Global Call To Action Against Burmese Military Regime

Condemn Burmese Military Regime for human rights violations in Burma

On 10th December, 1948, the General Assembly of the United Nations proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations that every individual and every organ of society shall strive to promote to respect for these rights and progressive measures, national and international to secure their universal and effective recognition and observance, both among the peoples of Member States themselves and among the peoples of territories under their jurisdiction. Burma is a member of the United Nations and voted in favor of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948.

However, Gross Human Rights Violations, including forced displacement, forced labour, attacked by soldiers on civilians, destruction or theft of food supplies, murder, torture, rape and political imprisonment have been widespread in Burma. Freedom of expression and Freedom of Association are non-existence. The right to life, liberty and security for Burmese citizens are denied. People of Burma have been subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention and exile. In Burma, human rights violations are committed on a daily basis by ruling military regime.

Therefore, we call upon the international community and overseas Burmese people around the world to a global day action against the military regime in Burma on 10th December, 2008. Demonstrations and a number of activities will take place in different countries on that day. We would like to encourage everyone to join with us to condemn Burmese military regime for human rights violations in Burma.

"Add your voice to a call for Free Burma"

Contact:

Mr. Myo Thein (UK), Tel: +44 208 493 9137
Email: myothein19@gmail.com

Ms. Khin Ma Ma Myo (Scotland), Tel: +44 122 524 077
Email: khinmamamyo@gmail.com

Mr. Yin Aye (USA), Tel: + 1 301 905 7591
Email: yindbso@gmail.com

Mr. Ko Ko Aung (Japan)
Email: kokoaung_dfbjp@yahoo.com

Mr. Yin Htwe (Thailand)
Email: yinhtway@gmail.com

Mr. Soe Htun (Singapore)
Email: lunlunn@gmail.com

Mr. Yaung Ni (India)
Email: yaungni800@gmail.com

Mr. Si Thu (Canada)
Email: oneloveoneburma@gmail.com

Burma Must Not Be Forgotten

Cherry(India)

In a country that has been ruled by the military junta since 1962, where its ethnic women are raped with impunity by military soldiers, and where less than 3% of the national budget is spent on healthcare, Burma must not be forgotten by the international community.

Half of Burma’s 54 million people are women. The ignorant and failed policies of Burma’s military regime have caused women and children to endure extreme suffering. UNIFEM reports a high rate of maternal mortality (approximately 517 per 100,000 live births), and their children suffer from an extremely high rate of moderate malnutrition and preventable diseases. A UNICEF study reveals that out of the 1.3 million children born every year in Burma, more than 92,500 will die before they reach their first birthday and another 138,000 will die before the age of 5.

The situation is even more dire in Burma’s conflict zones, where official investment in health, especially reproductive health, is essentially non-existent. Abuses against the predominantly non-Burman population are rife, including the brutal and systematic rape of women and girls.

In these conflict zones, as many as 1 in 12 women will die as a result of pregnancy-related causes, a number far worse than Burma’s national figure of 1 in 75 - already the worst in the region. These deaths are mainly preventable, the result of postpartum hemorrhage, unsafe abortion, and obstructed delivery. Further, high fertility rates, reflecting lack of access to reproductive technologies, as well as the high prevalence of conditions such as malnutrition and anemia, increase the risk of unnecessary death from pregnancy. In eastern Burma, only 4% of births are attended by skilled birth attendants, far lower than the official figure of 57% for the rest of the country.

Though international NGOs have published reproductive health education materials in Burmese, they are usually not provided in ethnic languages as the regime fails to promote the rights of ethnic/indigenous people. The lack of health care, educational facilities, economic mismanagement, and ongoing severe human rights abuses drive many people out of the country. Burma’s problems are a threat to the region’s security and stability. So far, the regional governments have ignored the reality of Burma.

For the women who have suffered greatly, I hope that the Obama administration will bring Burma’s crises to the UN Security Council as a main concern and continue to support an economic sanction policy. It is the only way to ensure that agencies like the UNFPA and others will be able to provide the much needed services and hope to the Burmese people.

No UN push over Myanmar prisoners

4th Dec 2008

Ban, left, visited Myanmar in May in the wake of Cyclone Nargis which devastated the country [AFP The UN secretary-general has said he will not travel to Myanmar despite a petition from more than 100 former world leaders to press the military government to release all political prisoners. Ban Ki-moon said on Wednesday that he would only consider another visit if "a meaningful outcome" could be expected. The written appeal by 112 former presidents and prime ministers said a trip "would illustrate for the world whether or not the [Myanmar] military regime is serious about making changes". The signatories included former US presidents George Bush and Jimmy Carter, Tony Blair, the former British prime minister, Mikhail Gorbachev, the former Soviet leader, and Junichiro Koizumi, the former Japanese premier. They wanted Ban to pursue the UN Security Council's call in October 2007 for Myanmar to release the prisoners, including Aung San Suu Kyi, the opposition leader and Nobel Peace laureate. Michele Montas, a spokeswoman for Ban, said the UN chief "said he would like to visit Myanmar again to discuss a broad range of issues but that he will not be able to do so without reasonable expectations of a meaningful outcome". "[Ban] said he would like to visit Myanmar again to discuss a broad range of issues but that he will not be able to do so without reasonable expectations of a meaningful outcome" Michele Montas, spokeswoman for Ban She added that Ibrahim Gambari, Ban's special envoy to Myanmar, would also not return to the country formerly known as Burma, until he had a "real possibility of moving forward there". Ban travelled to Myanmar in May in the wake of Cyclone Nargis, persuading Senior General Than Shwe, the country's leader, to ease access for foreign aid workers and relief supplies. On Wednesday Ban received the letter and spoke with Kjell Magne Bondevik, the former Norwegian prime minister, who led the effort. The letter was released by Bondevik's Oslo Centre for Peace and Human Rights and by Freedom Now, a Washington-based advocacy group. "We urge you to make it clear that all political prisoners in Burma must be released by the end of this year, regardless of whether you travel to Burma," the letter said. Myanmar's military, which has held power since 1962, has ramped up its crackdown on government critics since Buddhist monks led anti-government protests in September last year. International human rights groups say the ruling generals are holding more than 2,100 political prisoners, a sharp increase from pre-demonstration figures of nearly 1,200 in June 2007. Source: aljazeera.net/news/asia-pacific