Dear Friends,
Attached please find the Summary of Events in Burma - Week 3, together with the '88 Generation Students' response to SPDC's accusations. As of today, total of 189 activists have been abducted and detained over the past three weeks. Please see the updated list of detained activists prepared by AAPP at http://www.aappb.org/list_of_arrest_aug_002_07.html.
In Solidarity,
Khin Ohmar
Coordinator, APPPB
I. Update on the ’88 Generation Students Group – Good Vs Evil (Sept 9):
The SPDC accused the leaders of the 88 Generation Students of undermining efforts to carry out a “peaceful” transition of state power following the National Convention. The junta released a four-page statement on September 8 and accused that top activists planned terrorist acts and received tens of thousands of dollars from Western nations. It said, to ensure security the junta “will continue to take preventive measures against those malicious collaborated efforts to commit terrorist destructive acts by the internal and external terrorist groups.” (For detailed information, please look at http://www.myanmar.com/newspaper/nlm/index.html).
The junta also accused pro-democracy groups outside Burma and foreign media of deliberately spreading false information to destabilize the government, comparing the current situation to mass protests in 1988 when thousands of demonstrators were believed killed by security forces.
In response to these accusations, the ’88 Generation Students issued a statement yesterday in which the Group said, “The 88 Generation Students’ are aligned with the people and are working for a peaceful resolution to the political and economic problems the people of Burma are encountering”. Members of the Group Htay Kywe, a prominent leader of the Group, gave interviews with Burmese media from their hiding. Please see the full translation of the Group’s statement as well as Htay Kywe's interview with Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB) attached in the summary or on the APPPB Blog and DVB website.
II. Update on Buddhist Monks Movement (Sept 10):
In order to contain the growing movement of monks, SPDC authorities have been approaching the monastic authorities to control the movement of monks in each monastery.
In Bogalay, Irrawaddy Division, the local authorities stopped the monks to collect the alms, which is the Buddhist tradition for the monks to receive the public offering every morning. And SPDC post police for the first time at monasteries in the key Buddhist cities of Pakokku, Mandalay, and Rangoon.
In some areas, local authorities such as police and USDA members are imitating and pretending to be monks to counter the peaceful protest by blending in to instigate violence – the same old tactic that the regime usually uses – people against people, students against students, NLD against NLD, and monks against monks.
A number of monk groups have made collective call for a nationwide "turning of alms bowls" to protest at the violent attack by authorities on Pakkoku peaceful march and subsequent incidents there. The monks would boycott any religious activities including accepting alms would be extended to members of the SPDC, the Union Solidarity and Development Association, and Swanar-shin if their following demands are not met by Sept 17. Monks in Burma have historically turned their bowls as a form of protest against authorities with whom they wish to show discontent.
Their demands are:
- To apologize publicly about their brutal and rude crackdown on peaceful demonstration of monks in Pakoukku.
- To release all detained monks
- To tackle the suffering of people following the fuel price hike
If the monks made this decision effectively, the personnel belong to SPDC and USDA will no longer get the religious services from the monks and it is usually seen the utmost punishment and sanction by the religious authority against the laymen community. In 1990, similar action was taken by the monks due to the violent crack-down on the monks by the authorities and many leading monks were arrested, disrobed and imprisoned.
III. More Protests and Sentences of Labor Activists:
1) Monks Protest in Nyaung Done, Irrawaddy Division (Sept 10): Two monks staged a sit-in protest this morning in front of the hospital of Nyaung Done town, Irrawaddy Division in protest of high fuel and commodities prices. The local authorities immediately took them away before the people became a crowd and sent them back to their monastic authority.
2) Birthday Celebration for Shan Leader Banned (Sept 9, NMG): A plan by United Nationalities Alliance (UNA), a coalition of ethnic political parties in Burma, to celebrate the 64th birthday of imprisoned prominent leader Khun Htun Oo of Shan National League for Democracy party was banned by authorities. In spite of the ban, the Alliance issued a statement calling for the release of Khun Htun Oo and all imprisoned political leaders and activists.
3) Distribution of Protest Letters in Myitkyina, Kachin State (Sept 8): Kachin students on Saturday posted about five hundred copies of protest letters in public places including lamp poles, walls, school gates, and some officials’ buildings across the town and distributed about 200 copies among the public. Local authorities have been alerted on this action and letters from those places were scrubbed out, Network Media Group reported today. First protest of Kachin student took place on September 3.
4) Six Labor Activists Given Jail Sentences (Sept 8): Six labor activists in their 20s who were arrested on May 1, 2007 for organizing a Labor Day seminar at a US Embassy’s American Center in Rangoon were given jail sentences of up to 28 years by a court. Thurein Aung, Wai Lin, Myo Min and Kyaw Win were sentenced to 28 years, and Nyi Nyi Zaw and Kyaw Kyaw were given 20 years in jail.
IV. Anti-Riot Plan Disclosed:
According to an intelligence report, the SPDC Ministry of Home Affairs has put all Police Forces, Riot Police forces and State Reserve Forces on alert since 6th September 2007 midnight as emergency period. This directive also instructed to take precautionary measures not to be overrun the police stations and riot police battalions by the demonstrators.
Minister of the Home Affairs Lt. Gen. Maung Oo also briefed all officials from different levels of Peace and Development Council Secretaries and Burma Police Force officials on 9th September on his anti-riot strategy and plan. In his briefing, he instructed all these officials absolutely not to use armed forces, use only riot police when necessary, and to use mainly monks against monks, employers against employees, teachers and parents against students by force in dispersing the crowd.
It’s also reported that the Police Riot Control Regiments Commander, Lt-Col. Than Han (another army officer), is in charge of controlling the protests. He reportedly signed a directive dated September 7, instructing the 16 regiments under his control to be ready for combating the protests. Lt-Col. Than Han is reported to have been the field commanding officer who led the murderous attack on a convoy of National League for Democracy members, led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, in 2003.
V. International Actions and Responses:
1) US and Indonesia Call on China and India (Sept 8): The Presidents of US and Indonesia called on China and India to bring their clout to bear on the Burmese military junta to improve its human rights record after talks on the sidelines of an Asia Pacific summit in Sydney, but Beijing immediately rebuffed the appeal.
2) China Wants Reconciliation in Burma (Sept 7): China wants reconciliation and an improvement of conditions in Burma, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said. While Burma's biggest trade partner shuns interference in the domestic affairs of other countries, China welcomed international efforts to help stabilize the situation in Burma as long as it was done with a "constructive attitude and on the basis of mutual respect", spokesman Liu Jianchao said.
3) Burmese Expatriates Protest, Fort Wayne, Indiana (Sept 8): The Mobilization Forces of International Mass Campaigns for Burma rallied in front of Courthouse Green in Downtown Fort Wayne , Indiana , USA on September 8.They will hold two more demonstrations on September 15 and 18 continually, calling for a UN Security Council Intervention.
Attached please find the Summary of Events in Burma - Week 3, together with the '88 Generation Students' response to SPDC's accusations. As of today, total of 189 activists have been abducted and detained over the past three weeks. Please see the updated list of detained activists prepared by AAPP at http://www.aappb.org/list_of_arrest_aug_002_07.html.
In Solidarity,
Khin Ohmar
Coordinator, APPPB
I. Update on the ’88 Generation Students Group – Good Vs Evil (Sept 9):
The SPDC accused the leaders of the 88 Generation Students of undermining efforts to carry out a “peaceful” transition of state power following the National Convention. The junta released a four-page statement on September 8 and accused that top activists planned terrorist acts and received tens of thousands of dollars from Western nations. It said, to ensure security the junta “will continue to take preventive measures against those malicious collaborated efforts to commit terrorist destructive acts by the internal and external terrorist groups.” (For detailed information, please look at http://www.myanmar.com/newspaper/nlm/index.html).
The junta also accused pro-democracy groups outside Burma and foreign media of deliberately spreading false information to destabilize the government, comparing the current situation to mass protests in 1988 when thousands of demonstrators were believed killed by security forces.
In response to these accusations, the ’88 Generation Students issued a statement yesterday in which the Group said, “The 88 Generation Students’ are aligned with the people and are working for a peaceful resolution to the political and economic problems the people of Burma are encountering”. Members of the Group Htay Kywe, a prominent leader of the Group, gave interviews with Burmese media from their hiding. Please see the full translation of the Group’s statement as well as Htay Kywe's interview with Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB) attached in the summary or on the APPPB Blog and DVB website.
II. Update on Buddhist Monks Movement (Sept 10):
In order to contain the growing movement of monks, SPDC authorities have been approaching the monastic authorities to control the movement of monks in each monastery.
In Bogalay, Irrawaddy Division, the local authorities stopped the monks to collect the alms, which is the Buddhist tradition for the monks to receive the public offering every morning. And SPDC post police for the first time at monasteries in the key Buddhist cities of Pakokku, Mandalay, and Rangoon.
In some areas, local authorities such as police and USDA members are imitating and pretending to be monks to counter the peaceful protest by blending in to instigate violence – the same old tactic that the regime usually uses – people against people, students against students, NLD against NLD, and monks against monks.
A number of monk groups have made collective call for a nationwide "turning of alms bowls" to protest at the violent attack by authorities on Pakkoku peaceful march and subsequent incidents there. The monks would boycott any religious activities including accepting alms would be extended to members of the SPDC, the Union Solidarity and Development Association, and Swanar-shin if their following demands are not met by Sept 17. Monks in Burma have historically turned their bowls as a form of protest against authorities with whom they wish to show discontent.
Their demands are:
- To apologize publicly about their brutal and rude crackdown on peaceful demonstration of monks in Pakoukku.
- To release all detained monks
- To tackle the suffering of people following the fuel price hike
If the monks made this decision effectively, the personnel belong to SPDC and USDA will no longer get the religious services from the monks and it is usually seen the utmost punishment and sanction by the religious authority against the laymen community. In 1990, similar action was taken by the monks due to the violent crack-down on the monks by the authorities and many leading monks were arrested, disrobed and imprisoned.
III. More Protests and Sentences of Labor Activists:
1) Monks Protest in Nyaung Done, Irrawaddy Division (Sept 10): Two monks staged a sit-in protest this morning in front of the hospital of Nyaung Done town, Irrawaddy Division in protest of high fuel and commodities prices. The local authorities immediately took them away before the people became a crowd and sent them back to their monastic authority.
2) Birthday Celebration for Shan Leader Banned (Sept 9, NMG): A plan by United Nationalities Alliance (UNA), a coalition of ethnic political parties in Burma, to celebrate the 64th birthday of imprisoned prominent leader Khun Htun Oo of Shan National League for Democracy party was banned by authorities. In spite of the ban, the Alliance issued a statement calling for the release of Khun Htun Oo and all imprisoned political leaders and activists.
3) Distribution of Protest Letters in Myitkyina, Kachin State (Sept 8): Kachin students on Saturday posted about five hundred copies of protest letters in public places including lamp poles, walls, school gates, and some officials’ buildings across the town and distributed about 200 copies among the public. Local authorities have been alerted on this action and letters from those places were scrubbed out, Network Media Group reported today. First protest of Kachin student took place on September 3.
4) Six Labor Activists Given Jail Sentences (Sept 8): Six labor activists in their 20s who were arrested on May 1, 2007 for organizing a Labor Day seminar at a US Embassy’s American Center in Rangoon were given jail sentences of up to 28 years by a court. Thurein Aung, Wai Lin, Myo Min and Kyaw Win were sentenced to 28 years, and Nyi Nyi Zaw and Kyaw Kyaw were given 20 years in jail.
IV. Anti-Riot Plan Disclosed:
According to an intelligence report, the SPDC Ministry of Home Affairs has put all Police Forces, Riot Police forces and State Reserve Forces on alert since 6th September 2007 midnight as emergency period. This directive also instructed to take precautionary measures not to be overrun the police stations and riot police battalions by the demonstrators.
Minister of the Home Affairs Lt. Gen. Maung Oo also briefed all officials from different levels of Peace and Development Council Secretaries and Burma Police Force officials on 9th September on his anti-riot strategy and plan. In his briefing, he instructed all these officials absolutely not to use armed forces, use only riot police when necessary, and to use mainly monks against monks, employers against employees, teachers and parents against students by force in dispersing the crowd.
It’s also reported that the Police Riot Control Regiments Commander, Lt-Col. Than Han (another army officer), is in charge of controlling the protests. He reportedly signed a directive dated September 7, instructing the 16 regiments under his control to be ready for combating the protests. Lt-Col. Than Han is reported to have been the field commanding officer who led the murderous attack on a convoy of National League for Democracy members, led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, in 2003.
V. International Actions and Responses:
1) US and Indonesia Call on China and India (Sept 8): The Presidents of US and Indonesia called on China and India to bring their clout to bear on the Burmese military junta to improve its human rights record after talks on the sidelines of an Asia Pacific summit in Sydney, but Beijing immediately rebuffed the appeal.
2) China Wants Reconciliation in Burma (Sept 7): China wants reconciliation and an improvement of conditions in Burma, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said. While Burma's biggest trade partner shuns interference in the domestic affairs of other countries, China welcomed international efforts to help stabilize the situation in Burma as long as it was done with a "constructive attitude and on the basis of mutual respect", spokesman Liu Jianchao said.
3) Burmese Expatriates Protest, Fort Wayne, Indiana (Sept 8): The Mobilization Forces of International Mass Campaigns for Burma rallied in front of Courthouse Green in Downtown Fort Wayne , Indiana , USA on September 8.They will hold two more demonstrations on September 15 and 18 continually, calling for a UN Security Council Intervention.
No comments:
Post a Comment