CRACKDOWN IN BURMA - URGENT APPEAL

national | miscellaneous | news report

Saturday June 07, 2003 10:57

by John Barry - NI Green Party

j.barry at qub dot ac dot uk

CRACKDOWN IN BURMA - URGENT APPEAL

A letter from John Jackson, Director of Burma Campaign UK

Dear friend

I am writing to you regarding the recent dreadful events in Burma. On Friday
30th May the Burmese military massacred up to sixty of Aung San Suu Kyi's
supporters and placed her under house arrest. Her whereabouts is unknown.
Many other leaders of the National League for Democracy (NLD) have also been
arrested, and hundreds are 'missing'. All NLD offices have been closed, as
have all universities and colleges. The people of Burma are in the grip of
fear as the dictatorship cracks down on the democracy movement.

Eyewitness reports received by the Burma Campaign paint a terrifying picture
of what happened in the village of Depayin, 500 miles north of the capital,
Rangoon. Aung San Suu Kyi was due to speak at a rally in the village.
Despite spending most of the last 14 years under house arrest, and being
vilified by the state controlled media, thousands of people had flocked to
see her, some walking all day from surrounding villages.

As Aung San Suu Kyi approached the village her convoy was stopped by five
trucks full of members of the Union Solidarity Development Association. The
USDA is a military backed civilian political group set up in 1993 whose
patron is the dictator of Burma, General Than Shwe. When I met with Aung San
Suu Kyi earlier this year she described how they had been harassing her for
months.

The USDA members charged at Aung San Suu Kyi with bamboo stakes. Four or
five students protected her with their bodies and were viscously beaten. The
regime reports that four people were killed in the attack, though the real
figure now seems as high as sixty. A monk who tried to stop the attack is
also reported to have been killed. Dozens suffered serious injuries. Many
witnesses claim Aung San Suu Kyi received a serious head wound.

There is no doubt that this attack was carefully planned by the regime. As
the attack took place the regime cracked down across the country, arresting
democracy activists and closing NLD offices.

Why has this happened now? The regime is taking a gamble. It is gambling
that the international community, and in particular European countries, will
do nothing. The US already has investment sanctions, and Burma's Asian
neighbours remain silent. The response by European countries will be crucial
in deciding what happens next in Burma. The regime is counting on the EU to
talk tough, but take no real action. Why? Because that's what it always
does. The regime will see the lack of an effective response by Britain and
other European countries as a green light to continue its crackdown. We
need to prove them wrong, and we only have a few weeks to do it. If Britain
and Europe fail to act now, the people of Burma could face many more years
of oppression.

We can't let Aung San Suu Kyi and the people of Burma down. We must ensure
our government takes action.

But building an effective campaign will cost money. We cannot let the people
of Burma down for a simple lack of funds. Aung San Suu Kyi and the people
of Burma are looking to us for help. Please make a donation today. You can
donate online by using the following link, or by copying and pasting it into
your browser.
https://www.secure-server-hosting.com/secutran/secureforms/sh200160/aboutjoi
ning2.html
The webpage is secure.

Or you can send a cheque made payable to Burma Campaign UK to: Emergency
Appeal, Burma Campaign UK, 25 27 Bickerton Rd, London N19 5JT. Please
include your name and address with your cheque.

I would like to thank you for your critical support at this desperate hour
of need for the Burmese people.

Yours faithfully

John Jackson
Director
Burma Campaign UK
--

Dear friend

Today the European Union announced its response to recent events in Burma.
Rather than take any concrete action against the regime, such as investment
sanctions, all they have done is demand that the UN envoy to Burma is
allowed to see Aung San Suu Kyi, and that she be released immediately. We
are deeply concerned by the lack of action by the EU, and have issued the
following press release.

Mark Farmaner
Burma Campaign UK

MEDIA RELEASE

For immediate release 5 June 2003

EU RESPONSE TO BURMA CRACKDOWN 'PATHETIC'

WEAK RESPONSE GIVES REGIME GREEN LIGHT TO CONTINUE CRACKDOWN

The Burma Campaign UK today said it is astonished and appalled by the
European Unions feeble response to the brutal crackdown on Burma's democracy
movement.

"I cannot believe it has taken the EU six days since the arrest of Aung
San
Suu Kyi to come up with such a limp response", said John Jackson, Director
of the Burma Campaign UK. "Burma's people are dying while the EU
dithers."

The Burma Campaign UK is calling for immediate investment sanctions against
Burma to cut the economic lifeline of the regime. The US has had such
sanctions in place for five years, but the EU has taken a much softer line
on the dictatorship.

"The regime is taking a gamble", says Jackson. "It is gambling
that the
international community, and in particular European countries, will do
nothing. The US already has investment sanctions, and Burma's Asian
neighbours remain silent. The response by European countries will be crucial
in deciding what happens next in Burma. The regime is counting on the EU to
talk tough, but take no real action, and that is exactly what it has done.
This will be a green light for them to continue their crackdown."

It is increasingly clear that Friday's attack on Aung San Suu Kyi was an
attempt by the regime to kill her. By using thugs from the Union Solidarity
Development Association (USDA), a civilian political party set up by the
regime, they would be able to deny direct responsibility. The Burma Campaign
UK is also very concerned about the health of Tin Oo, Suu Kyi's 75 year-old
deputy, who was reportedly shot and beaten in the attack. He was last seen
being dragged away by police.