Burmese Students' Democratic Organization

STATEMENT from Chin Forum

2009-08-10T08:23:00.000-07:00

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Victor Biak Lian <vblian@hotmail.com>
Date: Aug 8, 2009 5:30 PM
Subject: FW: STATEMENT
To: CFOB <cfob@cfob.org>, Kyaw Zaw Wai <zaw.w.kyaw@gmail.com>, Manh Kyaw Shwe <burmaforum2000@yahoo.ca>, Saion Nammao <snammao@yahoo.com>

Pls. fw to any network you belong. Thanks,

Victor

Date: Sat, 8 Aug 2009 19:47:48 +0200
Subject: STATEMENT
From: salai.kipp@googlemail.com
To: CFMB@yahoogroups.com; zahlei@yahoo.com; biancason@gmail.com; liansakhong@hotmail.com; lian1@verizon.net; lianthang@hotmail.com; ro_dinga@yahoo.com; salai.kipp@googlemail.com; nlian@indiana.edu; suikhar@hotmail.com; vblian@hotmail.com

Dear ALL,
Please forward to all mailing lists and friends you know.
I have no more time to do so - exhausted :(

Rgds,

salai KIPP
... melodies of Rih Dil linger on ...
and Zoram shall live forever!

Send and receive email from all of your webmail accounts - right from your Hotmail inbox!

64 for Aung San Suu Kyi

2009-06-21T09:53:00.001-07:00

Invitation to view yeyint's Picasa Web Album - su

2009-06-21T08:13:00.001-07:00

You are invited to view yeyint's photo album: su

Jun 19, 2009
by yeyint

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Global campaign marks Suu Kyi's 64th birthday

2009-06-21T07:42:00.000-07:00

An image of Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi is displayed on the European Parliament's building at Place du Luxembourg in Brussels.

World leaders, Nobel laureates and celebrities join voices to call for release of Myanmar opposition leader

Rangoon, Myanmar — Associated Press, Friday, Jun. 19, 2009 04:27AM EDT

Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi spent her 64th birthday locked in prison Friday as global condemnation over her trial and demands for her freedom erupted across Twitter, Facebook and other websites, and at rallies worldwide.

Hollywood stars like Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts, celebrities Madonna and David Beckham, Nobel laureates and world leaders joined voices to call for the military government to release Ms. Suu Kyi, who has now spent 14 birthdays in detention.

Many posted online messages on social networking sites and videos on YouTube in what human rights groups called an unprecedented and enormously powerful tool to harness support for Ms. Suu Kyi and highlight her struggle.

Ms. Suu Kyi planned to mark the day by sharing food with her prison guards.

“Daw Aung San Suu Kyi will celebrate her birthday by treating the people around her to rice and chocolate cake,” said lawyer Nyan Win, who left several gifts for her at the prison Friday including a chocolate cake, an apple cake, three bouquets of orchids and 50 lunch boxes of Indian-style biryani rice. He said lawyers have informed her of the worldwide campaign. “Daw” is a term of respect in Myanmar.

“She really appreciates the efforts and said she was sorry she wasn't able to thank everyone individually,” he said.

At a ceremony outside her party's headquarters in Rangoon, supporters released 64 sparrows and 10 doves into the sky with an array of coloured balloons. They sang Happy Birthday and cut a cake in her honour.

“We must not stand by as she is silenced again. Now is the time for the international community to speak with one voice,” says part of a 64-word message on a new website signed by dozens of dignitaries and celebrities. Among them were George Clooney, Sarah Jessica Parker, Robert De Niro, Nicole Kidman, director Steven Spielberg and fellow Nobel Peace laureates Elie Wiesel and Desmond Tutu.

“Aung San Suu Kyi is an inspiration to her country and to the rest of the world,” Paul McCartney said in his own message on the site, while Yoko Ono tweeted: “FREE Daw Aung San Suu Kyi NOW”

The website is the online hub for a campaign — “64 words for Aung San Suu Kyi” — that was organized by a coalition of human rights groups including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the Burma Campaign UK and Not On Our Watch, a charity founded by Mr. Clooney, Mr. Pitt and other actors.

The site is blocked in Myanmar, where the junta typically bans politically sensitive websites, but is being avidly read by Net-savvy citizens who use proxy Internet servers to get around censorship.

For the first time, Suu Kyi campaigners have teamed up with Twitter.

“So, if you tweet on Suu Kyi it's automatically integrated on the site,” said Mark Farmaner, director of the Burma Campaign UK. “Sites like Facebook and Twitter enable us to reach millions of people.”

More than 10,000 postings have poured onto the site, which was launched May 27 and allows anyone to upload video, text, image or tweets of support for Ms. Suu Kyi.

A Facebook page set up for Ms. Suu Kyi has attracted some 93,000 supporters, up from 40,000 in mid-May. Messages posted from around the world call Suu Kyi an “icon,” “a hero,” “an inspiration” and wish her “Happy Birthday” in a variety of languages. Many replaced their profile photos with one of Ms. Suu Kyi.

YouTube videos uploaded to the site include 64-word messages from billionaire Richard Branson and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. “For too long, the world has failed to act in the face of this intolerable injustice,” Mr. Brown says in his video. “We must do all we can to make this birthday the last you spend without your freedom.”

Joint Statement of Friends of Burma and Burmese democratic forces in Canada

2009-05-19T14:36:00.000-07:00

We, Burma supporters and Burmese Canadians, are dismayed to see new charges against Burmese democracy leader and 1991 Nobel Peace Prize winner Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and the transfer of her and two caregivers to the notorious Insein Prison in Rangoon.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is Burma’s most celebrated and beloved person in the struggle for democratic governance in Burma. She has been under house arrest continuously since 2003 and for more than 13 of the past 19 years. The release from her house arrest was due on the 27th of May.

However, on May 13, she and her two female caretakers were detained after an American national allegedly swam across Inya Lake and stayed at her house for two days. Aung San Suu Kyi has been charged under the regime’s Law Safeguarding the State from the Dangers of Subversive Elements and is being held in Insein Prison. Her health has deteriorated tremendously, and due to the tight restrictions of her detention, she is often refused access to her doctor.

Her trial is scheduled for Monday, May 18. Two of Aung San Suu Kyi’s lawyers, were dismissed from the country’s bar by the Burmese military on Friday, May 15.

We believe that the intrusion of the American citizen into her residence is either the set-up of the Burmese military junta, or the foolish behavior of the person in question. Nevertheless, this incident has become a pretext for the military junta to continue the detention of Burma’s democracy leader, effectively keeping her from participating in the upcoming election in any manner.

We appreciate the Government of Canada and the international community speaking out against this injustice. We call upon the government to take further strong action should the junta continue to detain her since she is an ‘Honorary Citizen of Canada.’

We are asking that the UN Security Council, notably China, and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), urgently intervene to secure Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s release from the notorious Insein prison as well as the release of all political prisoners in Burma.

We will show our deepest concerns for her well-being and strongest solidarity with her in a ‘Global Day of Action’ scheduled for May 18, 2009, by holding protests in Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver.

We urge all freedom loving Canadians to join us in our action in support of Aung San Suu Kyi and freedom and democracy in Burma.

Signed by –

1) International Burmese Monks Organization (Canada Branch)
2) National League for Democracy (Canada Branch)
3) Canadian Friends of Burma
4) Canadian Campaign for Free Burma
5) Burmese Students’ Democratic Organization (Canada)
6) Burma Forum Canada
7) Burmese Muslim Association (Canada)
8) United Democratic Youth League (Canada Branch)
9) Arakanese Canadian Society (Toronto)
10) Kachin Canadian Association of Toronto Canada
11) Students for a Free Tibet Canada

Statement on 21st anniversary of Burma's Human Rights Day

2009-03-13T11:49:00.000-07:00

Today marks the 21st anniversary of Burma’s Human Rights Day – a student leader named Ko Phone Maw and other students were shot dead on this day in 1988 by the military security forces while they were protesting in front of Rangoon Institute of Technology (RIT) in Rangoon, the capital of Burma. The government’s inability to settle such heinous crime had not only demonstrated the lack of justice in Burma but also had a confrontation between the government and the students, which leads to the nation wide uprising called 8888 uprising to restore democracy and human rights in Burma. Thus, the day the death of the student leader Ko Phone Maw was honored as Burma's Human Rights Day later.

Before 13th March 1988, People of Burma had suffered several political, economic and social problems of the single-party dictatorship and closed- door economic policy, emerged from the detrimental 1974 Constitution, which was drawn by force. As the constitution was created by the dictator Ne Win, who staged the military coup in 1962 and the main essence of the constitution was designed for the interests of the military generals rather than the people; People of Burma were not happy about the constitution and its consequences. Therefore, the death of the student leader Ko Phone Maw's event had become a triggering event for People of Burma to bring down the regime government which administered the country by using a detrimental constitution. Due to this people power movement, the constitution being drawn by force became illegitimate. Thus, March 13th is a symbol of democracy and human rights for Burma.

On this occasion, we reaffirm that the very essence of and the principles enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights are persistently being violated by the military regime for several years. 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 the people of Burma is 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, on this remarkable day, we call upon the international community to support the people power movement to restore democracy and human rights in Burma. We also call Overseas Burmese People around the world to join the democratic movement in any capacity that they can participate to strengthen the unity for Democracy and Human Rights in Burma to fight against the military regime. We also urge new generations of students to carry on the duties of predecessors as the role of students have been so significant throughout the history of national struggles.

Free Burma Federation (Canada)
Burmese Students Democratic Organization (Toronto)
National League for Democracy (LA Canada Branch)
International Burmese Monks Organization (Canada)
Burmese Muslim Association (Canada)
Canadian Campaign for Free Burma

Contact Person:
Kyaw Si Thu, Tel: 1- 416-230-0901

The Free Burma’s Political Prisoners Now! campaign

2009-03-12T11:23:00.000-07:00

Friends,

The Free Burma’s Political Prisoners Now! campaign, jointly run by the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma) and the Forum for Democracy in Burma, will be launched this Friday 13 March which is Human Rights Day in Myanmar. The aim of this campaign is to collect 888,888 signatures to help push for the release of all political prisoners in Myanmar.

Amnesty doesn't officially endorse or have any formal organisational links with the campaign but we're forwarding info about the campaign to you and would encourage you to spread the campaign web link to as many people as possible.

Thank you.

Brian
--------------

About the campaign

On 13 March, Burma’s Human Rights Day, a global signature campaign will start. Free Burma’s Political Prisoners Now! is jointly run by the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma) and the Forum for Democracy in Burma, and aims to collect 888,888 signatures before 24 May 2009, the legal date that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi should be released from house arrest. There are currently over 2,100 political prisoners in Burma.

This is the campaign website: www.fbppn.net
The petition calls on UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to make it his personal priority to secure the release of all political prisoners in Burma, as the essential first step towards democracy in the country. The target symbolises 8.8.88, the day the junta massacred some 3,000 people who courageously protested in Burma’s largest democracy uprising. Over 100 pro-democracy groups in exile and Burma solidarity groups around the world will work together to take global popular action for the prisoners.
To download a campaign kit, visit http://fbppn.net/campaignkit/ Additional resources will also be available soon on the campaign website.
If you have any questions, please email the Campaign Co-ordinator Rachel Fleming at rachel.fbppn@gmail.com

Activists urge Canada to assign special envoy to Burma

2008-12-15T13:24:00.000-08:00

Mizzima News: Activists urge Canada to assign special envoy to Burma – Solomon
Mon 15 Dec 2008
Filed under: News, International
Burmese activists based in Canada and their supporters have called on the Canadian government to assign a special representative to pressure Burma’s military regime to implement reforms.

At least 10 Burmese organisations in Canada and their supporters including the Parliamentary Friends of Burma (PFB), Burma Watch International (BWI), and Canadian Friends of Burma (CFB) in a joint letter on Friday urged the Canadian Prime Minister to appoint an envoy to Burma.

“With this special envoy, we hope the Canadian government can do more for democratic reforms in Burma,” said Kyaw Zaw Wei, spokesman of the groups.

He said, with the Canadian government being supportive of democratic reforms in Burma, it should have a special envoy, who will be able to work together with other envoys, including from the United Nations, United States and European Union to mount pressure on Burma’s ruling generals.

Canada has long condemned Burma’s military junta for failing to keep its promise to implement changes, and had supported the pro-democracy movement. As a gesture of solidarity towards Burmese refugees, who fled from military persecution in Burma to neighbouring Thailand and India, Canada has accepted thousands of refugees into the country.

The activists also urged Ban Ki-moon, the UN Secretary General to personally pay a fresh visit to Burma and pressure the ruling junta to release political prisoners, a call that has been made earlier by over 110 former world leaders.

Ban, in response to the world leader’s call, has said that he does not find it necessary to visit Burma as there are no signs of change in the country.

Fwd: EMBARGOED: 112 Presidents/PMs call on UNSG Ban Ki-Moon to Travel to Burma to Secure Release of All Political Prisoners

2008-12-03T05:35:00.000-08:00

112 former Presidents and Prime Ministers around the world from more than 50 countries (including Canadian Priministers Brian Mulroney & Paul Martin, US Presidents Jimmy Carter & George H.W. Bush, UK PMs Tony Blair & John Major, etc.) to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urging him to go to Burma by the end of the year to secure the release of all political prisoners in the country.

Please see attached file.

Regards,

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Genser, Jared
To: jgenser@freedom-now.org

EMBARGOED UNTIL 12:01 AM EST ON WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 3, 2008

Dear Friends:

Please find attached the attached press release and attached letter made public by the Oslo Center for Peace and Human Rights and Freedom Now. It announces the sending of letter from 112 former Presidents and Prime Ministers around the world from more than 50 countries to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urging him to go to Burma by the end of the year to secure the release of all political prisoners in the country.

Sincerely,

Jared Genser

+1 202 320 4135

_____________________________________________________________________________________  The information contained in this email may be confidential and/or legally privileged. It has been sent for the sole use of the intended recipient(s). If the reader of this message is not an intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any unauthorized review, use, disclosure,  dissemination, distribution, or copying of this communication, or any of  its contents, is strictly prohibited. If you have received this  communication in error, please contact the sender by reply email and  destroy all copies of the original message. To contact our email  administrator directly, send to postmaster@dlapiper.com   Thank you. _____________________________________________________________________________________

Fwd: FW: Urgent Petition!!!: Canadians for a Progressive Coalition- Coalition Progressiste Canadienne

2008-12-01T15:58:00.001-08:00

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Monika Duggal [mailto:duggalm@psac-afpc.com]
> Sent: December 1, 2008 9:28 AM
> To: Monika Duggal
> Subject: Fwd: Urgent Petition!!!: Canadians for a
> Progressive Coalition- Coalition Progressiste Canadienne
> Importance: High
>
>
>
> Dear fellow citizens:
>
> Please take the time to go online and sign the following
> petition. Do it right away as time is very short (the vote
> could take place as early as Monday December 8).
> Harper's gang is preparing to spend $10 Million this
> coming week to fight off the movement for a progressive
> coalition government. We have to counter them in every way
> possible. The future of democracy in Canada is at stake!

> In English: http://www.progressivecoalition.ca/form.php
>
>
>
> And pass it on to as many people as you possibly can!!!
>
>
>
> See video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTmNaEqMqA8
>

Fwd: MASSIVE WAVE OF IMPRISONMENTS IN BURMA, MONK LEADER AND MOST FAMOUS COMEDIAN SENTENCED

2008-11-22T07:35:00.001-08:00

Monk Leader Ashin Gambira was sentenced to 68 year in prison while Burmese Regimes gave 45 year prison sentence to poet and comedian Zarganar for their peaceful Saffron Revolution activities and organized to help the cyclone Nargis victims.

At least we can do is pressing the international community & UN not to silent but to act. You can visit websites like US Campaign for Burma, Amnesty International and sign up the petitions (to have as many signatures as possible).

Please see below.

Thanks.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: US Campaign for Burma <uscampaignforburma@mail.democracyinaction.org>
Date: Nov 21, 2008 1:33 PM
Subject: MASSIVE WAVE OF IMPRISONMENTS IN BURMA, MOST FAMOUS COMEDIAN SENTENCED
To: zaw.w.kyaw@gmail.com

MASSIVE WAVE OF IMPRISONMENTS IN BURMA

Dear all,

We wanted to update you about the massive wave of imprisonments inside Burma and tell you what people are doing to respond.

Nearly every day, Burma's military dictator Than Shwe is sending dozens of human rights activists to long terms in prison. Those sentenced to many years behind bars include poets, actors, comedians, students, journalists, volunteers who helped victims of Cyclone Nargis, hip-hop artists, and members of the political party of Nobel Peace Prize recipient Aung San Suu Kyi.

These sentences are the biggest news to come out of Burma in a long time, and we have been posting all the news about the arrests on our blog.

More importantly, we are working around the clock to galvanize a strong international response. Here is some examples of what the Burma movement has done so far:

We are pressing the United Nations Security Council to convene an immediate, emergency meeting on Burma in order to impose an international arms embargo on Burma's military regime
Senators Dianne Feinstein and Kay Bailey Hutchison, leaders of the United States Senate Womens' Caucus on Burma -- which includes all the women in the U.S. Senate -- issued a demand for the arrests to stop
Our members have sent thousands of messages to the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urging him to travel to Burma and demand the immediate release of all political prisoners in Burma (mystifyingly, the Secretary General has done basically nothing about this crisis -- so keep sending those messages)
We have been providing the news media with round-the-clock updates on those sentenced to long prison terms in Burma. There have been thousands of news articles on the arrests
A coalition of 40 organizations sent a letter to the leaders of the Southeast Asian countries urging them to demand the release of all Burmese political prisoners at the upcoming ASEAN summit on December 15th in Thailand. This meeting represents a strong opportunity for Asian leaders to tell the Burmese military regime that the sentencing of political activists must stop
Members of parliament from all over Asia are galvanizing a strong effort (more on this coming soon...)
Many world leaders are preparing a major push to free all political prisoners in Burma (more on this coming soon...)
Our allies throughout the world have successfully pressed the governments of the United States, the UK, Estonia, Slovakia, Germany, Canada, and the European Union to condemn the arrests

We have much more work to do and you are going to see some even bigger actions in the weeks ahead, but we wanted to let you know some of what we are doing. And, we wanted to thank you because none of our work would be possible without your support.

Sincerely,

Aung Din, Jeremy Woodrum, Jennifer Quigley, Jacqui Pilch, Michael Haack

Support 1991 Nobel Peace Prize recipient Aung San Suu Kyi and the struggle for freedom and democracy in Burma:

Become a member of the United States Campaign for Burma today.

Or, make a donation today.

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Sat, Nov 15 - Burma related events in Toronto

2008-11-13T14:13:00.000-08:00

We have a couple of Burma related events to be held in Toronto on Saturday, November 15, and I hope you can attend both events.

Please pass on below information to all interested in Burma.

Thank you for your support.

1) Amnesty International Toronto Human Rights Film Festival with BBC Film on Burma (Amnesty's Third Annual Real Awareness Film Festival)

Date: Saturday, November 15

Time: 1 p.m.

WHERE: National Film Board Cinema,

150 John Street

Toronto

Admission: PWYC at the door (suggested donation $5).

For more info on the festival, films and schedule please call 416 363 9933 ext.33 or go to www.aito.ca/reelawareness

I hope you will join us in protecting and restoring human rights in Burma!

2) Cahoots Theatre Projects (refugee youth from Burma)

You are invited to crossing Gibraltar 2008

For five weeks, 20 youth from Karen State (Burma) have been taking workshops with a team of Toronto's theatre professionals. Come join us for the presentation of their new theatre skills!

Date: Saturday November 15

Time: 6:30pm

Where: Driftwood Community Centre - Room 1
4401 Jane St.

Toronto

Admission: Free!

Refreshments will be served!

Please RSVP to Marjorie Chan at marjorie@cahoots.ca or 416.203.9000 ext. 3

It is a theatre training program for refugee youth, and for the last 5 weeks, theatre professionals have been working specifically with 20 refugee youth from Burma. This Saturday is the final presentation and they look forward to sharing it with you.

Fwd: REEL AWARENESS: Amnesty International Toronto Human Rights Film Festival

2008-11-01T17:31:00.001-07:00

I hope, you can attend Amnesty's human rights film festival in Toronto and watche BBC film on Burma, Saturday, November 15 at 1 p.m. Please pass on this information to all interested in Burma. Please find the attached poster.

Thanks.

REEL AWARENESS - Amnesty International Toronto Human Rights Film Festival, November 13-16, 2008

WHERE: National Film Board Cinema,

150 John Street

WHAT: Amnesty International Toronto celebrates its third annual Real Awareness Film Festival with four days of some of the best human rights documentary and feature films shown around the world.

The 2008 program features compelling films, guest speakers, panel discussions, the opportunity to take action on a variety of human rights issues and much, much more.

We hope you will join us in protecting and promoting human rights worldwide!

Admission: PWYC at the door (suggested donation $5).

For more info on the festival, films and schedule please call 416 363 9933 ext.33 or go to www.aito.ca/reelawareness

Fwd: NLD Statement

2008-10-04T10:39:00.001-07:00

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Mon Crate <moncrate@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, Oct 3, 2008 at 4:44 AM
Subject: Fwd: NLD Statement
To: moncrate@gmail.com

Fwd: ကုန္ေစ်းႏွုဳန္းက်ဆင္းေရးလွဳပ္ရွားမွဳႏွင့္သံဃာ့လွဳပ္ရွားမွဳအား အၾကမ္းဖက္ျဖိဳခြြဲခဲ့သည့္ ၾကံ့ဖြတ္-စြမ္းအားရွင္ စာရင္း

2008-10-04T10:34:00.001-07:00

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Mon Crate <moncrate@gmail.com>
Date: 2008/10/3
Subject: Fwd: ကုန္ေစ်းႏွုဳန္းက်ဆင္းေရးလွဳပ္ရွားမွဳႏွင့္သံဃာ့လွဳပ္ရွားမွဳအား အၾကမ္းဖက္ျဖိဳခြြဲခဲ့သည့္ ၾကံ့ဖြတ္-စြမ္းအားရွင္ စာရင္း
To: moncrate@gmail.com

ကုန္ေစ်းႏွုဳန္းက်ဆင္းေရးလွဳပ္ရွားမွဳႏွင့္သံဃာ့လွဳပ္ရွားမွဳအား အၾကမ္းဖက္ျဖိဳခြြဲခဲ့သည့္ ၾကံ့ဖြတ္-စြမ္းအားရွင္ စာရင္း

BSDO Activities Live!

2008-09-06T10:49:00.000-07:00

Fwd: Myanmar arms embargo appeal- URGENT!

2008-08-26T10:32:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

I understand everyone is busy and some of you are on summer vacations. We'll greatly appreciate if you can take 1 - 2 minute of your time and submit the online (arms embargo) petition organized by the Amnesty International Canada.

- Go to www.amnesty.ca and click on Priority Concerns.Then scroll down to Myanmar and click. This will take you to the Myanmar page and on the right-hand column, under Additional Information you will find our online petition.

Please do it now before forgetting.

Thank you.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Zaw Kyaw <zaw.w.kyaw@gmail.com>
Date: Aug 22, 2008 9:08 AM
Subject: Fwd: Myanmar arms embargo appeal- URGENT!
To:

The Amnesty International Canada is initiating an arms embargo petition against Burmese Junta.

This is similar to one of our 8 demands (demand # 6) mentioned in our 8.8.08 statement and send out to UNSC members, Asean, Government of Canada, embassies of China, Russia, Thailand and India.

See below email. Please sign the petition and distribute it widely.

Thank you.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: myanmarcoordinator <myanmarcoordinator@amnesty.ca>
Date: Aug 21, 2008 8:07 PM
Subject: Myanmar arms embargo appeal- URGENT!
To:

Friends,

The Amnesty International Canada arms embargo petition, to be delivered in September to the embassies of China, Russia and India in Ottawa, needs many more signatures if it is to be effective. Please urge your members, relatives, friends and supporters to sign as soon as possible.

Go to www.amnesty.ca and click on Priority Concerns.Then scroll down to Myanmar and click. This will take you to the Myanmar page and on the right-hand column, under Additional Information you will find our online petition. Only your signature and town will appear on the actual petition,, although we have to ask for other data which will not be used when the petitions are delivered.

Please get as many signatures as possible .Thank you.

Brian

Immediate Release - Government of Canada Helps Victims of Burma Cyclone and China Earthquake

2008-08-14T12:39:00.001-07:00

For Immediate Release

Contact: 416-358-2318

August 14, 2008

Burma Cyclone Relief Committee (BCRC) is pleased to learn that the Canadian Government has pledged additional matching $11.6 million to the Burma Cyclone Relief Fund. This latest announcement was made by the Honourable Beverley J. Oda, Minister of International Cooperation in Toronto and the Honourable Jason Kenney, Secretary of State Multiculturalism and Canadian Identity in Vancouver. The total contribution from the Government of Canada for Cyclone Nargis victims in Burma is close to $26 million.

Today, BCRC, along with Canadian Friends of Burma (CFOB) and Chinese Canadian National Congress (CCNC) including Burmese Community and Chinese Community, learned the announcement in Toronto, and thanked the Canadian Government for their support and contribution for the cyclone and earthquake victims in Burma and China. We also urged the Government of Canada to provide aid to recent food crisis victims in Chin State border with India, and to increase funds to border groups such as Thai-Burma Border Consortium.

"While we are deeply saddened by this catastrophe, we are very grateful to the Government of Canada and Canadian people for their generosity. It is touching to see the compassion and generosity of our government and fellow Canadian; this is a great humanity!" said Zaw Wai Kyaw, Chair of BCRC. He continued, "We have to be cautious and ensure that any and all aid goes directly to the people of Burma and not into the hands of the junta, which is often the case in corrupt and dictator-style governments".

Cyclone Nargis struck the south-west region of Burma on May 3, over two million people have lost their homes and as many as 140,000 people have been reported dead or missing. However, we may never know actual numbers.

July 11, UN humanitarian chief John Holmes said in Singapore that the world body was hiking its aid appeal to help Cyclone Nargis victims in Burma from an initial 201 million to 481.8 million dollars. On July 21, a new UN report release in New York says the damage from Burma's Cyclone Nargis in May is estimated to be US $4 billion.

Burma Cyclone Relief Committee consists of Burma Buddhist Association of Ontario, Burma Canadian Association of Ontario, Burmese Chinese Association of Ontario, Burmese Students Democratic Organization, National League for Democracy LA Canada Branch, Committee for Restoration of Democracy in Burma, Canadian Campaign for Free Burma and individual supporters.

8808 Statement from Burmese Democratic Forces in Canada

2008-08-08T05:29:00.000-07:00

Statement from the Burmese Democratic Forces in Canada

August 8, 2008

August 8^th marks the 20^th anniversary of Burma's largest national democratic uprising. On August 8, 1988 millions of people across Burma peacefully demonstrated against the military dictatorship of General Ne Win, calling for restoration of democracy and human rights in Burma.

The nationwide movement, known as the "8888 Uprising", was brutally repressed by the military. More than 3,000 people were killed (some estimates are as high as 10,000 dead). Doctors and nurses tending the wounded were shot outside Rangoon General Hospital. Bodies of the dead and the injured were secretly cremated in huge numbers. Thousands of families never found out what happened to their loved ones.

The 20th anniversary of 8/8/88 coincides with the start of the Beijing Olympics on 8/8/08. Seven years ago, China's rulers pledged to improve human rights. In exchange, they were given the privilege of holding the Olympic games. They have blatantly broken their commitments. They have intensified their crackdown on human rights activists and others including monks in Tibet and China. They are censoring and blocking websites operated by the Tibetan government-in-exile and rights groups, the Falun Gong spiritual movement, Radio Free Asia, the BBC's Chinese language service, several leading newspapers in Hong Kong and Taiwan and others owned by many human rights groups, including Amnesty International.

China's rulers are tarnishing the image of the Olympic games and betraying its values.

China's rulers are the major supplier of arms and diplomatic support for the military dictatorship in Burma. Along with Russia, they have blocked the UN's binding resolutions and attempts to restore human rights and democracy in Burma. Last September, the world witnessed Burma's military dictators brutally cracking down on peaceful demonstrators led by Buddhist monks. Once again, the Chinese government blocked any concrete action by the UN Security Council They have prevented humanitarian intervention initiatives by the UN Security Council for the May 2 cyclone victims in Burma, which resulted in loss of over 133,000 lives.

The people of Burma have been denied basic human rights by the military dictatorship for the last 46 years. They have suffered long enough. It is time the international community intervened.

We call upon the Government of Canada, the UN, the ASEAN and other international bodies to take the following actions:

1. Demand that Burma's military dictators initiate a genuine time-bound dialogue for national reconciliation and restoration of democracy with Aung San Suu Kyi, whose party won the 1990 election, and with ethnic communities.

2. Demand that the regime release Aung San Suu Kyi and all political prisoners and lift restrictions on political parties so that legitimate stakeholders can begin to prepare for participation in the democratization process.

3. Demand that the regime open the door to international observers to ensure any referendum and election process in Burma is free and fair.

4. Ask the UN Security Council to pass binding resolution on arms embargo.

5. Urge China and Russia not to block the UNSC binding resolutions intended to restore human rights and democracy in Burma.

6. Ask neighboring countries specifically China, Thailand and India to stop supporting the ruthless military regime in Burma.

7. Urge the UN Secretary General to get an agreement for time bound tripartite dialogue to restore human rights and democracy in Burma.

8. Provide support to the Burmese Democracy movements and increase humanitarian aids to the people of Burma, including refugees at the border areas with Thailand, India and Bangladesh.

Contact Person:

Zaw W. Kyaw

Zaw.w.kyaw@gmail.com

Phone: (416) 358-2318

Burmese Students Democratic Organization, National League for Democracy Canada (LA) Canada Branch, International Burmese Monks Organization (Canada), Canadian Campaign for Free Burma, Committee for Restoration of Democracy in Burma

8888

2008-08-03T14:11:00.001-07:00

Media Advisory

2008-08-03T14:07:00.000-07:00

For Immediate ReleaseMedia Contact: 416-358-2318August 4, 2008

August 8th marks the 20th anniversary of Burma's largest democratic uprising. Millions of civilians and Buddhist monks, led by university students, took to the streets to demand an end to oppressive military rule. The uprising ended with the massacre of thousands of peaceful protestors. Nobel Peace Prize winner, currently living under house arrest in Burma, Aung San Suu Kyi emerged as a national democratic leader and international icon in a struggle for democracy that continues today.
This day also marks the opening of the Beijing Olympics. China has long been the number one supporter of the Burmese junta.Burmese democratic movements and supporters around the world will commemorate this historic day. In Toronto, Burmese Democratic Forces in Canada will be holding a Press Conference. The Honourable Larry Bagnell MP, Chair of Parliamentary Friends of Burma and Dr. Brain John, Myanmar Coordinator Amnesty International Canada will be in attendance.
Activities in Toronto are planned in coordination with the Tibetan community and the China Rights Network to honour those who have struggled for human rights in Burma, Tibet and China.Program includes: 11:00am: Assemble at Queen’s Park, main south entrance
China Rights Network Press Conference and Medal Ceremony Speakers will include representatives from World Federalists of Canada, China Rights Network, Tibetan Community & Burmese Democratic Forces
Note: There will be a separate Press Release from the China Rights Network.
12:00pm: Burmese Democratic Forces Press Conference at Queen’s Park
Speakers will include Chairman of the Parliamentary Friends of Burma, Myanmar Coordinator Amnesty International and Burmese Democratic Forces in Canada
12:30pm: March to the Chinese Consulate, 240 St. George Street, Toronto1:00pm: Activities in front of the Chinese Consulate Photo display Dramatization of 8888 uprising Speakers
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For further information, media representatives may contact:
Zaw Wai Kyaw: 416.358.2318, zaw.w.kyaw@gmail.com

20 Years Commemoration of 8888 Uprising

2008-08-03T13:58:00.001-07:00

Dear Friends of Burma

2008-08-03T13:48:00.000-07:00

We are approaching the 20th anniversary of Burma's largest national uprising 8888. Burmese democracy movements and supporters around the globe will mark this historic day including in Toronto, Vancouver and Ottawa. In Toronto, on Aug 8th, we are planning to honor those who struggled for human rights and democracy with activities at the Queen's Park and also in front of the Chinese Consulate Office. China, #1 supporter of Burmese Military Junta will open the Beijing Olympic on the same day. Friends, I would like to encourage you to honor this unprecedented democracy movement in history and recognized their sacrifices by participating in this upcoming commemoration along with friends from China Rights Network and Tibetan Coalition. I sincerely hope you could take some time off on Aug 8. We request you to wear "White Color" clothing to reflect 8888. Please find the attached file for detail program; and kindly forward it to as many as possible. Thanks,

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Burmanet » Globe and Mail via Reuters: Ottawa imposes new sanctions on Myanmar - Brodie Fenlon

2007-11-14T12:40:00.000-08:00

Burmanet » Globe and Mail via Reuters: Ottawa imposes new sanctions on Myanmar - Brodie Fenlon

Canadian Campaign for Free Burma

2007-10-20T10:02:00.000-07:00

88 generation students call for more decisive UN action

2007-10-17T18:24:00.001-07:00

Oct 17, 2007 (DVB)–The 88 Generation Students group has called for "more decisive measures" from the United Nations to counter the Burmese authorities' continued suppression of pro-democracy protestors.

In a letter addressed to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the members of the Security Council, the group welcomed the recent presidential statement adopted by the Council, but claimed that it had had little impact on the military regime.

"While the regime announces to the world that it is willing to meet with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, on the other hand, it is trying to eliminate democracy forces by using violence and arbitrary arrest," the letter said.

The letter draws attention to ill-treatment of detainees and the "climate of fear" created by the government's crackdown.

"Thousands of protestors, including monks and students, continue to suffer ill-treatment and severe torture in detention centres and some have passed away in custody. Many monks in detention are forcibly disrobed and sent to prison labour camps," it reads.

The group calls for the Security Council to adopt a binding resolution on Burma with targeted sanctions, including an investment ban and an arms embargo, and requests the continued presence of UN Special Envoy Ibrahim Gambari in Burma to ensure that genuine dialogue takes place.

The group emphasises the need for repercussions for the military regime if they do not comply with UN demands.

"We seriously stress that lack of an international enforcement action in Burma grants the Burmese military junta a licence to kill," the letter concludes.

Reporting by DVB

PM moves the motion to honor Suu Kyi

2007-10-17T16:39:00.000-07:00

Prime Minister Moves to Grant Honourary Canadian Citizenship To Leader Of Democracy Movement In Burma, Aung San Suu Kyi October 17, 2007Ottawa, OntarioPrime Minister Stephen Harper tabled a motion in the House of Commons today to confer honourary citizenship status on Aung San Suu Kyi, the world-renowned advocate of freedom and democracy in Burma. The Prime Minister called upon all Members of Parliament to back the motion as a demonstration of Canada’s support for the people of Burma in their struggle against the brutal military dictatorship that rules their country.“Our nation is built on our founding values: freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law,” said the Prime Minister. “We must ally ourselves with those in the world who share our values, and especially those who are denied them.” In early September, the latest round of pro-democracy demonstrations began in Burma. The military junta responded with a violent crackdown that left thousands imprisoned and an unknown number of people beaten, tortured and killed.The Prime Minister said Canada has responded by joining the international community in condemning the violence and pushing for a special session of the United Nations Human Rights Council on Burma earlier this month. “Ms. Suu Kyi is the living embodiment of the long struggle for freedom and democracy in her country,” said Prime Minister Harper. “The adoption of today’s motion sends a message to her, her people, and the world, that Canada stands up for the universal values that are under siege in Burma today.”
The Prime Minister’s Office - Communications

Canada Salutes Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi of Burma

2007-10-17T16:36:00.000-07:00

Canada Salutes Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi of Burma

October 17, 2007 (4:30 p.m. EDT)
No. 143

The Honourable Maxime Bernier, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today made the following statement regarding the government’s motion to confer honorary citizenship on Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, for her ongoing struggle to promote freedom and democracy in Burma: ”Aung San Suu Kyi is an inspiration to all of us. A political prisoner for most of the last 18 years, she has never wavered in her pursuit of freedom and democracy for Burma. Prime Minister Harper has presented a motion in Parliament to confer on her an honorary citizenship to recognize and support her long, courageous battle.
”Canada stands alongside those who share our founding values of freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law. Canada has repeatedly condemned the use of force by the Burmese regime against peaceful protesters. Today’s motion by the Prime Minister reinforces our consistent calls to the government of Burma, through the United Nations and other means, to release all political prisoners, including Aung San Suu Kyi, to respect the human rights and fundamental freedoms of the people of Burma, and to engage in a genuine dialogue with the democratic opposition.
”Canada strongly supports the visits of Ibrahim Gambari, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy, to Burma and to the region. We call on the government of Burma to facilitate his work.”
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For further information, media representatives may contact:
Foreign Affairs Media Relations Office
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
613-995-1874http://www.international.gc.ca