BURMA CAMPAIGN NEWS www.burmacampaign.org.uk WINTER 2005 ISSUE 10 Shop at amazon.co.uk and earn money for The Burma Campaign! Buy any item at amazon.co.uk via our website Shop + and The Burma Campaign will receive a percentage of what you pay. Earn Through their Associates Programme, amazon.co.uk pays a cash commission for any sales they receive from the links on our website. So whenever you need any books, music, films, games or gifts, remember to visit www.burmacampaign.org.uk first and enter amazon.co.uk from the link on our website. Visit www.burmacampaign.org.uk/merchandise.html Did you know that you could raise money for us while talking on the phone? And cut your phone bill Five good reasons to choose the Phone Co-op: We have joined up with the Phone Co-op to offer you a great deal on your telephone calls. By using the Phone Co-op, you 1. 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Send to: Name Phone Co-op, Burma Campaign UK Address 28 Charles Square, London N1 6HT Or send your name and address via email to Post code [email protected] WINTER 2005 WELCOME 03 Editorial Contents Welcome to the first edition of our Cover story Credits newly designed magazine, with a fresh 10 Too many years of empty words Editor: Anna Roberts new look and name. We hope you Words: enjoy reading Burma Campaign News Yvette Mahon, and feel inspired to take action. And Mark Farmaner, we’d like your feedback. Please take a Anna Roberts, few moments to complete the enclosed Jared Genser, Guy Horton. Readership Survey to find out how we can improve Burma Campaign News, Patrons: and to help us raise badly needed funds Sinead Cusack, by attracting advertisers to the magazine. Clive James, Plus you could win six bottles of Miriam Karlin OBE, Baroness Helena Kennedy QC, Fairtrade wine! Glenys Kinnock MEP, As Aung San Suu Kyi enters her 11th year Sue Lloyd Roberts, This year, we have seen how effective of detention, Yvette Mahon, Director of Roger Lyons, campaigning can be with Burma bowing the Burma Campaign UK, looks at the Sir John Mortimer, to pressure and pulling out of the failure of the United Nations to take any Lord Steel. chairmanship of ASEAN in 2006. In effective action against the regime in Published by: June, Aung San Suu Kyi spent her 60th Burma and the possibility of UN Burma Campaign UK birthday under house arrest in Rangoon. Security Council action. 28 Charles Square The international response was amazing, London N1 6HT with demonstrations, tributes and media Features T: 020 7324 4710 coverage across the world. On 24 13 Comment F: 020 7324 4717 October, as the United Nations Jared Genser, co-author of the report [email protected] celebrated its 60th anniversary, Aung ‘A Threat to the Peace’, considers the case www.burmacampaign.org.uk San Suu Kyi reached a total of 10 years for a resolution on Burma at the UN in detention. Our new campaign Security Council. To advertise in Burma Campaign News, highlights the failure of the international contact Mark Farmaner. community to translate words of 14 Burma’s Generals must be brought T: 020 7324 4713 support and concern into action and to account calls for Burma to be put on the agenda Human rights researcher, Guy Horton, All views expressed herein of the United Nations Security Council. recently conducted five years undercover are the authors’ and not necessarily those of the research in Burma into the persecution Burma Campaign UK. A new report, commissioned by Václav of ethnic minorities. Here he talks about Havel and Desmond Tutu, provides a his findings and the possibilities of action Printed by: convincing case for UN Security Council under international law. Rap Spiderweb action on Burma and Burma’s T: 0161 947 3700 democracy movement is united behind Regulars Design: the call. We now have a real 04 Burma News Sign opportunity for change and must make T: 020 7232 1111 sure that Burma is high on the 07 Campaign Update [email protected] international agenda. The latest news on the TOTAL Oil campaign Thank you for your continued support. 08 Aung San Suu Kyi’s 60th Birthday A review of events around the world to mark her birthday. 16 Fast Notes New Lice of Myanmar International Campaign Anna Roberts US Campaign for Burma 17 Student Network update 04 BURMA NEWS BURMA CAMPAIGN NEWS Regimes loses ASEAN chairmanship Unions back Burma A big thank you to everyone who took the action in the last edition to stop Burma chairing ASEAN. With western countries Campaign threatening to boycott the meetings, and ASEAN members faced with the prospect of a brutal dictatorship representing them internationally, Burma was forced to stand down as ASEAN chair in 2006. “This is a lesson to the international community that when political pressure is applied on the regime, it can work,” said Yvette Mahon, Director of the Burma Campaign UK. “It is very significant that ASEAN countries were pressuring the regime to stand down. ASEAN is finally losing patience, recognising that its policy of engagement has failed.” Naing Ko Ko with Hilary Benn, Secretary of State for International Development, at the TUC 2005 ”This is a lesson to Suu Kyi reaches Junta to leave Two delegations from the the international 10 years in ILO? Federation of Trade Unions – community that Burma (FTUB) have visited the detention UK this year. In July, the TUC There are conflicting reports when political hosted a visit by U Maung that Burma may withdraw pressure is applied Maung, General Secretary of from the UN’s International on the regime, it the FTUB. Maung Maung met Labour Organisation (ILO). with MPs, government Burma’s Ministry of Labour can work.” ministers, British trade informed the ILO in October unionists and British that Burma intended to leave companies involved in Burma. the organisation after nearly In September Naing Ko Ko, 60 years of membership. Vale Earth Fair international secretary of the However, Prime Minister Gen supports Burma FTUB, joined the Burma Soe Win has since been Campaign UK at the TUC quoted denying Burma has Congress. Naing Ko Ko was plans to leave. imprisoned for his union The ILO has been highly activities in Burma, and faces critical of the regime’s efforts the death penalty if he returns to stop forced labour. In to the country, as the regime On October 24th Aung San March it renewed its call for considers trade union Suu Kyi reached a total of ten sanctions against Burma. It membership a terrorist years in detention. The has also condemned Burma’s offence. Our joint exhibition at regime keeps her in virtual prosecution of what the the Congress encouraged UK solitary confinement, hoping regime considers to be false unions to join the campaign the world will forget her, but claimants of forced labour. A festival goer wears our Burma magazine as a hat for democracy in Burma, and campaigners around the world The ILO representative in was very well received. The joined together to call for her Rangoon, Richard Horsey, A big thank you goes to the RMT, The National Union of release, and demand United received 21 death threats in organisers of the Vale Earth Rail, Maritime and Transport Nations Security Council August and September 2005. Fair in Guernsey, who have Workers, is the latest national intervention. Almost 100 One of the letters said: “If donated a very generous union to affiliate to the Burma people joined our protest at you interfere our internal £4500 to the campaign. The Campaign UK, with other the House of Commons. The affairs, your head will be cut annual music festival is a long unions also pledging to sign campaign received a boost off and our people will crush time supporter of the Burma up. If you are a union member, with The Times newspaper you and poison you.” Campaign and this year we make sure your union is signed backing calls for UN Security were lucky enough to be able up to the campaign. Use the Council action. to have a stall at the festival order form on page 18 to to help raise awareness about order a trade union briefing Burma. and affiliation form. WINTER 2005 BURMA NEWS 05 Burmese Global Fund Parliamentary activist meets ends Burma action President Bush grant In our last edition we asked you to write to your MP Charm Tong, a 23-year-old The United Nations Global urging them to support two founding member of the Fund to Fight AIDS, Early Day Motions (EDMs).