[Committee] Fwd: Burma: people power rising

[Marc Kaufmann]

Hi,

I know some of you will have got this already, if you haven't you are not
signed up to Avaaz.org yet, so go and do it now! It's about an email per
week and they are getting pretty efficient. The reason why I send
yesterday's message about the massive protests in Burma out, is that unlike
other similar events, there is a very short time-frame before it will be
over for good or for bad(if it goes like 1988, it surely will). If you think
that it's a waste of time, think again and look at what those people who are
protesting in Burma have to lose:

"I don't like the government because it only thinks about itself. But there
is nothing I can do. If I join the protest, I will lose everything," said a
hotel worker, also in Mandalay. Both she and the monk asked not to be named
for fear of the authorities.**
Read this if you want to know why it so crucial to pressure China (who
vetoed Security council resolutions on Burma in the past), otherwise please
go and sign the petition.

Yours truly, about to go on a march to the chinese ambassy (in Luxembourg,
anyone around join me today 2pm ish),

Marc


The following is from an Associated Press article:

'Diplomats and analysts said Myanmar's military rulers were showing
unexpected restraint this time because of pressure from the country's key
trading partner and diplomatic ally, China.



"Beijing is to host the next summer's Olympic Games. Everyone knows that
China is the major supporter of the junta, so if government takes any action
it will affect the image of China," a Southeast Asian diplomat said,
speaking on condition of anonymity as a matter of protocol.



China, which is counting on Myanmar's vast oil and gas reserves to help fuel
its booming economy, earlier this year blocked a U.N. Security Council
resolution criticizing Myanmar's rights record, saying it was not the right
forum. Much of the West applies diplomatic and political sanctions against
the junta, but Chinese aid — along with the oil and gas revenues —
effectively undercuts any leverage they might have had.

However, Beijing has also employed quiet diplomacy and subtle public
pressure on the regime, urging it to move toward inclusive democracy and
speed up the process of dialogue and reform.

Josef Silverstein, a political scientist and author of several books on
Myanmar, said it would not be in China's interest to have civil unrest in
Myanmar.
"China is very eager to have a peaceful Burma in order to complete roads and
railroads, to develop mines and finish assimilating the country under its
economic control," Silverstein said.'

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Paul Hilder - Avaaz.org <avaaz at avaaz.org>
Date: Sep 25, 2007 4:02 AM
Subject: Burma: people power rising
To: "marc.kaufmannmk at gmail.com" <marc.kaufmannmk at gmail.com>

   Dear friends,

After decades of brutal dictatorship, *the people of Burma are rising--and
they need our help.*

 Clicking below will add your name to this petition to Chinese Premier Hu
Jintao and the UN Security Council: "We stand alongside the citizens of
Burma in their peaceful protests. We urge you to oppose a violent crackdown
on the demonstrators, and to support genuine reconciliation and democracy in
Burma. We pledge to hold you accountable for any further
bloodshed."<http://www.avaaz.org/en/stand_with_burma/f.php?cl=20249246&signup=1>
[image: Click Here]
Click Here to Sign
Now<http://www.avaaz.org/en/stand_with_burma/f.php?cl=20249246&signup=1>
Today
over 100,000 people are on the streets of Rangoon, more around the country.
When protesters last marched in 1988, the military massacred thousands.

*But this time it can be different--if only the world stands with the
marchers.* The United Nations summit starts today in New York. Let's raise
an emergency global campaign, demanding they press the Burmese generals to
negotiate rather than crush the demonstrators. We'll deliver it to Security
Council members--particularly China's Hu Jintao, until now the military
junta's protector--and to media at the UN this week. *Sign our emergency
petition supporting the peaceful protests in Burma--click here, then spread
the word:*

http://www.avaaz.org/en/stand_with_burma/f.php?cl=20249246&signup=1

For decades the Burmese dictatorship fought off pressure--imprisoning
elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi and democracy activists, wiping out
thousands of villages in the provinces, bringing miseries from forced labour
to refugee camps. One-third of children under 5 now suffer malnutrition;
millions are down to one meal a day.

But last Tuesday Buddhist monks and nuns, overwhelmingly respected in Burma,
began marching and chanting prayers. *The protests spread--now they're
growing by tens of thousands every day*, as ordinary people, even
celebrities and comedians join in. They've broken the chains of fear and
given hope to 52 million Burmese.

*However, this hope is hanging by a thread.* While hesitating to attack the
respected monks, the regime is reported to be organising violence.
Demonstrators have already been beaten, shots have been fired.

*This is one of those moments where the world can make the
difference:*standing shoulder to shoulder with the Burmese people,
helping to shine a
dissolving light on tyranny. Let's call on powers at the UN--in particular,
China (next year's Olympics host)--to warn the generals that violence will
have the gravest consequences, and the time has come for change.

*People power is rising through the streets of Burma today.* Let the
demonstrators know the world is with them. Click here to *sign the petition,
* then tell everyone you know:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/stand_with_burma/f.php?cl=20249246&signup=1

In hope,

Paul, Pascal, Graziela, Ricken and the whole Avaaz team

PS: The government has just threatened the monks--here's an Associated Press
article: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iy-MfhLN9Q7MwtQ1VlrvexLjr2dA

And we've just heard this from the international Burma Campaign: the
military has reportedly ordered a battalion of soldiers to shave their
heads, pose as monks and operate as agents provocateurs. This might be the
first first step towards a bloody crackdown. See
http://www.uscampaignforburma.org/ for more background.

___________________
 [-525.562245-]



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