International rights groups and Burma campaigners have called for a global day of action to protest against the military clampdown on peaceful demonstrations in Burma.
The UK-based Trade Union Congress, Amnesty International, and the Burma Campaign UK issued a joint release earlier this week calling on communities around the globe to take action on Saturday to condemn the Burmese junta’s massive crackdown, in which at least 130 Burmese monks and members of the public were killed and more than 3,000 were arrested.
Myo Thein of the Burma Campaign UK, which is organizing the protest in London, said that, “The events in London are designed to show the people of Burma that we stand with them and [to show] the generals that we are watching their every move.”
The Burma Campaign UK also hopes the protests will force the UK Government to do more to demand an end to the military crackdown and get the UN Security Council to act.
Protests are expected across the world at noon local time. They have already been scheduled in key locations, including cities in Austria, Australia, Belgium, Canada, India, Ireland, France, New Zealand, South Korea, Thailand, the UK and the US. In the UK, the protest is being organized by 25 organizations, including Burma Campaign UK, Amnesty International and the TUC.
According to the release, campaigners will wear red headbands in solidarity with the monks under arrest and tie these onto government buildings, religious shrines or key landmarks to signify the thousands of lives currently hanging in the balance.
“An event will take place on a global scale in support of Burma in their drive for democracy, freedom and justice,” said Alex Bookbinder, a 19-year-old student from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada.
Demonstrations in support of the peaceful protests in Burma will be held in ten cities across Canada on Saturday, including Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, and the capital, Ottawa, according to Canadian Friends of Burma, which will be coordinating its efforts with the Burma Campaign UK and the US Campaign for Burma.
“This day of action is to show that this crisis has not gone away,” said Ko Aung, a Burmese refugee in the UK. “Our friends, families and spiritual leaders are in jail cells today at risk of torture. The UN Security Council must act now to end the crackdown and must keep focused on this crisis until we know the people of Burma are safe. The international community must not desert them now.”
The Burmese military regime has shown no signs of relenting in its efforts to keep a lid on protests, warning of more arrests after last week's crackdown, even as the European Union has agreed in principle to punish the junta with sanctions.
The UK-based Trade Union Congress, Amnesty International, and the Burma Campaign UK issued a joint release earlier this week calling on communities around the globe to take action on Saturday to condemn the Burmese junta’s massive crackdown, in which at least 130 Burmese monks and members of the public were killed and more than 3,000 were arrested.
Myo Thein of the Burma Campaign UK, which is organizing the protest in London, said that, “The events in London are designed to show the people of Burma that we stand with them and [to show] the generals that we are watching their every move.”
The Burma Campaign UK also hopes the protests will force the UK Government to do more to demand an end to the military crackdown and get the UN Security Council to act.
Protests are expected across the world at noon local time. They have already been scheduled in key locations, including cities in Austria, Australia, Belgium, Canada, India, Ireland, France, New Zealand, South Korea, Thailand, the UK and the US. In the UK, the protest is being organized by 25 organizations, including Burma Campaign UK, Amnesty International and the TUC.
According to the release, campaigners will wear red headbands in solidarity with the monks under arrest and tie these onto government buildings, religious shrines or key landmarks to signify the thousands of lives currently hanging in the balance.
“An event will take place on a global scale in support of Burma in their drive for democracy, freedom and justice,” said Alex Bookbinder, a 19-year-old student from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada.
Demonstrations in support of the peaceful protests in Burma will be held in ten cities across Canada on Saturday, including Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, and the capital, Ottawa, according to Canadian Friends of Burma, which will be coordinating its efforts with the Burma Campaign UK and the US Campaign for Burma.
“This day of action is to show that this crisis has not gone away,” said Ko Aung, a Burmese refugee in the UK. “Our friends, families and spiritual leaders are in jail cells today at risk of torture. The UN Security Council must act now to end the crackdown and must keep focused on this crisis until we know the people of Burma are safe. The international community must not desert them now.”
The Burmese military regime has shown no signs of relenting in its efforts to keep a lid on protests, warning of more arrests after last week's crackdown, even as the European Union has agreed in principle to punish the junta with sanctions.
