MPs from 8 European countries have come together to form a new Parliamentary caucus on Burma. The new caucus is launched to coincide with the 63rd birthday of Aung San Suu Kyi – the detained leader of Burma’s democracy movement. They hope to recruit more than 200 MPs to the caucus before the end of the year.
The caucus aims to raise awareness of Burma in Europe and pressure European governments to do more to bring about democratic transition in Burma. The 7 key objectives are:
- To seek stronger action on Burma from European governments, the European Union, the United Nations Security Council, and other governments and international institutions.
- To foster contacts with our fellow MPs from Burma.
- To foster contacts with the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Caucus on Myanmar, and other Asian MPs.
- To put forward motions, questions, and initiate debates on Burma in our Parliaments.
- To provide monthly updates on the situation in Burma for European MPs.
- To cultivate links with civil society organisations knowledgeable about Burma.
- To act as a strong public voice for democratisation in Burma.
John Bercow, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary group for Democracy in Burma in the British Parliament said: “We are creating this European Parliamentary Caucus on Burma because it will enable parliamentarians from across Europe to share information and to lobby together for more effective
measures to bring the regime to heel and to speed up the progress to democracy for the long suffering people of Burma.”
Renate Weber, Member of the European Parliament, Romania, said: “I believe we shouldn’t need climatic catastrophes in order to have an increased
international attention to the human rights situation in Burma/Myanmar. The international community should focus constantly and without sparing any
efforts on supporting the country to pave its way to a democratic society.”
Petr Bratsky, Member of Parliament, Czech Republic: “The empowerment of democracy and human rights all around the world support our democracy, too. Our help to Burma is only a small payment for the support, which we have received from established democracies in times of more than 40 years long communist dictatorship in Czechoslovakia.”
Irish MP Simon Coveney said:
“Today is Aung San Suu Kyi’s birthday. It has been used in recent years to focus the attention of the international community on the continuing plight
of the people of Burma. The last twelve months has seen thousands of monks demonstrating for openness and democracy in Burma followed by a violent and crushing putdown by the military junta. More recently, the misery of the Burmese people was compounded by a cyclone which has killed over 100,000 people and displaced hundreds of thousands of families. Despite the human suffering, we see the continuing intransigence, cruelty, obsession with power and refusal by the military leaders to accept international standards and norms.
For all of these reasons, the setting up of the European Parliamentary Caucus on Burma is more necessary now than ever to continue to focus political attention at the highest level on the need to bring about democratic reform and a respect for human rights in a country that yearns for change. Having been to Burma and met many Burmese people in exile, it is a honour to be a part of this new group which hopefully will have a meaningful impact.”
Glenys Kinnock, MEP for Wales in the UK, said: “Parliamentary engagement is essential as we strive to meet our many global challenges, not least when voices need to be raised in support of freedom and fairness. In Burma, though the media spotlight may have faded, the people continue to face
appalling suffering and the elected and legitimate parliament and government are ruthlessly silenced. In forming this European Parliamentary Caucus, we stand shoulder to shoulder with those who are fighting to restore democracy and human rights in Burma. The Caucus will be a strong and determined
collective voice calling for action.”
The other MPs founding the EPCB are Spanish MP Carmen Garcia, Estonian MP Silver Meikar, and Slovakian MP Laszlo Nagy.
Administrative support for the European Parliamentary caucus on Burma is being provided by Burma Campaign UK and People In Need in the Czech
Republic. For more information contact Zoya Phan at Burma Campaign UK on 020 7324 4710 , or Marie Zahradníková on +420 739 220 248.
NOTES TO EDITORS: ABOUT AUNG SAN SUU KYI & THE CURRENT SITUATION IN BURMA.
Aung San Suu Kyi is the world’s only imprisoned Nobel laureate. Leader of the National League for Democracy, her party won 82 percent of seats in
parliament in elections in 1990, but was never allowed to take power. During three periods of house arrest she has been held for a total of 12 years and
236 days.
Aung San Suu Kyi is allowed no visitors, her phone line is cut and her post intercepted. The regime refuse to allow her doctor to make regular visits.
She is not allowed to see her two sons, grandchildren, family, friends or colleagues as all visitors are banned. Her phone line is cut and her post is
intercepted. Her current period of detention began on 30th May 2003, following the Depayin massacre in which up to a hundred of her supporters
were beaten to death by a regime militia.
Burma has been ruled by dictatorship since 1962. The current regime came to power in 1988. There are more than 1,800 political prisoners in Burma, and in Eastern Burma the regime is engaged in a war of ethnic cleansing, burning and looting villages, using rape as a weapon of war, slave labour, torture, mutilations as well as blocking aid to the area. In 1997 the regime brutally suppressed a peaceful uprising led by monks, and in May 2008 the regime provoked international outrage by denying aid to cyclone survivors.