Summary
The
Myanmar military government has started a violent
crackdown against peaceful protestors in Yangon, the
country's largest city since 26 September 2007. There is
continuous possibility of further bloodshed.
As of 28 September, at least 9 people were reportedly
killed including Mr. Kenji Nagai of the Japanese video
news agency APF News. Another 11 people were wounded as
confirmed by Myanmar state media. However, it is
suspected that the actual death toll could be higher.
Australian Ambassador Bob Davis told Australian
Broadcasting Corp. radio that unofficial estimates of
those killed was "several multiples of the 10
acknowledged by the authorities".
Many were arrested during the crackdown. At least 10
monasteries were raided and sacked this week with
hundreds of monks arrested on apparent suspicion of
spearheading marches that drew as many as 100,000 people
in Yangon. According to Amnesty International, some of
the civilians arrested this week are: Zargana, a famous
comedian and former prisoner of conscience; Myint Myint
San (f), National League for Democracy (NLD) member; Paik
Ko (m), NLD Member of Parliament, Pakokku; Par Par Lay
(m), comedian; Tin Aung (m), NLD Member of Parliament;
Tin Ko (m), NLD youth member in Meiktila; U Win Naing
(m), politician.
Apart from arbitrary arrests, the military government has
imposed other measures to limit people's freedom of
expression. It is alleged that the authority has shut
down a major internet cable, disrupting internet
connection in the country. Private newspapers, after
declining to propagate for the authorities, were forced
to cease operation.
The latest peace marches were rare uprisings by the
people who suffered in a society of oppression by the
military government. According to Human Rights Watch
latest report on Myanmar, the authoritarian military
government, the State Peace and Development Council
(SPDC), continued to restrict basic rights and freedoms
and waged brutal counter insurgency operations against
ethnic minorities. The democratic movement inside the
country remained suppressed and political prisoners such
as Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi continue to be
detained.
Several overseas Catholic Justice and Peace Commissions
also voiced their solidarity for the peace movement in
Myanmar. Justice and Peace Commission of Hong Kong
Catholic Diocese will hold a candle light vigil on the
night of 28 September 2007. The Commission in Mumbai,
India is also planning its response.
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Action Requested
Please write polite letters expressing your concern about
the killing and arrest of Buddhist monks and civilians
and request the authorities to:
• release all monks and civilians arrested in the
peaceful marches immediately and unconditionally
• stop further harassment and arbitrary detention
that violates people's right to exercise freedom of
expression and assembly
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letters to: |
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General
Than Shwe
Chairman of the State Peace and Development
Council
c/o Ministry of Defence,
Ahlanpya Phaya Street,
Yangon
Union of Myanmar
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copies to: |
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Foreign
Minister Nyan Win
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Naypyitaw
Union of Myanmar
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Email: |
mofa.aung@mptmail.net.mm |
Mr. Yang
Jiechi
Foreign Minister of People's Republic of China
No. 2, Chaoyangmen Nandajie
Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100701
People's Republic of China
(People's Republic of China is a major ally of
Myanmar in political and economic front)
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| Diplomatic
representatives of Myanmar in your country |
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Sample
Letter
We are gravely concerned at the
continued violent suppression and arrest of
peaceful protestors in Yangon by the military
government since 26 September 2007. During the
crackdown, we learnt that at least 9 people were
confirmed dead and hundreds were detained.
Please be reminded that Myanmar, as a member of
the United Nations, has its international
obligation under the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights (UDHR).
We strongly urge the Myanmar authorities to
release the arrested Buddhist monks and peaceful
protestors immediately and unconditionally,
unless they are to be charged with recognizably
criminal offences. We also call on the
authorities to ensure that the detainees are not
subjected to torture or any other forms of
ill-treatment. We'd like to bring your attention
to Article 3 of the UDHR that guarantees
everyone's right to liberty and security of
person.
Further we request you to ensure that all people
in Myanmar are able to peacefully exercise the
rights to freedom of expression, association and
assembly without fear of harassment, intimidation
or arbitrary detention, in line with
international human rights standards as stated in
Article 20 of UDHR.
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Background
People in
Myanmar have already been living in poverty before the
government recently doubled fuel prices, raising the cost
of almost everything. In a country where more than a
quarter of the 56 million people live on less than one US
dollar a day, the sudden announcement of doubling of fuel
price on 15 August 2007 became the tipping point of a
crisis that had been building up for a long time.
The cost of living has been continuous increasing since
the failed uprising of 1988, but residents say that it
has rocketed much further in the past year. Fresh water
and electricity have become luxury items for many.
"We have to queue for about an hour to fetch two
pails of drinking water from the lake," said Ko
Myint Oo, a resident of Dala Township, just outside the
capital.
Similar conditions have fuelled the 1988 uprising, when
the government suddenly raised rice prices and
demonetized the kyat (unit of money in Myanmar),
rendering peoples' savings worthless overnight.
The real turning point came when soldiers fired warning
shots and then roughed up monks and civilians marching in
the town of Pokokku, 600 km (370 miles) north of Yangon,
on 5 September 2007.
International Pressure:
Despite decades of economic sanction by the United States
and other western nations, some experts question whether
sanctions hurt people more than rulers. "It actually
plays into the military's hands," said Tom Green,
executive director of Pacific StrAtegies and Assessments.
"In the long term, sanctions end up hurting and
stunting the growth of the very classes that could
successfully challenge them."
On 27 September 2007, US President George W. Bush
appeared to acknowledge the limits of Washington's power
in the crisis and reached out to China to exert its
influence on Myanmar. China is a key trading partner and
arms supplier to Myanmar and is seen as the linchpin for
any international effort to defuse the situation. China
has urged all parties in Myanmar to "maintain
restraint".
In response to the urgent crises, the Myanmar authorities
have agreed on 28 September 2007 to let UN special envoy
Mr. Ibrahim Gambari to visit the country. The UN High
Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour has also
warned Myanmar's leaders they could face prosecution for
the violence.
On 27 September 2007, the Association of South East Asian
Nations (ASEAN), one of the few international groups to
have the Myanmar generals as a member, voiced
"revulsion" at the killings in Yangon and
demanded fellow nation Myanmar to stop using violence.
Source:
Reuters
Radio Television Hong Kong
Amnesty International
Human Rights Watch
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