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UUSC calls upon
Burma (known by its current government as Myanmar) to end its
violent repression of the current protests, and to move towards
democratic rule. We also call upon the international community to
take swift and decisive action to compel Burma to take these steps.
As in Darfur, we urge China, the key advisor and ally to the Burmese
military dictatorship, to use its influence to end this human
catastrophe. Neighboring nations such as India and Thailand should
exert economic and political pressure on the Burmese dictatorship.
And we further call upon those multinational corporations involved
in the country to use their leverage with the regime to force it to
end the violence.
Burma’s thuggish military dictatorship has brutalized and repressed
the citizens of that country for decades while waging civil war
against insurgencies led by ethnic minority groups. In 1988, the
military overturned results of the free elections,
killing thousands of Burmese who
protested and forcing thousands more into exile.
Since then, the military government has effectively denied all civil
liberties and basic freedoms, crushing a succession of pro-democracy
movements.
The military’s war against the ethnic insurgent armies remains one
of the world’s forgotten emergencies. In conflict areas, the Burmese
military has forcibly displaced at least one million civilians,
compelling many of them into slavery. It has also committed
massacres and systematically used rape as a weapon of war.
While the current wave of protests, the largest since 1988, was
instigated by dramatic increases in the
price of gasoline, it is clear that
the response of people across Burma, and notably of the
Buddhist sangha,
reflects their broader struggle for freedom and human rights.
Ka Hsaw Wa, executive director of
EarthRights International, a UUSC ally, issued a
statement condemning this latest instance of brutal repression: “As
someone who experienced this regime’s brutality in 1988, I am glad
that this time around, the world is watching. But that is not
enough. The international community, including multinational
corporations, must act now to prevent further bloodshed in Burma.
The people have suffered profoundly for too long—they have already
sacrificed so much, and they will not stop.”
It is time for a change in Burma. It is time for the dictatorship in
that country to step aside and allow for legitimate leadership, such
as that provided by the Nobel Peace laureate
Aung San Suu Kyi. It is time for
the dictatorship to end the repression and release all political
prisoners.
UUSC calls upon all those who care for human rights to stand in
solidarity with the people of Burma, take action, and remain
attentive to the situation there. Our outrage at the violence should
be channeled towards helping the people of Burma achieve a
democratic future.
Organizations working on human rights in Burma are proposing a
series of actions and alerting people to demonstrations on their
websites;
U.S Campaign for Burma;
EarthRights International; and the
Free Burma Coalition. UUSC encourages all our members and
supporters to play an active role in these efforts.
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