burma--is that if sanctions are enforced and companies pull out of Burma, the level of suffering will be much greater than it is now. The power vacuum that would ensue would allow even less ethical corporations to assume power. French oil giant Total SA argues that its business practices in Burma are held to the highest ethical standards.

Last month Earthrights International published THIS backgrounder on China's investments in Burma's natural resources.

The Dirty List of companies doing business with Burma's junta, compiled by The Burma Campaign UK.

The Clean List of companies that have either pulled out of Burma, or made a principled decision not to do business in Burma. It is not comprehensive, but does give a scope of how public outcry has led to corporate social responsibily. The list details the companies' reasons for pulling out or refraining from investing in Burma. Also compiled by the Burma Campaign UK.

One dissident created this video, representative of the rage felt against China's support of the oppressive junta.

Junta Accuses Monks of Stockpiling Weapons

2007-10-08T16:33:00.000+07:00

According to a CNN report, in addition to intoxicating substances and pornographic material, the SPDC claimed to have seized weapons from Buddhist monasteries. Most would agree that this is a sorry attempt to whitewash the monk-led protests that have gripped Burma in the past couple of weeks. As the Sangha, the monastic order, is the most respected institution in Burma, the military regime is frantically searching for some plausible explanation that will legitimize the government's use of violence against monks and civilians alike. Weeks ago, there were already reports of secret orders for troops to shave their heads, don monastic robes, and infiltrate the ranks of the monks. The hope was that they would incite violence and give the necessary pretext for a forceful armed response.

It is doubtful, that, in a society in which Buddhism pervades every aspect of life, that the average Burmese will fall for this ruse. One of Buddhism's main precepts is to abstain from taking life. Two of the other Five Precepts include abstaining from intoxicating substances and refraining from immoral behavior. The full list of items that were alleged confiscated can be accessed HERE.

The Alliance of All Burma Buddhist Monks, the organization of Buddhist clergymen that led the recent demonstrations, deny the slanderous charges, saying that the junta is engaging in a campaign of "psychological warfare," seeking to discredit them. The monks' response is HERE.

To in any way resort to violence is directly contradictory to Buddhist tenets. While the military leaders condemn the monk's alleged possessions of arms, even if it were true, does not justify the numerous raids on monasteries. According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma), since September 26, 48 monasteries have been ransacked and monks held prisoners in places of worship, without being given food or medicine (Story HERE).

Credible reports have described instances of wanton beatings and even killings of monks. One story claimed that 200 monks were killed at Nwye Kyar Yan Monastery on September 30th, the same day when up to 100 parents and students were massacred in Yangon.

Read up that tragic event HERE. The junta's mouthpiece, The New Light of Myanmar, claims that 135 monks are being held, while dissidents say 3,000 protestors are in detention, of which 1,200 are monks.

The Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB), has reported that soldiers are desperately trying to lessen to influence of monks, putting great pressure on monks to give up their vows and revert back to layperson status. According to Global Voices, "It is considered to be a sin to just give up being monkhood without valid reasons. The soldiers are trying to significantly lower their influence on people down, to shame them."

Global Voices' translation of DVB's report is HERE.

The First Blow and The "Revolution of the Spirit"

2007-10-06T14:33:00.000+07:00

**As of now, there are a total of 9 ONLINE PETITIONS calling for collective action on the parts of the UN Security Council, the UN General Body, China, and Myanmar. Please consider signing HERE.

(This entry's going to be a bit more personal)

Today I got the most shocking of rude awakenings. I just came back from tonight's Global Day of Protest for Burma event in the city where I am currently. Sponsored by various local religious organizations, it took the form of an interfaith prayer gathering. Catholic, Protestants, Muslims, and Buddhist religious leaders attended and led the 150 or so participants in prayer. It was one of many global events whose idea was sparked by Burma Watch, the website complement to the enormously popular 'Support the Monks' protest in Burma' Facebook group (The website has good news round ups and lists other actions / protests. The next one is Oct. 9 against Chevron).

After prayers, the event organizers opened the floor to members of the audience who wished to speak, and of course, I went up to take the microphone. I spoke about 4 minutes on the background of the situation in Burma and actions that attendants could take, namely signing online petitions, calling / emailing / visiting Myanmar's embassies and consulates and those of countries that sponsor Burma's military regime.

After I left the stage, one of the attendees came up to me and told me he thought the content of what I said was inappropriate for a religious event like this one. He said he felt lectured to. My response was, "They said it was ok for people to say what they wanted to say. I'm sorry you feel that way." I understand that this was hosted by religious institutions, but the situation is a political one that centers on human rights and democracy. The man, I think an American or Canadian, said that for the other attendants, they relied on faith, not on politics.

Then he said point blank. "I've done more than Burma than you have. I gave up my career and my family." Or something like that. Not to mention a curse word or two.

Then he said, "What have you done for Burma?" and stormed off.

This was something that I totally didn't expect, and I didn't know how to answer. I'm the type of guy who's slow on the draw, and will always have something uniquely insightful to say, but only think of a response minutes after the debate is over and after the other party has already left the scene.

For the past couple of hours, I have reflected on what that guy said. And what he said really bothered me. The critique has taught me an invaluable lesson; that even amongst those most willing and committed to fight for social change, there lacks unanimity on which approach is the correct one. For me, the question was not an issue of separating religion and politics, but of how to turn faith into practical action. Speaking out for human rights and democracy is not inimical to religious and spiritual teachings and principles, but rather, encouraged and demanded by them. Take H.H. The XIV Dalai Lama, Pope Benedict XVI, and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. All have called for international action to bring peace and stability to Burma. This is socially-engaged religion at is best. (Buddhism permeates every facet of Burman culture, and the ongoing protests have epitomized socially-engaged Buddhism).

I was not sure if that man's idea of the perfect gathering for Burma was to pray and sing songs, and that be that. By no means am I trying to downplay the spiritual or personal enrichment gained from a deep faith, or attacking the freedom to do it. Actually, after much thought, I realize that this event wasn't religious hermeticism but rather INDEED collective action, for it did much to galvanize spirits and raise awareness. But I think in my mind, to get world leaders and corporations to act, it may have a stronger effect if there was an accompanying political component to every demonstration. While it may be integral for this gentleman to have solidarity for Burma shown in a religious gathering, would it have compromised the spirit of the prayer gathering to take political action to help the situation in Burma improve? Perhaps I have been misunderstood. I do not mean that all religious adherents should put down their Bibles, Qurans, rosaries, and other religious texts to take up a strong political fight. But while I think there should be a balance of both political and apolitical/religious responses, I admittedly am unsure of what that balance is. Again, this speaks to the wide range of responses to the conditions of Burma and the difficulties in getting one united front.

While I do not know the true intentions of that man, nor his background, I do not doubt that he cared about Burma. But the outright hostility and furor with which he attacked me, and the shortsightedness in his approach struck me as quite unfortunate. Yes, people have died, and people have suffered the utmost pain for democracy in Burma. I didn't mean to say that I was better than anyone in that crowd. However, maybe that guy took it as my intent, which it wasn't. But at least I can see where this guy is coming from. I just wish that we had talked more. I don't have his name or the name of the organization for which he worked. I also don't know what he did.

In any case, in no way do I profess to be an expert in Burmese affairs, and I definitely have much to learn in terms of social activism, but I felt that the guy should've seen that we are both on the same side. It shouldn't be to compare our accomplishments to activists next to us and see who is better. Every opportunity should be taken to exchange viewpoints and engage in healthy dialogue in order to get a more wholistic view and understanding of what the problem is and how we can address it together.

Yes, if that man had sacrificed much of his personal life for the Burma causes, I emphathize with him, and I feel for him. I really do. But I do not know his circumstances. What was surprising to me about this episode was that instead of educating me, he belittled me. Through the nature of my studies and work experiences, I have come across many individuals who have suffered much hardships, having lived through atrocities such as the Viet Nam War, the Khmer Rouge, the Cultural Revolution, the refugee experience, etc. And in every account, each individual was willing to share with me his or her life, no matter how tragic or disheartening. It wasn't that I forced them, rather, they wanted me to understand these events and to learn from them, so that history does not repeat itself for my generation. Unfortunately, the willingness of dialogue was not present tonight.

I came not as an adherent of any particular faith or as a national of any specific country, but as a concern global citizen. I could not, as a person with a mindful conscience and a heavy sense of duty, not speak when given the chance. While everyone present knew about the current developments in Burma, I felt that most people present really didn't know what else they, as ordinary citizens, could do, and some appeared to not have as deep a grasp of the situation as I did. While I was unsure of the response I would receive, I had to try.

While I took the event as a chance to further educate others, I surmise this man took it as an opportunity to introspect. But if we keep the knowledge that we have to ourselves, how can we possibly hope to expose these abuses and raise international awareness? Perhaps the last thing the guy needed was some kid come and rant on the situation. Maybe they were all expecting a religious approach. But I really didn't see what lasting tangible good was coming from it and was trying. I'm still processing all that happened. If you have any thoughts on this incident or any and all Burma-related issues for that matter, please, let me know at freeburmaactioncenter@gmail.com.

Apart from taking in that guy's criticisms, after I spoke, a few people clapped, one of the organizers and a woman who had links with Amnesty International asked me for further information on petitions and on sources with reliable and up-to-date coverage on Burma. That did in some way take the sting off of what that guy said. For me, what was lacking in the coordination of the event was any direction in how people could concretely help. And I'm glad that I somewhat filled in the gap, even if it's only those 2 people out of 150 who were interested in what I had to say. At least it did some good. My hope is those 2 will tell 2 others, those four will collectively tell 8, and so in, in a sort of pay-it-forward / spread the word idea. However, I do wonder if others in the crowd felt the same way as that guy.

By now, the effects that man's criticisms have worn off a bit. I think, when it boils down to it, it was about different attitudes towards our work. Right now, I'm not trying to validate myself or to say that I'm infallible, but I think that instead of a self-importance towards myself in terms of work, I have more of a selfless awarenes. Which is important to me. True, I am relatively new to the 3rd fight for Burma's independence (the first in 1948 and the second in 1988), and there's still much about the situation that I don't understand. I am idealistic, but have not been tempered through the trials and hardships of those who have sacrificed their families, careers, loved ones, and even more. I have not been persecuted for my beliefs in equality and democracy. But I suppose the misunderstanding of tonight presents a couple of challenges to me.

"What have I done to help Burma?" It's not about proving that guy wrong, but about putting my words to practice and DOING SOMETHING. Tonight's events, as a whole, has also have helped me identify my weakness in social work and action. I didn't know about tonight's gathering until half an hour before it was to start. I luckily made it before it started, and hoped that I would have an opportunity to talk. So I began jotting down a few talking points. While it was more or less and on-the-fly talk, I realize that my greatest shortcoming is in ad-libbing and in presentational skills. The facts are all there, but I need to be able to communicate them to others. I think I did an ok job, nothing great. But I need to work on powers of persuasion and expository speaking. A lot of what I said could have come across stronger. Task #1. While, in my opinion, I can write a truly analytical and persuasive article, speaking is my downfall. I'm working on it.

But back to the events of the past couple of days. I'm doing about 10 hours a day researching the current situation in Burma, reading up on its past history and emergence of a rights discourse, and blogging. Currently, I'm reading Aung San Suu Kyi's collection of essays Freedom From Fear. Through it, I'm learning about the aspirations and motivations of Suu Kyi's father, Bogyoke Aung San in his daughter's words. He was all about the selfless awareness that I spoke about earlier. Aung San made it clear that he believed the armed forces should have no part in politics. He created the army to protect the people. Had he not been assassinated, Burma most likely would have been one of the best examples of democracy in Southeast Asia. But it is Suu Kyi's own thoughts that struck me. And I actually quoted her at the rally tonight from her essay of the same title.

It is not power that corrupts but fear. Fear of losing power corrupts those who wield it and fear of the scourge of power corrupts those who are subject to it...The quintessential revolution is that of the spirit...Without a revolution of the spirit, the forces which produced the iniquities of the old order would continue to be operative, posing a constant threat to the process of reform and regeneration. It is not enough merely to call for freedom, democracy and human rights. There has to be a united determination to persevere in the struggle, to make sacrifices in the name of enduring truths, to resist the corrupting influences of desire, ill will, ignorance and fear.

The essay "Freedom From Fear" is HERE, probably one of if not the most moving of Daw Suu's work's that I have read to date.

The fight for Burma should not be divided religious or political lines, and perhaps cannot be won by relying solely on religious or only on political means. As we have seen that while even monks of the Sangha, the holiest and most respected institution in Burma, are not safe from the bullets and batons of the junta and its cronies; political initiatives lack the moral authority and faith that can unite the Burmese. Perhaps this is being overly simplistic and idealistic, but as an acitivist, I have to learn how to bridge these divisions and see that the rallying flag that binds us all should be woven with the strands of common human dignity and universal human rights. Only then will Burma be free.

Myanmar sets conditions for meeting Suu Kyi / Sanctions Analysis / Lack of Human Rights Discourse in China

2007-10-05T14:29:00.000+07:00

from AP

Hoping to deflect outrage over images of soldiers gunning down protesters, Myanmar's hard-line leader announced Thursday he is willing to talk with detained democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi -- but only if she stops calling for international sanctions.

Senior General Than Shwe also insists Suu Kyi give up urging her countrymen to confront the military regime, state television and radio said in reporting on the conditions set by the junta leader during a meeting this week with a special U.N. envoy.

The surprise move is aimed at staving off the possibility of economic sanctions and keeping Myanmar's bountiful natural resources on world markets, while also pleasing giant neighbor China, which worries the unrest could cause problems for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

The rest of the report at CNN HERE.

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A fellow NGO worker told me that a Burma specialist at her school noted that some say that Aung San Suu Ki was wrong when she called for sanctions against Burma 19 years ago. Had the US and other countries not imposed sanctions on Myanmar, Myanmar could have achieved economic progress akin to that achieved by Viet Nam or China, giving increased purchasing power to the
general population.

However, this is a slippery slope, as it puts economic rights over political, social, and civil ones. As the 1948 UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) included both civil and political rights ("first" generation human rights) and economic, social, and cultural rights ("second" generation rights), it could not secure international consensus necessary to become a binding resolution. In particular, a deep rift divided capitalist countries like the US, which favored civil and political rights, and communist nations which favored economic, social and cultural rights. So the UN had to develop separate covenants for civil and political rights the 1966 UN International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and one for economic (and social) rights, the UN International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (ICESCR).

The argument for sanctions is that there is no way to guarantee that after granting economic rights, political and civil rights will be attained. Asian totalitarian regimes have prioritized economic rights before political ones as an excuse to put off democracy and human rights: China, North Korea, Indonesia, Viet Nam, and of course, Burma, are excellent examples. The only exception is Singapore.

Political and civil development lay the foundation for vibrant economy that gives opportunities for people in every sector of society to break out of poverty, attain new educational opportunities, grow socially, and participate in politics. "Second generation" rights cannot fully be realized without first achieving basic "first generation" rights for everyone.

Having studied and worked in both Viet Nam and China, I can speak from personal experience, that while both countries have reached unprecendented rates of economic growth, the lack of rights and rights consciousness impede the development of civil society in each respective state. Poverty is still rampant. The vast majority of people have meager means by which to live. The cities are ok, but for almost all of the towns and villages, basic infrastructure like sanitation and roads are lacking, social services like healthcare and education are appalling. In large cities and towns in the Mekong Delta, you can see kids as young as 4 or 5 on the streets selling lottery tickets.

Is the "economic growth" really benefitting the average Vietnamese or Chinese? I think not. Rather, both countries are susceptible to the "race to the bottom", in which multinational corporations go to their countries to set up shop because of the lower wages and environmental and worker safety standards of each country. According to the Worldwatch Institute, 16 of the world's 20 most polluted cities are in China.

Absolute poverty is defined by the global community as making less than $1 a day. Do you know how China has been making such big headway in curbing poverty? Simple. Because the CCP's definition of poverty isn't $1 a day. it's $122 a year!

I've been to many a village--not even that far from major towns--they lack roads, drainage, working water systems, and school supplies. I've seen malnourished children and people suffering from drinking flouride contaminated water. Is this progress?

Ok, let's focus on big cities. In China, the government refuses to acknowledge that homelessness exists. According to a former co-worker, when there was an evaluation to decide whether or not to term the city where I was working a clean city (or some politically equivalent title), instead of finding ways to solve the homelessness issue, the government bought train tickets for the homeless to go home for a couple of weeks.

The only soup kitchen in the city, and the only one I've seen in China for that matter, is allowed to operate because it is obscured from public view from the street. Chinese citizens and tourists won't see the throngs of people lining up for food. It's not a government soup kitchen, but run by an individual who pays for it out of pocket.

And not to mention the issue of urban migration--China's policies make it very difficult for the 400 million+ rural workforce to find a place for themselves in city.

But quite possibly the greatest deficiency was the appalling low sense of rights awareness and the generally acknowledged sense of powerlessness in this cultures and societies. In Chinese, there is a phrase termed, "Mei banfa," which means, "There's no way, so why bother?" The root of this ideology is Asian values of "not rocking the boat" and respecting your elders, even if they are wrong or if you disagree. True, Asian cultures have a deeper sense of communal values, but that is precisely because they have sacrificed their individual dreams, hopes, and aspirations for familial burdens and expectations and for unity and conformity. This has much to do with filial piety and Confucian values, which have reversed the clock on the development of a true rights discourse in China.

At my previous job, the organization's focus was on children's development. All the children and most of the parents and villagers I've met and have spoken with simply didn't know that as human beings, they deserve clean water; a good education; a safe, clean, and comfortable toilet; social services, and a right to participate in politics and community development. They don't know how to demand these things. So there is this cycle of ignorance and the corruption that preys on it.

The helplessness that I felt and the inefficiencies I've observed in Viet Nam and Chinese society made me realize that I could never adjust to living life there. Don't read me the wrong way. I'm very liberal and open-minded. But honestly, if you would ask me in what ways living in Viet Nam or China were better than living in the States, besides lower living costs, I'd say nothing.

Some may feel that comments about China's lacking rights consciousness may come across as incendiary and that I may come across as culturally insensitive, but the lack of rights consciousness pervades all aspects of society. If you're truly interested, I written past papers on the lack of human rights discourse in China and the correlation between that and the lack of rights consciousness in China.

Citing multiple sources and quoting Chinese dissidents and democracy movement leaders, it seeks to explain the human rights case in China. While my understanding of China is far from complete, my general thoughts on China has been formulated through research both in the library and living in Chinese society.
Another paper I wrote focused paper on how Confucianism and Marxism have impeded the development of a rights consciousness dialogue in China, and how these ideologies have facilitated and/or excused human rights abuses there. Let me know if you want them, and I can email them to you.

I digress. Perhaps some of my views are generalized, but I hope it gives you some insight into my frustrations and observations of life in "closed" Asian societies.

For Burma: National Campus Day of Action Oct 5 /Global Day of Action Oct 6

2007-10-04T14:26:00.000+07:00

!!!!!!!!!!A Global Day of Action is currently being organized. Get involved. Show that you care.!!!!!!!!!!
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Chinese Support for Myanmar's Junta Sparks Olympics Boycott Epoch Times Article

- from the US Campaign for Burma
We are writing this urgent email to call for global demonstrations on Burma this coming Saturday, October 6th to demand the UN Security Council take action on Burma and to call for a global boycott of the 2008 Olympics. We are working together with a huge coalition of international organizations to put together this incredible day of action and we need you to make it happen.

This is one day after a day of student demonstrations across the Unted States on October 5th.

We are expecting demonstrations and protests in up to 35 countries around the world. We are asking for everyone to wear the color red on that day -- red shirts, headbands, or other -- in solidarity with the monks inside Burma. Organize an event or protest in your community, church, city or join us at the Chinese embassies and consulates in the United States and around the world.

As you know, the UN Security Council shamefully has not lifted a finger to help the courageous Burmese monks and civilians even as they are slaughtered by solders wth automatic weapons. The Security Council has also never even breathed a word after the military regime in Burma destroyed over 3,000 villages -- nearly twice as many as have been destroyed in Darfur. The Burmese regime's scorched earth campaign in eastern Burma has been perhaps the most under-reported tragedy perhaps in the world.

There is one reason only for the paralysis of the Security Council: China. One country has singlehandedly blocked the international community from stopping the carnage in Burma. As a result, the UN is making the same mistakes it made on Rwanda and Darfur: sitting on its hands waiting while people die.

Nobel Peace Prize recipent Desmond Tutu has joined us in this call, saying he will boycott the Olympics unless China changes its position at the UN Security Council.

Please pledge to boycott the 2008 Olympics today. The 2008 Olympics have become a monument to savagery and immorality

(p.s. we know that many athletes have worked for a long time to participate in the Olympics. that is why we are asking for the Olympics to be moved to another country so athletes aren't harmed).

Please sign up to host an event on our webpage and keep an eye on our webpage to see what events are already happening so you can join.

We are also requesting donations to help us fund this and more actions. If you are able to donate, please do so generously here. Or, you can host a fundraiser after your demonstration/event on October 6th. Action is always more important than money, but we are urgently short on funds and would appreciate your financial support in addition to your action.

Sign up today and keep the monks in your prayers,

Aung Din, Jeremy Woodrum, Jennifer Quigley, and Thelma Young

Burma in Crisis: 1988 Part 2

2007-10-04T14:21:00.001+07:00

In response to international outcry, Myanmar's Foreign Minister Nyan Win addressed the UN General Assembly last Monday, blaming foreign powers for inciting the protests which led to the bloody crackdown. While the official state death count is 10, according to dissidents, the military regime’s violent response to the demonstrations has led to over 200 deaths and more than 6,000 arrests. Some estimates are much higher, with reliable sources reporting of massacring of students and monks. Hla Win, a mid-ranking major and former intelligence officer, is the most senior official to defect so far, exclaiming, “Many more people have been killed in recent days than you’ve heard about. The bodies can be counted in several thousand.” He fled to Thailand after refusing orders to raid two monasteries, kill the monks, and dump their corpses deep in the jungle.

Nyan Win dismissed accusations of excessive violence, brazenly stating that Myanmar is a victim of neocolonialism, which hampers the self-chosen democratization process of Burma. He called the current situation in Burma a return to “normalcy.”

However, 45 years of dictatorship and the junta’s exclusion of the main opposition party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), from participating in drafting a new constitution in the National Convention underscore that Burma is nowhere near attaining democracy or national reconciliation. In fact, according to the most recent Worldwide Governance Indicators report, Myanmar’s junta, officially titled the State Peace and Development Council, has been ranked the worst government in the world according to the amount of freedom citizens have to voice opinions and select a government, receiving a score of “zero.” The country is a political, social, and economic mess. In 1960, Burma was the largest rice exporter in the world. Now, 40% of children in Burma are malnourished. Poverty reigns as 90% of the populace makes less than $1 a day. The government spends 2% of its budget on health care and 50% of the national GDP on its military. The education system is in ruins. There are more than 1,600 political prisoners, including 38 elected members of parliament and the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been under house arrest for 12 of the last 18 years.

The protests did not stem only from last month’s draconian fuel increases, but decades of repression, human rights abuses, corruption, and civil war. The military never had the popular mandate to rule and refused to recognize the results of the 1990 general election—Burma’s first and only free election—when the NLD won 82% of the parliamentary seats. To suppress ethnic rebels and political dissidents, the junta has destroyed over 3,000 villages (twice the number of villages destroyed in Darfur) in Eastern Burma and has carried out a campaign of rape, wrongful imprisonment, extrajudicial killings, forced labor, forced relocation, and torture. As a result, there are 2 to 4 million internally displaced peoples within Burma, and more than 1 million refugees in neighboring Thailand and Bangladesh.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon has conceded that although UN special envoy to Myanmar Ibrahim Gambari exerted the maximum amount of diplomatic pressure possible during his recent four day trip to Burma, the trip was “not a success” . The day after Gambari left, the junta continued to defy international opinion, engaging in a new round of brutal nighttime arrests. Furthermore, amid the recent massacres of students and monks, raiding of monasteries, beatings, and arrests, there are now unconfirmed reports of the junta burning protestors--dead and alive. UN special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar Paulo Sergio Pinheiro has called the deteriorating situation “an emergency” and urged for diplomacy to bring calm to the country of 47 million.

Nations are increasingly rallying behind Burma’s democracy movement. But a schism between freedom supporting nations and countries with vested commercial interests in Burma will be the most difficult hurdle for the people of Burma to conquer. While the US, EU, Canada, Australia, and Japan have all imposed sanctions, cut diplomatic ties, and or drastically reduced aid to Myanmar, China, India, Russia, and Thailand continue to diplomatically and financially support the SPDC.

Burma is a country rich in natural resources, and its abundant oil and gas deposits, mineral resources, and hydropower potential prove too tempting to resist for many multinational companies, mostly notably American oil giant Chevron and France’s Total SA. Some of the more infamous projects include the Shwe Gas Project, the Yadana Pipeline, and the Salween dams, but few multinationals consider the effects that the development projects will have on the local people. Theses resources are called “conflict resources”, as their harvesting has been linked with forced labor, relocations, and numerous other human rights abuses. Investment and profits line the pockets of the military, allowing them to continuing purchasing arms and military hardware from China, Russia, India, and South Korea.

According to BP PLC’s World Review of Statistics, in 2006, Burma's proven gas reserves alone were 19 trillion cubic feet. If current production rates are maintained, at Thailand’s contract price, the deposits will give the military nearly $2 billion a year in sales over the next 40 years.

At the end of last month, while demonstrations were reaching a head, India’s Oil Minister Murli Deora was in Yangon signing oil and gas exploration contracts on behalf of state-owned ONGC Videsh Ltd.

Last January, China and Russia used their UN Security Council veto powers to defeat what would have been the first UN Resolution on Burma, claiming that the situation in Burma is an internal matter and does not threaten international peace and security. However, they discounted the effects of Burmese-based insurgents on India, refugees surging into Thailand and Bangladesh, and the universally acknowledged fact of the complicity of Burma’s junta in the international heroin trade.

While the Chinese Foreign Ministry has called on the military junta for restraint in dealing with the protests, China has come under fire by refusing to condemn Myanmar and for ruling out sanctions. As Myanmar’s largest diplomatic, financial, and military supporter, the Asian superpower can to use its clout to bring about change. But unless it can engineer a bloodless coup, inaction is likely. China is in a particularly compromising position, as, with the Olympics less than a year away, the CCP is trying to clean up its image. China already has to deal with allegations of persecuting Falun Gong practitioners and ethnic minorities, not to mention controversially supporting abusive and unpopular regimes such as Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge and President Omar al-Bashir’s government in Khartoum. China cannot afford to be perceived by the international community as supportive of a 1988 or Tiananmen style crackdown in Burma, should one occur.

The UN Human Rights Council has condemned the SPDC, but the international community must do more to bring about social change in Burma, where citizens have been suffering under the yoke of tyranny for close to five decades. UN ineffectiveness, China’s unflinching support of the junta, and irresponsible investing practices are to blame. The warning signs of additional casualties are there. The question is, will the UN act or will this be a repeat of August 8, 1988, or worse? October 5 signals the National Campus Day of Action for Burma, and October 6 is the Global Day of Action. On these days, the global community must stand in solidarity with the monks and civilians who are so painfully suffering. The free and democratic Burma that Aung San envisioned in the 1940’s can be achieved, but only if people within and outside Burma rally together.