Tralee: Vigil for Burma this Friday

by Ghurka Dacoiti sarcasm Sun Sep 30, 2007 12:50

It's smiling Aung San Suu Kyi, the pretty Nobel Peace laureate who lives in 54 University Road. Though of course this is a file image. Just like Foxnews told you Bush won the election, CNN just told you that the UN special envoy to Burma has met the prettiest Nobel Peace laureate ever.

It's official.
Don't go telling anyone she's dead.
She hasn't been carted off to a labour camp - ok.
She's not being tortured at this moment in a dungeon.
She hasn't been identified as a japanese photographer & shot. quick call - could have been a Chinese photographer or Korean - they all look alike.
But this is too unkind because the Burmese are a generally very pretty people & if only the world could help them exploit their prettiness they wouldn't have to work in sweatshops.

this is where your letters will go.

by sean moraghan Sat Sep 29, 2007 11:24

Over 60 people attended a Tralee vigil for the people of Burma, held in the square on Friday evening.

Dozens of candles were displayed as dusk fell, and the smell of incence spread in the air. A mandala image was drawn on the ground and people stood in silence, listened to drumming and took part in Buddhist chanting. Information was distributed and statement detailing the plight of the burmese population was read out

The event was organised by Kerry Burma Action Campaign in association with the Tralee branch of Amnesty International.

It was designed to raise public awareness of the Burmese situation. People were encoraged to contact the Minister for Foreign Affairs, and write to the Burmese Regime

Burma's military dictatorship has ruled the country for 40 years. The country now has one of the worst human rights records in the world, with abuses including forced labour, systematic sexual assaults and attacks on ethnic minorities.

Kerry Burma Action Campaign: Contact Erin O'Connell 086 8616104

by hmmmm Fri Sep 28, 2007 00:26

Both China & India have called for restraint. You'll be glad to know. Obviously it must be upsetting to see buddhist monks break their vows and engage in violence & hopefully the status quo of sending both Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi & Lieutenant General Soe Win letters will return shortly.

by sean moraghan - Kerry Burma Action Campaign Thu Sep 27, 2007 23:41 earthsoulrocknroll at gmail dot com

Burma (Myanmar) is a country with a population of over 50 million people. Once a part of the British Empire, Burmese activists took inspiration from the the Irish War of Independence and figures like DeValera, Michael Collins and James Connolly. After a fragile democracy, a coup took place in the 1960s, and a brutal military dictatorship has ruled over the country for 40 years.

Burma now has one of the worst human rights records in the world, with abuses including forced labour, sexual asaults, attacks on ethnic minorities and arbitrary arrests and executions

In recent days, opposition to this regime has reached a new level, with thousands of Buddhist monks taking to the streets in solidarity with the civilian population in daily protests.

Demonstrators have been arrested on charges of 'terrorism', a word now used repeatedly, worldwide, to stifle dissent.

Now, monasteries are being over-run by the military
Next, monks, nuns, students and civilians will be killed.

The military regime refuses to recognize the country's democratic leader 62–year old Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

--Write to the Military Regime:
Lieutenant General Soe Win
Prime Minister, State Peace and Development Council
Ministry of Defence, Signal Pagoda Road
Dagon Post Office, Yangon
Union of Myanmar

by ghandi Thu Sep 27, 2007 17:01

Sarko appeals to French corporate interests to divest
http://www.upstreamonline.com/live/article141312.ece

Despite US & EU & world sanctions being the favoured route of solidarity by the global buddhist & democracy supports of the Burmese people who despite the base of their operations being in Norway count on the most support from the USA -
Yet years of blaming the Chinese has meant an optimistic misinterpretation of increased links to India, Korea or ties with the formerly democratic Thailand.

Others arre taking a different tack -

the French Oil Corporation "Total" has since 1992 operated a gas pipeline in the southern Yadana region of the country.

Since Irish people are interested in pipelines, & know that most other countries don't really get to complain about them, some details -

"Total fin Elf" operate in common with 3 partners the US Unocal, the Thai PTT-EP & Burmese MOGE 65km of a gas pipeline which passes from the Andaman sea to Thailand

The landpart of the pipeline counts on 5,134 steel tubes of 90cm diameter by 12metres length, and counted on 2,000 employees and 700 bulldozers to construct. When questioned in 2001 about the corporate ethics of such involvement with the regime, a spokesperson (Jacques de Naurois) of Total-fin-Elf at their hq at "la defense",Paris remarked that isolation and sanctions would not help the Burmese people.

This has nothing to do with the Indian contracts signed for pipeline and hydrocarbon resource exploitation last Monday, nor has it anything to do with why people blame China for the Burmese problems.

Thankfully Ireland has no financial interests in Burma. But we do have restaurants of both Chinese and Indian food. It's yummy & there are veggie options just like the real people eat.
But Irish people do know about Gas & Pipelines..............and know how to trace them back.
They overwhelmingly belong to India & Korea not China
http://www.shwe.org/

by fu manchu Thu Sep 27, 2007 16:23

It's strikes me as odd considering the financial interests of India & Indians in Burma are greater than those of China, & considering that China has offered the world a statement on the current crises yet India none - that you would continue with a flawed geopolitical analysis & think your sincerity & anger best directed at China.

= Send the petition to India.

by Kerry Burma vigil is 7pm-9pm - Kerry Burma Action Campaign Thu Sep 27, 2007 15:03

Kerry Burma Vigil is scheduled for 7-9pm Friday 28th Sept