Burmese junta continues with the campaign of oppression and torture

***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.