Simon Barrow points to Burma, Lonely Planet and the BBC today.

Your email to the BBC on this could make a difference!

Ekklesia reports here on a church in Bradford that are boycotting Total garages.

The Burmese generals ignore the west and it looks like those that can attempt to influence them (such as China) are reluctant to do so.

One way to make the generals think is to hit them in their financial pockets. Total is by far the biggest investor in Burma and Aung San Suu Kyi has asked for them to be boycotted. Total invests loads of money in Burma, money which the government uses to fund a massive army that has no enemies – an army there purely to keep the people ‘under control’.

Boycott Total garages and write to Total letting them know why you are doing so. Burma Campaign UK has a ‘dirty list’ – a list of companies that invest and fund this evil regime.

Dear friend

With a democracy uprising taking place in Burma, the most significant events in Burma in 20 years, you may have been wondering why you have not heard from the Burma Campaign UK.

We are a small organisation, and we have been working round the clock getting information out of Burma, briefing journalists, helping them get in to Burma, and doing media interviews. In the last 48 hours alone we have had almost 500 enquires from journalists in more than 20 countries.

Media are coming to us because we have excellent sources in the country, and can provide analysis of what is going on. The fact that we can do this is down to the financial support our supporters have given us to set up networks and build contacts.

Through the media we have been calling for international action, and governments are responding. We called on governments to warn the regime that a violent response is unacceptable. We have also been calling for stronger action by the British government. Today the British government has responded positively to our calls for action. Please read the Prime Minister’s statement here.
However, while they now agree there needs to be action, they have not yet taken any.

As you can imagine, as a small organisation we are overwhelmed with the number of media enquiries we are getting, but we believe that ensuring the world knows what is going on, and, through the media, pressuring the international community to act, must be our top priority. We will update our website and send email updates as often as possible.

We hope to be posting new actions on our website soon, asking to you to write to the British Foreign Secretary and Prime Minister.

We would like to ask for your financial support at this critical time. The current crisis is placing a strain on our resources, and we don’t want to be held back from providing maximum support at this critical time simply because of a lack of funds. Please visit our site to make a donation or call 020 7324 4714 to make a donation by credit card over the phone.

Our friends in Burma are hopeful that they could be nearing the end of their repression, but they also fear a brutal crackdown from the regime. International support is more important than ever.

Demonstrate in solidarity with the Burmese people

The Burmese Community in London are holding a demonstration outside the Burmese Embassy in London every day from 12-1pm.
Please show your support if you can.

Embassy of the Union of Myanmar
19 A CHARLES STREET
LONDON W1J 5DX

Nearest tube: Green Park

For campaigns and actions in other countries, please check here:

Thank you for your continued support.

Anna Roberts
The Burma Campaign UK

The monks were beaten with the back of rifles. Taxi drivers are transporting the injured to nearby medical facilities, said the source, speaking on condition of anonymity.

You can read more here.

Again we see peaceful protest met with violence.
Innocent people asking for equality treated as enemies.
Why?
Clearly a peace loving Budhist monk or nun is a very dangerous person!

Now the UN Security Council decides to meet.
Why not during the last 20 years of oppression?
Why not during the last 2 months of unrest and abuses?
Why not during the last 9 days of peaceful protest under threat?

Why does it take injury and violence before they even get together to THINK about what their response will be?

I pray that this time protest will work, that this time justice will prevail and that, this time, the rightful ruler of this nation will take her place.

It’s amazing and unusual to see the plight of Burma displayed in the British Media. I think the fact that the British media are currently taking interest shows the magnitude of what is currently happening in this country.

You can see the reports from the BBC here.

For the last four weeks Monks have been protesting and recently members of the public have started to join them. Today in 25 cities people marched in protest and the turnout has been estimated at between 50 000 and 100 000 people. Last week they dared to march past Aung San Suu Kyi‘s house, and she dared to greet and wave to them from behind her barricaded garden.

This is revolutionary stuff. This does not happen in Burma. People are terrified of repurcussions, poverty is massive, corruption is rife. The military control is violent and predatory. For people to do what they are currently doing takes a massive amount of courage andis an indication of how desperate the Burmese people currently are.

There is real concern here that needs our prayers. The military generals have said they are ready to take action. The last time Burma saw riots like this the ‘action’ taken by the generals left 3000 unarmed citizens dead.

Plese pray.
Please write.

These protests have been going on for sometime but usually fail to hit the press. It’s frustrating – and I do wonder if Burma was rich in oil supplies or some other commodity the western world needed that more would speak out against the injustices in this country.

Please join me in praying for the people of Burma, and especially that this uprise of protest will not result in more bloodshed and pain.

The BBC report the story here.

This is fantastic. Gordon Brown has done what other PM’s have shied away from doing – committing to raising Burma in talks with other world leaders. This is a major breakthrough and something we have been campaigning for for years.

At the Burma Campaign UK you can thank Gordon Brown and encourage him to continue here.

The PM’s statement:

I deeply deplore the Burmese government’s violent suppression of peaceful demonstrations. I call upon the Burmese authorities to release immediately all those detained merely for protesting at the hardship imposed on them by the government’s economic mismanagement and failure to uphold fundamental human rights. I also reiterate the British Government’s call for the release of all political prisoners, including Nobel Prize winner, Aung San Suu Kyi who has now spent almost 12 years of her life under house arrest.

As the lives of ordinary Burmese people continue to deteriorate, it is all the more important that all countries and organisations with an influence over the regime impress upon the generals the need for an early transition to democratic rule, full respect for human rights and genuine national reconciliation.

I support calls for the grave situation in Burma to be considered by the UN Security Council at the earliest opportunity. I also call for the UN General Assembly to address this issue.
We give our full support to the efforts of the UN Secretary-General’s good offices mission. It is time for the UN human rights bodies to give this alarming situation the attention it so patently deserves.

I am asking the Foreign Secretary to discuss this issue with our European partners next week.
I will seek an early opportunity to raise the situation in Burma with my counterparts in the key regional countries and with our partners in the EU and the US.

Over the last week the military regime of Burma have increased the price of fuel by 500%. Understandably people have decided to protest. The military have responded through an escalation of arrests and tortures. Sadly most countries have refused to do anything about this – not even speak out against the atrocities. I have cut and paste some background below.

Please write to the EU president, as well as your MP, and maybe consider 24 hour hunger strike or day of prayer – more details here. Why not consider supporting the Burma Campaign to help secure the release of Aun San Suu Kyi – the only Nobel Peace Prize winner held in captivity.

Regime launches new crackdown on democracy activists
21 Aug 2007

UN and international community must demand their immediate release

The regime ruling Burma today arrested key democracy activists in midnight raids. The new round of arrests happened on the eve of planned mass protests to be held in Rangoon on Wednesday. The planned protest follows fuel price increases of up to 500 percent imposed by the regime last week.

High profile members of the 88 Student Generation of democracy activists are believed to be among those arrested, including Min Ko Naing, Ko Ko Gyi, Ko Mya Aye, Ko Yin Htun and Ko Jimmy.

“The regime has been trying to persuade the international community that it has a roadmap to democracy and will reform, but this exposes the raw truth, the regime will tolerate no dissent, not even peaceful protest,” said Mark Farmaner, Acting Director of the Burma Campaign UK. “The United Nations must set a deadline for genuine reform, including the release of all political prisoners. We have had 19 years of regime lies and 19 years of the international community dithering while thousands of Burmese people are arrested, tortured and killed.”

There have been protests in Burma since the regime massively increased fuel prices last week. A recent protest led by the 88 Generation Students grew to up to 700 people as people joined them as they marched. The price rises are causing real hardship such as increased costs of basic foods. Even before the price hikes inflation was estimated at 30 percent.

Unconfirmed reports received by the Burma Campaign UK indicate that other democracy activists are also being arrested, including members of the Myanmar Development Committee, who earlier this year held a high profile protest against food price increases, and student activists. These include five university students arrested in the afternoon of Tuesday Aug 21 by members of the Union Solidarity Development Association (USDA) – the regimes civilian militia – and plain cloth police officials, while they are pasting a poster with demands to reduce the high prices of fuel and basic commodities. They are (1) Kyaw Ko Ko, 25-year old, first year Chemistry, Dagon University, (2) Nyan Oo, 21-year old, Third Year Medical, Institute of Medicine No. 2, (3) Yar Zar Mon, 20-year old, Third Year Medical, Institute of Medicine No. 2, (4) Nyan Linn Oo, 19-year old, Third Year Geography, University of Distant Education, and (5) Nyi Lwin Oo, Third Year Medical, Institute of Medicine No. 2.

The crackdown comes just a few weeks before the UN Envoy to Burma, Ibrahim Gambari, is due to visit Burma. He is expected to report back to the United Nations Security Council following the visit, which will be his third to the country.

“Those arrested face a real danger of being brutally tortured,” said Mark Farmaner. “Gordon Brown has been silent on Burma since becoming Prime Minister. He must ensure that the British government does all it can to secure their release. Questions also have to be asked about why the UN and governments stayed silent in recent days even though this new crackdown had been expected.”