At the Anglo-French summit held at Arsenal Emirates Football Stadium on Thursday 27th April, protesters asked French President Sarkozy to kick French Total Oil out of Burma. President Sarkozy has previously told Total not to make further investment in Burma, but Total currently funds the brutal military regime with over 500 million dollars a year. In December it upgraded its offshore gas platform whilst asking its corrupt military partners for a maritime exclusion zone around the platform.
Arsenal Armoury Cannons
Kilburn Total Protest
The protesters from www.totaloutofburma.org displayed "Totalitarian Oil Out of Burma" banners from the railings of the stadium and also on the famous cannons in front of the Armoury entrance of the stadium. The evil military regime's purchase of weapons for its army in a war against its own people, has been largely dependent on Total's funding as the major source of foreign currency for overseas arms purchases. This week the British Government backed calls for a UN Arms embargo on Burma.
The police wanted us to keep our distance from barriers at the entrance to the underground car park near the Armoury and were concerned we might throw objects or charge into the road. However they were quite reasonable not stopping us from displaying banners on the cannons or stadium and did not block the view of our banners when we held them for the passing diplomatic vehicle escorts.
Whilst we were not allowed to stand on the roundabout in front of the cannons, we were able to stand by the road without barriers, for the exit of the diplomatic vehicles. The French and British really do drive on different sides of the road, as Sarkozy's car and his police escort crossed onto the right side of the road probably to keep their distance from us. Gordon Brown's escort stayed on the left and drove past us properly round the roundabout.
Despite his escort crossing to the right side of the road, we did manage to see President Sarkozy looking at us before he turned away.
We met one gentleman from Friends of the Earth (who also want Total out of Burma), but were surprised considering all the issues being discussed to be the only protesters we could see with any banners.
In the BBC news article "Brown seeks 'Entente Formidable'" Burma did get a mention in a 36-page joint communique of the summit. It was in the second item the BBC listed from this communique.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7315649.stm
"Promoting peace in Darfur and pushing for greater human rights in Burma"
Kilburn Protest
==============
We also protested at Kilburn Total petrol station on Wednesday 26th April. We were pleased to meet one French passer-by who had a very low opinion of Total and asked for lots of leaflets to send to all his friends.
Next week we can't resist moving our regular Total petrol station protest to 1st April as Rising Tide ( http://www.risingtide.org.uk ) have designated it Fossil Fools Day ( http://www.fossilfoolsday.org ) in protest at fossil fuel caused climate change. So we'll be having our own Totalitarian Fossil Fools Day in support of Fossil Fools Day and against Totalitarian Oil in Burma.
News from Burma Campaign
========================
http://www.burmacampaign.org.uk/pm/weblog.php?id=P338
UK Government Backs UN Arms Embargo on Burma
27 Mar 2008
The Burma Campaign UK today welcomed British government support for a United Nations arms embargo against Burma.
Speaking on Tuesday in the British Parliament during a debate on foreign policy, Foreign Office Minister Meg Munn stated: “We are concerned about the lack of progress (in Burma) and, indeed, in some respects, matters have gone backwards. We would certainly consider pushing for the issue to be discussed further at the UN, and we would support a UN call for an arms embargo.”
The European Union already has an arms embargo against Burma, but so far no serious steps have been taken to persuade the United Nations to impose an arms embargo, despite increasing demands for an embargo by Burmese pro-democracy organisations.
“We welcome British government support for a UN arms embargo,” said Zoya Phan, International Coordinator at Burma Campaign UK. “It is shocking that despite the UN stating the regime is breaking the Geneva Convention by deliberately targeting civilians in Eastern Burma, and guns being used against peaceful protestors in Rangoon, there is no global ban on arms sales to the regime. What we need to see now is the British government actively working to get agreement on a UN arms embargo”
Total and Burma
A detailed report on Total Oil's involvement in Burma, written by Burma Campaign UK, can be downloaded at http://www.burmacampaign.org.uk/total.html
Total is in a joint venture with the dictatorship in the Yadana gas project in southern Burma. [1]
The gas project funds the junta with hundreds of millions of dollars a year and represents a major source of foreign currency for the regime to buy weapons and finance the army.
Burma has the world's worst health care [2], the most corruption [3] and the most child soldiers [4].
Protests in London Next Week
Tuesday 1st April - Totalitarian Fossil Fools Day
Whilst protesting at Totalitarian Oil in Burma we can't resist joining in with climate change petrol station protests organised by www.risingtide.org.uk for Fossil Fools Day - www.fossilfoolsday.org So we'll be having our own Totalitarian Fossil Fools Day.
5.00pm - 7.00pm
Protest at Total petrol station, Dorset House, 170-172 Marylebone Rd, London NW1 5AR.
Nearest tube: Baker Street. Map: http://preview.tinyurl.com/2sz7co
Wednesday 2nd April
Meet at Burma Embassy for normal daily Burmese protest
12:00-1pm
Myanmar/Burma Embassy 19A, Charles St, London W1J 5DX.
Tube: Green Park | Map: http://preview.tinyurl.com/2vnnbh
Total London HQ, 33 Cavendish Square, London W1G 0PW
1.30pm-3:00pm
Tube: Oxford Circus | Map: http://preview.tinyurl.com/2tylug
Protests are held weekly but locations may change. For information and reports on protests in London and around the country please see
http://totaloutofburma.org
Petitions
Make sure you've signed:
- "Free Burma's Political Prisoners Now!" petition (global campaign launched 13 March 2008)
http://www.fbppn.net/?page_id=5
- The Burma Campaign UK e-action to TOTAL:
http://www.burmacampaign.org.uk/total.html
- The Avaaz.org global pledge: http://www.avaaz.org/en/burma_corporate
- Don't Forget Burma - send a photo message to the regime:
http://www.dontforgetburma.org
Burma Videos
Burma Campaign UK's video channel on YouTube:
- New to Burma? Watch these videos for a brief introduction
- This is Burma Music - U2, REM, Damien Rice, KT Tunstall...
- This is Burma: News and Documentaries - including Burma's Secret War
and Inside The Crackdown
http://www.youtube.com/burmacampaignuk
Get TOTAL OIL out of Burma group on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=6833508763
Recent Burma news: (see http://myamarnews.blogspot.com - read links for the full versions of stories)
http://www.monnews-imna.com/newsupdate.php?ID=953
Mon villagers flee from abuse to southern Ye Township
Widespread human rights violations, namely arbitrary arrests, torture and forced labour of adults and minors, are forcing Mon villagers to flee to more secure areas.
About 15 households in Toe Thet Ywar Thit Village of Kaw-Zar Sub Township have shifted to Hangan village in Ye Township, said sources in Toe Thet Ywar Thit.
The villagers were beaten and tortured almost every day by soldiers of the Burmese Army's Infantry Battalion No. 31, said a villager. Unable to live with the abuses, they moved to Hangan village and other places where they believe they will be more secure, added the villager.
The villagers do not have time to run their business ventures as they are forced to work in the military camp. They are made to collect timber and work in construction sites.
Many more people want to relocate, believing that bigger villages will offer better security and less abuse. Uncertainties about their survival in a new village prevent low income households from moving.
The vast majority of villagers depend on their plantations and farms in Kaw-Zar sub township.
Despite over 13 years of the ceasefire agreement between the New Mon State Party and the Burmese military junta, Human Rights violations continue in Mon State, especially in southern Ye Township.
http://www.kaladanpress.org//index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1244&Itemid=2
Forced labour for drainage system in Mrauk-U
Mrauk–U Township Municipality, Township Health organization and the United Solidarity and Development Association (USDA) have ordered the Rohingya Muslim community of the town to repair and build the drainage system of township but are not paying any wages, said a schoolteacher from Mrauk-U.
About 100 Rohingya Muslims of Mrauk-U are being called everyday to construct and repair the drainage system of Mrauk-U town since March 20, the same source said.
The Rohingya Muslim villages are: Maung Daratpyrin, Auordat, Parin, Khauk Doke, Paung Tuwa and Shewgutaw, where Parin village has more than 1,000 families. The Parin and Khauk Doke villages are five miles from the Mrauk-U Municipality.
The Mrauk-U Municipality and it partners have collected money from families of Mrauk-U municipal area. A rich family must pay 1,500 Kyat, the middle class has to pay 1,000 Kyat and the lower class or daily worker has to pay 500 Kyat. The collection was done from March 15 to 20, said a local from Mrauk –U.
The collected money was not used on the drainage system and repairing. The municipality and its partners are taking advantage from the villagers of the Rohingya community. The villagers have to bring their own food when they go to work in the municipal area and are not being paid. They have been told that civilians had to work as a "people's force," said a student from Mrauk –U.
http://www.kaladanpress.org//index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1245&Itemid=2
Religious function ransacked by Security force
Maungdaw, Arakan State: An ongoing religious function was ransacked and a religious leader Maulana Sayedul Amin (60) of Maung Nama village was dragged away by Nasaka Burma's border security force yesterday night while he was preaching, said a schoolteacher in the locality.
Yesterday, at about 11 pm, a religious function was being held in Maung Nama village in Maungdaw Township after permission from the concerned authorities. The function was arranged by Abu Sofian (45), son of Md. Siddique of Maung Nama village.
After the function began when Mohadas Sayedul Amin was preaching to the people, suddenly, two groups of Nasaka in a fuddled state, numbering 12, from Nasaka Headquarters surrounded the crowd and ransacked the place. They arrested Maulana Sayedul Amin and dragged him to their camp.
http://www.narinjara.com/details.asp?id=1683
Bamboo Cutter Assaulted by Soldiers, Loses Eye
Minbya: A bamboo cutter in Minbya Township, Arakan State, lost an eye recently after he was beaten by soldiers at a toll gate opened illegally by the Burmese army for collecting tolls from local traders, said a witness.
The bamboo cutter was identified as Ko Maung Sein Tha, 30-years-old, from Awa Village in Minbya Township.
The incident took place on 20 December, 2007, at an army toll gate near Ramaung bridge, when the bamboo cutter was travelling on his raft to Minbya from the deep forest on the Ramaung River.
The witness said that when Ko Maung Sein Tha approached the toll gate on his bamboo raft, some soldiers ordered him to harbor his raft at the jetty to pay the tax. Ko Maung Sein Tha was unable to get his raft to the jetty to harbor in time as the current was too strong and his raft was too heavy to steer quickly.
The bamboo cutter was finally able to harbor his raft at the toll gate after 30 minutes, but he was severely beaten by many soldiers with bamboo sticks for taking too long to do so. The Burmese soldiers also seized 6,000 kyat in cash from him.
He was later allowed to continue on his way to Minbya, but Ko Maung Sein Tha was unable to take his raft into town due to heavy injuries he sustained on his body and eyes.
Ko Maung Sein Tha was hospitalized at Minbya Township hospital with severe injuries from the attack.
After one month of treatment, Ko Maung Sein Tha finally recovered his health, but has completely lost sight in one eye.
Ko Maung Sein Tha's relative attempted to complain of the incident to the high authority, but they finally gave up on this plan after army officials threatened their lives if they continued with the complaint.
According to residents, such incidents of attacks and harassment is common in Arakan State, with the many soldiers who are stationed there regularly oppressing the local Arakanese people in several ways.
http://www.narinjara.com/details.asp?id=1684
Forced Labor on Rubber Plantation
Maungdaw: Authorities from Maungdaw Township have been forcing people to work at a government rubber plantation since 21 March, with promises of distributing land to them, said one villager.
A female villager said, "We do not want to work there because we have not received any wages from them. The authority will allocate the land for us in the future, not now, but we just need food for survival."
Most villagers are day laborers and are now facing difficulties maintaining their daily survival because they are unable to take other opportunities to work for pay in other locations.
It has also been learned that local authorities have previously forced people to work on government projects with such promises for the future, but it is difficult to get such promises fulfilled by the authorities after the work is done.
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/SODA-7D54CU?OpenDocument&rc=3&cc=mmr
Displacement and disease: The Shan exodus and infectious disease implications for Thailand
Abstract:
Decades of neglect and abuses by the Burmese government have decimated the health of the peoples of Burma, particularly along her eastern frontiers, overwhelmingly populated by ethnic minorities such as the Shan. Vast areas of traditional Shan homelands have been systematically depopulated by the Burmese military regime as part of its counter-insurgency policy, which also employs widespread abuses of civilians by Burmese soldiers, including rape, torture, and extrajudicial executions. These abuses, coupled with Burmese government economic mismanagement which has further entrenched already pervasive poverty in rural Burma, have spawned a humanitarian catastrophe, forcing hundreds of thousands of ethnic Shan villagers to flee their homes for Thailand. In Thailand, they are denied refugee status and its legal protections, living at constant risk for arrest and deportation. Classified as "economic migrants," many are forced to work in exploitative conditions, including in the Thai sex industry, and Shan migrants often lack access to basic health services in Thailand. Available health data on Shan migrants in Thailand already indicates that this population bears a disproportionately high burden of infectious diseases, particularly HIV, tuberculosis, lymphatic filariasis, and some vaccine-preventable illnesses, undermining progress made by Thailand s public health system in controlling such entities. The ongoing failure to address the root political causes of migration and poor health in eastern Burma, coupled with the many barriers to accessing health programs in Thailand by undocumented migrants, particularly the Shan, virtually guarantees Thailand s inability to sustainably control many infectious disease entities, especially along her borders with Burma.
http://paraussies.blogspot.com/2008/03/military-trains-for-referendum.html
Military Trains for Referendum
Mraybon: Local Burmese military authorities in Arakan State have been conducting military training for its thugs, including members of the USDA, Fire Service, Swan Arr Shin, and people's militias, with the intent of using the forces to aid their victory in the referendum, said one villager who participated in the training but refused to be named.
The villager said, "I am sure the training is for the referendum. The forces will be used to mobilize people to cast "yes" votes for the constitution. It is confirmed that the trainings are to be held closer to the time of the referendum."
An analyst in Sittwe said, "I heard there are two major particulars for the military training by the authority of Arakan State. First is to show the strength of government supporters to the people, and second is to threaten people to vote "yes" in the referendum."
"The military government received an excellent lesson about elections in 1990, so they are preparing to avoid failure in the referendum this time," the analyst added.
http://paraussies.blogspot.com/2008/03/burma-silencing-media-before-referendum.html
Burma; Silencing the media before the referendum
On Feb. 15, the military stormed the offices of the Myanmar Nation and took my brother, the weekly journal's editor in chief, to jail. His crime? Possession of a United Nation’s report on the ruling junta’s brutal crackdown on last September’s demonstrations by monks and democracy activists—the so-called Saffron Revolution.
My brother's name is Thet Zin, and he is one of hundreds of Burmese citizens who struggle to tell the truth about what is happening in their country—whether through traditional forms of journalism or through the Internet—under threat of arrest or worse by the military regime.
When the military raided the offices of Myanmar Nation, they discovered video footage of last September's Buddhist monk-led protests, a copy of the aforementioned report by U.N. Special Rapporteur Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, and a book about federalism written by a veteran Shan ethnic leader. Along with my brother, his office manager, Sein Win Maung, was also arrested. The authorities confiscated mobile phones and computer hard-drives during the raid.
In early March, both were charged under section 17/20 of the Printers and Publishers Registration Law. The court cited the U.N. report as evidence of possessing "illegal material" in order to set up a case against my brother. If found guilty, they could serve up to seven years' imprisonment. The publication of Myanmar Nation has also been suspended since their arrest.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080326/wl_asia_afp/myanmarpoliticsreferendum_080326053218;_ylt=AnpiKNaaiTEbq8us5FYfdx6tubgA
Activists launch underground campaign against Myanmar charter
BANGKOK (AFP) - Myanmar's pro-democracy leaders have been arrested or forced into hiding, while their speeches and leaflets have been outlawed, and they have no access to the media.
But activists say they are defying the pressure and have launched an underground campaign against a constitution drafted by the nation's military rulers, who plan to put it to a referendum in May.
The 88 Generation Student Group, which kicked off the mass protests that shook the regime last year, says it is getting its message out through secretly distributed fliers and T-shirts, and emails passed clandestinely at Internet cafes.
Since speeches have been outlawed, the group is making video recordings on CDs that are copied and passed anonymously through Myanmar's main city of Yangon.
"In this way, we make our campaign in secret," said Tun Myint Aung, who is leading the group with a handful of other activists while living in hiding from the authorities.
"We are asking our people to go to the polling station and vote 'No.' The authorities have no right to arrest anyone for voting 'No.' Let's show the enormous power of the people," he told AFP in Bangkok, speaking by telephone from a secret location inside Myanmar.
"In this way, we reject the military constitution and we reject everything that was made by the military government," he said.
Tun Myint Aung's group is made up of former student leaders who spearheaded a pro-democracy uprising in August 1988.
The military crushed the protests by massacring students, with demonstrations and violent reprisals gripping the nation for five days. At least 3,000 people were killed, and more than 10,000 students fled into exile.
Tun Myint Aung, like most of the others who were arrested then, served a decade in prison but returned to activism upon his release three years ago.
The freed student leaders, now mostly in their 40s, rebuilt their network of activists and began new protests in August last year, harnessing public anger at a surprise hike in fuel prices.
The junta tried to stamp out the movement by arresting the group's most prominent leaders, Min Ko Naing and Ko Ko Gyi.
But Buddhist monks took up the cause, eventually bringing more than 100,000 people into the streets of Yangon in September, until the military launched a deadly crackdown.
http://baydah.blogspot.com/2008/03/junta-spy-fake-monk-on-loose.html
Junta Spy Fake Monk on the Loose
Junta Spy Fake monk named U Pyin Nya WunTha is on the way to US, left Bangkok on the Thai Airways Flight No. TG792 to New York on 19 March 2008 with Passport No. A015054, Name on Passport: U PANNA VAMSA
This is the translation of the letter that was posted on the Dr. Lun Swe Blog http://drlunswe.blogspot.com/ .(Photo of the original letter and copy of the passport of the monk and photo of the monk at the bottom of this Article.)
After the last year Saffron Revolution, the opportunist junta spy fake monk names U Pyinnya Wun Tha is on the way to United States.
Around year 2000 he was overseas and was arrested and imprisoned for the work permit problem. Even inside the prison his integrity was really bad and he informed the activities of the political prisoners to the Prison Authorities.(Ask about this to ex-political prisoners)
He got bad name inside Burma as a monk and he went to border town Mae Sok(Thailand) and applied for going to third country as refugee at UNHCR.(Check AAPP). Even though he was applying for refugee status, he didn't stay inside refugee camp and he was travelling to and fro between Bangkok and Mae Sot and staying together with a woman with a name Ma Sandar. Later he went back into Burma giving an excuse of to show around the boss of Ma Sandar inside Burma.
During September Saffron Revolution, he stood beside the monks and took his photo himself with his phone camera and made fake evidence that he participated in Saffron Revolution. He claimed himself as Leader of Thawtuzana Bikkhu group and gave interviews.(Actual leader of Thawtuzana Bikkhu group is Ahshin Ahdipadi from Maggin Monestary).
Then he came out to Bangkok with Sangha(monk) Passport after Saffron Revolution.
While all the monks who participated in the Saffron Revolution were arrested and beaten and tortured inside prison, he was able to apply and get the Sangha Passport was his BIGGEST Questionable and Suspicious Act.
Then he came back again to Border Town Mae Sot and try to apply again as refugee for going to Third country, he was not only applying for himself, he also helped to apply for the others Junta spy monks who came out from Burma by Flight with proper passport.(Those real monks who participated in the Saffron Revolution ran away from junta through the Border area by foot and no passport at all.
Notes:
[1] Aung San Suu Kyi, Burma’s democracy leader, has said that “Total is the biggest supporter of the military regime in Burma.” For more information about Total Oil's investment in Burma see the Burma Campaign UK website:
http://www.burmacampaign.org.uk/total.php.
[2] The World Health Organization's ranking
of the world's health systems:
http://www.photius.com/rankings/healthranks.html
[3] Burma joins Somalia in 179th place as the most corrupt countries in the world according to Transparency International 2007 index rankings:
http://www.transparency.org/news_room/in_focus/2007/cpi2007/cpi_2007_table
[4] Human Rights Watch report on Child Soldiers in Burma:
http://hrw.org/reports/2002/burma/Burma0902-08.htm#P1672_511418
The police wanted us to keep our distance from barriers at the entrance to the underground car park near the Armoury and were concerned we might throw objects or charge into the road. However they were quite reasonable not stopping us from displaying banners on the cannons or stadium and did not block the view of our banners when we held them for the passing diplomatic vehicle escorts.
Whilst we were not allowed to stand on the roundabout in front of the cannons, we were able to stand by the road without barriers, for the exit of the diplomatic vehicles. The French and British really do drive on different sides of the road, as Sarkozy's car and his police escort crossed onto the right side of the road probably to keep their distance from us. Gordon Brown's escort stayed on the left and drove past us properly round the roundabout.
Despite his escort crossing to the right side of the road, we did manage to see President Sarkozy looking at us before he turned away.
We met one gentleman from Friends of the Earth (who also want Total out of Burma), but were surprised considering all the issues being discussed to be the only protesters we could see with any banners.
In the BBC news article "Brown seeks 'Entente Formidable'" Burma did get a mention in a 36-page joint communique of the summit. It was in the second item the BBC listed from this communique.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7315649.stm "Promoting peace in Darfur and pushing for greater human rights in Burma"
Kilburn Protest
==============
We also protested at Kilburn Total petrol station on Wednesday 26th April. We were pleased to meet one French passer-by who had a very low opinion of Total and asked for lots of leaflets to send to all his friends.
Next week we can't resist moving our regular Total petrol station protest to 1st April as Rising Tide (
http://www.risingtide.org.uk ) have designated it Fossil Fools Day ( http://www.fossilfoolsday.org ) in protest at fossil fuel caused climate change. So we'll be having our own Totalitarian Fossil Fools Day in support of Fossil Fools Day and against Totalitarian Oil in Burma. News from Burma Campaign
========================
http://www.burmacampaign.org.uk/pm/weblog.php?id=P338 UK Government Backs UN Arms Embargo on Burma
27 Mar 2008
The Burma Campaign UK today welcomed British government support for a United Nations arms embargo against Burma.
Speaking on Tuesday in the British Parliament during a debate on foreign policy, Foreign Office Minister Meg Munn stated: “We are concerned about the lack of progress (in Burma) and, indeed, in some respects, matters have gone backwards. We would certainly consider pushing for the issue to be discussed further at the UN, and we would support a UN call for an arms embargo.”
The European Union already has an arms embargo against Burma, but so far no serious steps have been taken to persuade the United Nations to impose an arms embargo, despite increasing demands for an embargo by Burmese pro-democracy organisations.
“We welcome British government support for a UN arms embargo,” said Zoya Phan, International Coordinator at Burma Campaign UK. “It is shocking that despite the UN stating the regime is breaking the Geneva Convention by deliberately targeting civilians in Eastern Burma, and guns being used against peaceful protestors in Rangoon, there is no global ban on arms sales to the regime. What we need to see now is the British government actively working to get agreement on a UN arms embargo”
Total and Burma
A detailed report on Total Oil's involvement in Burma, written by Burma Campaign UK, can be downloaded at
http://www.burmacampaign.org.uk/total.html Total is in a joint venture with the dictatorship in the Yadana gas project in southern Burma. [1]
The gas project funds the junta with hundreds of millions of dollars a year and represents a major source of foreign currency for the regime to buy weapons and finance the army.
Burma has the world's worst health care [2], the most corruption [3] and the most child soldiers [4].
Protests in London Next Week
Tuesday 1st April - Totalitarian Fossil Fools Day
Whilst protesting at Totalitarian Oil in Burma we can't resist joining in with climate change petrol station protests organised by www.risingtide.org.uk for Fossil Fools Day - www.fossilfoolsday.org So we'll be having our own Totalitarian Fossil Fools Day.
5.00pm - 7.00pm
Protest at Total petrol station, Dorset House, 170-172 Marylebone Rd, London NW1 5AR.
Nearest tube: Baker Street. Map:
http://preview.tinyurl.com/2sz7co Wednesday 2nd April
Meet at Burma Embassy for normal daily Burmese protest
12:00-1pm
Myanmar/Burma Embassy 19A, Charles St, London W1J 5DX.
Tube: Green Park | Map:
http://preview.tinyurl.com/2vnnbh Total London HQ, 33 Cavendish Square, London W1G 0PW
1.30pm-3:00pm
Tube: Oxford Circus | Map:
http://preview.tinyurl.com/2tylug Protests are held weekly but locations may change. For information and reports on protests in London and around the country please see
http://totaloutofburma.org Petitions
Make sure you've signed:
- "Free Burma's Political Prisoners Now!" petition (global campaign launched 13 March 2008)
http://www.fbppn.net/?page_id=5 - The Burma Campaign UK e-action to TOTAL:
http://www.burmacampaign.org.uk/total.html - The Avaaz.org global pledge:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/burma_corporate - Don't Forget Burma - send a photo message to the regime:
http://www.dontforgetburma.org Burma Videos
Burma Campaign UK's video channel on YouTube:
- New to Burma? Watch these videos for a brief introduction
- This is Burma Music - U2, REM, Damien Rice, KT Tunstall...
- This is Burma: News and Documentaries - including Burma's Secret War
and Inside The Crackdown
http://www.youtube.com/burmacampaignuk Get TOTAL OIL out of Burma group on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=6833508763 Recent Burma news: (see
http://myamarnews.blogspot.com - read links for the full versions of stories) http://www.monnews-imna.com/newsupdate.php?ID=953 Mon villagers flee from abuse to southern Ye Township
Widespread human rights violations, namely arbitrary arrests, torture and forced labour of adults and minors, are forcing Mon villagers to flee to more secure areas.
About 15 households in Toe Thet Ywar Thit Village of Kaw-Zar Sub Township have shifted to Hangan village in Ye Township, said sources in Toe Thet Ywar Thit.
The villagers were beaten and tortured almost every day by soldiers of the Burmese Army's Infantry Battalion No. 31, said a villager. Unable to live with the abuses, they moved to Hangan village and other places where they believe they will be more secure, added the villager.
The villagers do not have time to run their business ventures as they are forced to work in the military camp. They are made to collect timber and work in construction sites.
Many more people want to relocate, believing that bigger villages will offer better security and less abuse. Uncertainties about their survival in a new village prevent low income households from moving.
The vast majority of villagers depend on their plantations and farms in Kaw-Zar sub township.
Despite over 13 years of the ceasefire agreement between the New Mon State Party and the Burmese military junta, Human Rights violations continue in Mon State, especially in southern Ye Township.
http://www.kaladanpress.org//index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1244&Itemid=2 Forced labour for drainage system in Mrauk-U
Mrauk–U Township Municipality, Township Health organization and the United Solidarity and Development Association (USDA) have ordered the Rohingya Muslim community of the town to repair and build the drainage system of township but are not paying any wages, said a schoolteacher from Mrauk-U.
About 100 Rohingya Muslims of Mrauk-U are being called everyday to construct and repair the drainage system of Mrauk-U town since March 20, the same source said.
The Rohingya Muslim villages are: Maung Daratpyrin, Auordat, Parin, Khauk Doke, Paung Tuwa and Shewgutaw, where Parin village has more than 1,000 families. The Parin and Khauk Doke villages are five miles from the Mrauk-U Municipality.
The Mrauk-U Municipality and it partners have collected money from families of Mrauk-U municipal area. A rich family must pay 1,500 Kyat, the middle class has to pay 1,000 Kyat and the lower class or daily worker has to pay 500 Kyat. The collection was done from March 15 to 20, said a local from Mrauk –U.
The collected money was not used on the drainage system and repairing. The municipality and its partners are taking advantage from the villagers of the Rohingya community. The villagers have to bring their own food when they go to work in the municipal area and are not being paid. They have been told that civilians had to work as a "people's force," said a student from Mrauk –U.
http://www.kaladanpress.org//index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1245&Itemid=2 Religious function ransacked by Security force
Maungdaw, Arakan State: An ongoing religious function was ransacked and a religious leader Maulana Sayedul Amin (60) of Maung Nama village was dragged away by Nasaka Burma's border security force yesterday night while he was preaching, said a schoolteacher in the locality.
Yesterday, at about 11 pm, a religious function was being held in Maung Nama village in Maungdaw Township after permission from the concerned authorities. The function was arranged by Abu Sofian (45), son of Md. Siddique of Maung Nama village.
After the function began when Mohadas Sayedul Amin was preaching to the people, suddenly, two groups of Nasaka in a fuddled state, numbering 12, from Nasaka Headquarters surrounded the crowd and ransacked the place. They arrested Maulana Sayedul Amin and dragged him to their camp.
http://www.narinjara.com/details.asp?id=1683 Bamboo Cutter Assaulted by Soldiers, Loses Eye
Minbya: A bamboo cutter in Minbya Township, Arakan State, lost an eye recently after he was beaten by soldiers at a toll gate opened illegally by the Burmese army for collecting tolls from local traders, said a witness.
The bamboo cutter was identified as Ko Maung Sein Tha, 30-years-old, from Awa Village in Minbya Township.
The incident took place on 20 December, 2007, at an army toll gate near Ramaung bridge, when the bamboo cutter was travelling on his raft to Minbya from the deep forest on the Ramaung River.
The witness said that when Ko Maung Sein Tha approached the toll gate on his bamboo raft, some soldiers ordered him to harbor his raft at the jetty to pay the tax. Ko Maung Sein Tha was unable to get his raft to the jetty to harbor in time as the current was too strong and his raft was too heavy to steer quickly.
The bamboo cutter was finally able to harbor his raft at the toll gate after 30 minutes, but he was severely beaten by many soldiers with bamboo sticks for taking too long to do so. The Burmese soldiers also seized 6,000 kyat in cash from him.
He was later allowed to continue on his way to Minbya, but Ko Maung Sein Tha was unable to take his raft into town due to heavy injuries he sustained on his body and eyes.
Ko Maung Sein Tha was hospitalized at Minbya Township hospital with severe injuries from the attack.
After one month of treatment, Ko Maung Sein Tha finally recovered his health, but has completely lost sight in one eye.
Ko Maung Sein Tha's relative attempted to complain of the incident to the high authority, but they finally gave up on this plan after army officials threatened their lives if they continued with the complaint.
According to residents, such incidents of attacks and harassment is common in Arakan State, with the many soldiers who are stationed there regularly oppressing the local Arakanese people in several ways.
http://www.narinjara.com/details.asp?id=1684 Forced Labor on Rubber Plantation
Maungdaw: Authorities from Maungdaw Township have been forcing people to work at a government rubber plantation since 21 March, with promises of distributing land to them, said one villager.
A female villager said, "We do not want to work there because we have not received any wages from them. The authority will allocate the land for us in the future, not now, but we just need food for survival."
Most villagers are day laborers and are now facing difficulties maintaining their daily survival because they are unable to take other opportunities to work for pay in other locations.
It has also been learned that local authorities have previously forced people to work on government projects with such promises for the future, but it is difficult to get such promises fulfilled by the authorities after the work is done.
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/SODA-7D54CU?OpenDocument&rc=3&cc=mmr Displacement and disease: The Shan exodus and infectious disease implications for Thailand
Abstract:
Decades of neglect and abuses by the Burmese government have decimated the health of the peoples of Burma, particularly along her eastern frontiers, overwhelmingly populated by ethnic minorities such as the Shan. Vast areas of traditional Shan homelands have been systematically depopulated by the Burmese military regime as part of its counter-insurgency policy, which also employs widespread abuses of civilians by Burmese soldiers, including rape, torture, and extrajudicial executions. These abuses, coupled with Burmese government economic mismanagement which has further entrenched already pervasive poverty in rural Burma, have spawned a humanitarian catastrophe, forcing hundreds of thousands of ethnic Shan villagers to flee their homes for Thailand. In Thailand, they are denied refugee status and its legal protections, living at constant risk for arrest and deportation. Classified as "economic migrants," many are forced to work in exploitative conditions, including in the Thai sex industry, and Shan migrants often lack access to basic health services in Thailand. Available health data on Shan migrants in Thailand already indicates that this population bears a disproportionately high burden of infectious diseases, particularly HIV, tuberculosis, lymphatic filariasis, and some vaccine-preventable illnesses, undermining progress made by Thailand s public health system in controlling such entities. The ongoing failure to address the root political causes of migration and poor health in eastern Burma, coupled with the many barriers to accessing health programs in Thailand by undocumented migrants, particularly the Shan, virtually guarantees Thailand s inability to sustainably control many infectious disease entities, especially along her borders with Burma.
http://paraussies.blogspot.com/2008/03/military-trains-for-referendum.html Military Trains for Referendum
Mraybon: Local Burmese military authorities in Arakan State have been conducting military training for its thugs, including members of the USDA, Fire Service, Swan Arr Shin, and people's militias, with the intent of using the forces to aid their victory in the referendum, said one villager who participated in the training but refused to be named.
The villager said, "I am sure the training is for the referendum. The forces will be used to mobilize people to cast "yes" votes for the constitution. It is confirmed that the trainings are to be held closer to the time of the referendum."
An analyst in Sittwe said, "I heard there are two major particulars for the military training by the authority of Arakan State. First is to show the strength of government supporters to the people, and second is to threaten people to vote "yes" in the referendum."
"The military government received an excellent lesson about elections in 1990, so they are preparing to avoid failure in the referendum this time," the analyst added.
http://paraussies.blogspot.com/2008/03/burma-silencing-media-before-referendum.html Burma; Silencing the media before the referendum
On Feb. 15, the military stormed the offices of the Myanmar Nation and took my brother, the weekly journal's editor in chief, to jail. His crime? Possession of a United Nation’s report on the ruling junta’s brutal crackdown on last September’s demonstrations by monks and democracy activists—the so-called Saffron Revolution.
My brother's name is Thet Zin, and he is one of hundreds of Burmese citizens who struggle to tell the truth about what is happening in their country—whether through traditional forms of journalism or through the Internet—under threat of arrest or worse by the military regime.
When the military raided the offices of Myanmar Nation, they discovered video footage of last September's Buddhist monk-led protests, a copy of the aforementioned report by U.N. Special Rapporteur Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, and a book about federalism written by a veteran Shan ethnic leader. Along with my brother, his office manager, Sein Win Maung, was also arrested. The authorities confiscated mobile phones and computer hard-drives during the raid.
In early March, both were charged under section 17/20 of the Printers and Publishers Registration Law. The court cited the U.N. report as evidence of possessing "illegal material" in order to set up a case against my brother. If found guilty, they could serve up to seven years' imprisonment. The publication of Myanmar Nation has also been suspended since their arrest.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080326/wl_asia_afp/myanmarpoliticsreferendum_080326053218;_ylt=AnpiKNaaiTEbq8us5FYfdx6tubgA Activists launch underground campaign against Myanmar charter
BANGKOK (AFP) - Myanmar's pro-democracy leaders have been arrested or forced into hiding, while their speeches and leaflets have been outlawed, and they have no access to the media.
But activists say they are defying the pressure and have launched an underground campaign against a constitution drafted by the nation's military rulers, who plan to put it to a referendum in May.
The 88 Generation Student Group, which kicked off the mass protests that shook the regime last year, says it is getting its message out through secretly distributed fliers and T-shirts, and emails passed clandestinely at Internet cafes.
Since speeches have been outlawed, the group is making video recordings on CDs that are copied and passed anonymously through Myanmar's main city of Yangon.
"In this way, we make our campaign in secret," said Tun Myint Aung, who is leading the group with a handful of other activists while living in hiding from the authorities.
"We are asking our people to go to the polling station and vote 'No.' The authorities have no right to arrest anyone for voting 'No.' Let's show the enormous power of the people," he told AFP in Bangkok, speaking by telephone from a secret location inside Myanmar.
"In this way, we reject the military constitution and we reject everything that was made by the military government," he said.
Tun Myint Aung's group is made up of former student leaders who spearheaded a pro-democracy uprising in August 1988.
The military crushed the protests by massacring students, with demonstrations and violent reprisals gripping the nation for five days. At least 3,000 people were killed, and more than 10,000 students fled into exile.
Tun Myint Aung, like most of the others who were arrested then, served a decade in prison but returned to activism upon his release three years ago.
The freed student leaders, now mostly in their 40s, rebuilt their network of activists and began new protests in August last year, harnessing public anger at a surprise hike in fuel prices.
The junta tried to stamp out the movement by arresting the group's most prominent leaders, Min Ko Naing and Ko Ko Gyi.
But Buddhist monks took up the cause, eventually bringing more than 100,000 people into the streets of Yangon in September, until the military launched a deadly crackdown.
http://baydah.blogspot.com/2008/03/junta-spy-fake-monk-on-loose.html Junta Spy Fake Monk on the Loose
Junta Spy Fake monk named U Pyin Nya WunTha is on the way to US, left Bangkok on the Thai Airways Flight No. TG792 to New York on 19 March 2008 with Passport No. A015054, Name on Passport: U PANNA VAMSA
This is the translation of the letter that was posted on the Dr. Lun Swe Blog
http://drlunswe.blogspot.com/ .(Photo of the original letter and copy of the passport of the monk and photo of the monk at the bottom of this Article.) After the last year Saffron Revolution, the opportunist junta spy fake monk names U Pyinnya Wun Tha is on the way to United States.
Around year 2000 he was overseas and was arrested and imprisoned for the work permit problem. Even inside the prison his integrity was really bad and he informed the activities of the political prisoners to the Prison Authorities.(Ask about this to ex-political prisoners)
He got bad name inside Burma as a monk and he went to border town Mae Sok(Thailand) and applied for going to third country as refugee at UNHCR.(Check AAPP). Even though he was applying for refugee status, he didn't stay inside refugee camp and he was travelling to and fro between Bangkok and Mae Sot and staying together with a woman with a name Ma Sandar. Later he went back into Burma giving an excuse of to show around the boss of Ma Sandar inside Burma.
During September Saffron Revolution, he stood beside the monks and took his photo himself with his phone camera and made fake evidence that he participated in Saffron Revolution. He claimed himself as Leader of Thawtuzana Bikkhu group and gave interviews.(Actual leader of Thawtuzana Bikkhu group is Ahshin Ahdipadi from Maggin Monestary).
Then he came out to Bangkok with Sangha(monk) Passport after Saffron Revolution.
While all the monks who participated in the Saffron Revolution were arrested and beaten and tortured inside prison, he was able to apply and get the Sangha Passport was his BIGGEST Questionable and Suspicious Act.
Then he came back again to Border Town Mae Sot and try to apply again as refugee for going to Third country, he was not only applying for himself, he also helped to apply for the others Junta spy monks who came out from Burma by Flight with proper passport.(Those real monks who participated in the Saffron Revolution ran away from junta through the Border area by foot and no passport at all.
Notes:
[1] Aung San Suu Kyi, Burma’s democracy leader, has said that “Total is the biggest supporter of the military regime in Burma.” For more information about Total Oil's investment in Burma see the Burma Campaign UK website:
http://www.burmacampaign.org.uk/total.php. [2] The World Health Organization's ranking
of the world's health systems:
http://www.photius.com/rankings/healthranks.html [3] Burma joins Somalia in 179th place as the most corrupt countries in the world according to Transparency International 2007 index rankings:
http://www.transparency.org/news_room/in_focus/2007/cpi2007/cpi_2007_table [4] Human Rights Watch report on Child Soldiers in Burma:
http://hrw.org/reports/2002/burma/Burma0902-08.htm#P1672_511418
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