TOTAL petrol station demo in Chester

On Friday 4 January, in an action to mark the 60th anniversary of Burma’s independence from British colonial rule, members of the National League for Democracy (NLD) – the main opposition party to the country’s military junta – held a vigil in front of the party’s headquarters in Rangoon. Dressed in white convicts’ uniforms, the demonstrators called for the release of detained NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi and over 1,000 political prisoners currently detained by the military regime. Spokesperson for the NLD, Nyan Win, expressed hope that “democracy and human rights will prevail in the country one day.”

Pyinya Zawta, a member of the underground monks’ group, the Alliance of All Burmese Buddhist Monks, said: “On this our Independence Day, I want people to enjoy real freedom and independence. As long as we are not free, we must demand freedom.”

SOLIDARITY ACTION IN CHESTER

Protesters put up large banners opposite the petrol station with the words “TOTALLY IMMORAL” and “TOTAL OUT OF BURMA”, displayed a peace flag and placards, and handed out leaflets to passers-by and motorists. Many motorists decided to fill up elsewhere, or vowed not to return to the petrol station again.

A spokesperson for Wrexham Women for Peace said:

"Burma is a country rich in natural resources, yet its people are poor and hungry. Almost half of government spending goes on the military; very little is spent on health and welfare. There are more child soldiers in Burma than in any other country. Rape is used as a weapon of war. Many of Burma's political prisoners are tortured by the regime.

“Years of co-operation between the West and the military junta in Burma have contributed to the suffering of the ordinary people by strengthening this brutal and inhumane regime. Following widespread condemnation and a number of human rights lawsuits, other oil companies have pulled out of Burma, yet TOTAL continues its association with the regime, along with Chevron-Texaco. We urge everyone to boycott these companies until they stop supporting the bloody oppression of the Burmese people.

“British condemnation of the military regime’s recent violent suppression of dissent in Burma has been universal, but I believe that it is important to translate our objections into action, and a very simple way to do this is to withdraw our custom from TOTAL and Texaco.

“Supporters of the boycott can also write to TOTAL via the Burma Campaign website at:  http://www.burmacampaign.org.uk/total.html or make a donation to the campaign: Burma Campaign UK, 28 Charles Square, London, N1 6HT.”