British Prime Minister Gordon Brown today told a delegation of six women from Burma that the international community should do more to address the problems in Burma. The meeting took place on Aung San Suu Kyi’s 63rd birthday. The delegation called for more pressure to be placed on the regime to release Aung San Suu Kyi and all political prisoners in Burma. They also called for stronger targeted sanctions from the European Union, and a global arms embargo. Foreign Office Minister Meg Munn MP also attended the meeting, along with Glenys Kinnock MEP, and Ann Clwyd MP.
The delegation was made up of young women from Burma from 5 of Burma’s main ethnic nationalities, Burman, Kachin, Karen, Karenni, and Chin, demonstrating the unity of the people of Burma in their struggle against dictatorship.
Aung San Suu Kyi will spend her 63rd birthday in detention on Thursday 19th June. She is allowed no visitors, her phone line cut and her post intercepted. On this day she will have spent a total of 12 years 239 days in detention. Her current period of detention began on 30th May 2003, following the Depayin Massacre in which at least 70 people were killed. On 27th May 2008 the regime again extended her detention.
“We are very encouraged by this meeting,” said Zoya Phan, International Coordinator of Burma Campaign UK. “The Prime Minister has taken strong position on Burma, pushing it up the international political agenda. He said he would continue to push for more action on Burma.”
View images of the visit here:http://www.burmacampaign.org.uk/downingstreet.html
The delegation was made up of:
Zoya Phan
Zoya Phan is from the Karen ethnic group in Burma. She was forced to flee her village aged 14 when the Burmese army attacked her village. Her family fled to refugee camps on the Thailand Burma border. She is one of the leading exile activists in Europe. She is now International Coordinator of the Burma Campaign UK.
Contact: 020 7324 4710.
Wai Hnin Pwint Thon
Wai Hnin is 19 years old. Her father was a leader of the 1988 democracy uprising, and was imprisoned by the regime for 8 years, so she only knew him from a picture her mother showed her. Her father was jailed again following the democracy uprising last year.
Contact: 020 7324 4710.
Hlaing Sein
Hlaing Sein is Campaigns Officer at Burma Campaign UK. She took part in the democracy uprising in 1988, and soldiers opened fire on her home.
Contact: 020 7324 4710.
Nang Seng
Nang Seng is Campaigns Officer at Burma Campaign UK. She is from the Kachin ethnic group, which has faced decades of persecution by the dictatorship in Burma. Before working at the Burma Campaign UK Nang Seng worked with the Kachin Women’s Association Thailand, which is based on the Thailand Burma border, and Burma Issues, which works to smuggle out news from Burma about human rights abuses.
Contact: 020 7324 4710.
Moe Bu
Moe Bu is from the Karenni ethnic group. Her village was forcibly relocated when she was aged 10, and fled Burma aged 17 on a three month long trek through the jungle to Thailand. She now volunteers for the Karenni Student Development Programme.
Contact: 020 7324 4710.
Cheery Zahau
Cheery Zahau is Co-ordinator of the Women’s League of Chinland, which has published a report, Unsafe State, documenting the widespread and systematic use of rape and sexual violence against Chin women by the Burma Army. On 27 February 2007, Cheery, one of the authors of the report, spoke at the United Nations in New York during its 51st Session on the Commission on the Status of Women.
Contact: 020 7324 4710.