• Members
  • Youth
  • Newsletters
  • Shop
  • Contact Us

Take Action

Action Resources

Letter Writing Tips

Myanmar : Additional Information

Public Listing

Messages sent to Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs

News Releases

Myanmar: UN Security Council must deploy urgent mission (25 September 2007)

Reports

Myanmar's Political Prisoners: A Growing Legacy of Injustice (16 June 2007)

Myanmar: Protect peaceful protesters from further violence

Note: This action is expired has expired and is provided for information/reference only.

Posted: 26 September 2007


Buddhist monks march down a street in protest in Yangon, 25 September 2007, despite stern warnings from Myanmar's junta against the anti-government protests.
AFP/AFP/Getty Images

For 40 years Myanmar has been ruled by a brutal military regime that has resisted and repressed movements for democratic change.  Leading opposition leaders, such as nobel-prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi and U Win Tin, have been arrested and jailed, and voices of dissent are routinely suppressed.

Now there is a new wave of popular peaceful protests calling for change.

In late August, Buddhist monks began taking to the streets in a peaceful protest demanding an end to the military junta. In recent days the monks have been joined by citizens and students, with estimated numbers now ranging from 10,000 to 100,000.

Demonstrations on this scale have not been seen since the nationwide demonstrations in 1988, which were violently suppressed by the authorities with the killing of approximately 3,000 peaceful demonstrators.

Amnesty International fears that a crackdown on the protestors is imminent, and that violence against the demonstrators may be used.

Take Action

Please sign this petition to the Canadian government to apply pressure to prevent further violence and begin to resolve long-standing human rights violations, including the detention of Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners.

Send a message to Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier:

To:
Honourable Maxime Bernier
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Canada

Dear Minister Bernier,

I am concerned about the current human rights crisis in Myanmar. Reports today of the military firing upon and arresting monks and peaceful civilian demonstrators make it imperative that Canada and the international community act now to prevent further violence and bloodshed.

The brutal repression that took place in 1988 resulting in the deaths of over 3,000 people must not be repeated. The people of Myanmar have the right to peacefully express their views. The government of Myanmar has the responsibility to respect and uphold the right to peaceful protest.

Canada must urge members of the United Nations Security Council to decide to immediately send a mission to Myanmar. This mission should seek to resolve long-standing human rights problems in Myanmar, including the detention of Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners.

Canada must also call on China and other Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries such as India and Japan, to use their influence on Myanmar to allow for peaceful protests and stop any violence against the protesters.

Add your own comment about the need for action in Myanmar:

Sincerely,

 

First name:

Last name:

Email:

Phone:

( )

Postal code:

  Display my name and comments on the public listing of messages sent to Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs
  I wish to receive Amnesty's monthly e-action bulletin Speak Out (view sample)

FURTHER BACKGROUND:

In Ottawa, Canadian Friends of Burma, other organizations and individuals including Amnesty International will be demonstrating at Parliament Hill on the evenings of September 26, 27, and 28, 2007 starting at 8pm. We would encourage you to participate in similar peaceful public demonstrations in your community.

Important Note: There will be many different groups likely engaging in demonstrations expressing opinions that Amnesty may not share.

It is important to be clear about what Amnesty’s main concerns are at this time.

Messages (to be used on banners or as chants): “ALLOW PEACEFUL PROTEST”. “RELEASE PRISONERS OF CONSCIENCE” “FREE AUNG SAN SUU KYI” (Leader of the National League for Democracy).

Demonstration Ideas:

Protesters in Myanmar have used human chains to protect the monks leading the demonstrations. You could also use human chains in your public action to symbolise the protection of peaceful protest.

Decorate your demonstration in brown/red cloth as worn by the monks currently at risk of violence in Myanmar. Avoid wearing full robes as worn by monks as this may be considered disrespectful.

You may also wish to highlight the figure 3,000 in your event – the number of peaceful protesters believed to have been killed when the authorities brutally suppressed a mass political demonstration in 1988.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us:

Brian John
Myanmar Country Coordinator
myanmarcoordinator@amnesty.ca

Cheryl Hotchkiss
Campaigner - Amnesty International
cherylh@amnesty.ca