We won’t forget, we won’t give up
写真：山本宗補（フォトジャーナリスト・PFB運営委員）
Photo: Yamamoto Munesuke
(Photojournalist/Steering Committee Member of PFB)
＊無断転載禁止 all rights reserved
▲1988年のビルマ民主化蜂起から20年目の8月8日、世界5大陸20カ国で40以上のイベントやアクションが行われた。
▲東京でも、在日ビルマ人、日本人ら約1,000人が、北京オリンピック開会式が行われるこの日、もうひとつの8月8日を忘れるな！と、ビルマの民主化と自由を求めデモ行進を行った。
▲在日ビルマ大使館の正門にて、献花。1988年から今日までの間、民主化闘争で命をおとした仲間たちを追悼。
『PFB総会 ”もうひとつの8月8日を忘れるな！サイクロン被災から3ヶ月、国民投票後のビルマ』
▲特別ゲスト ビルマ人女性活動家キン・オーンマー(Khin Ohmar）氏
▲「1,000人ちかいビルマ人と日本人が炎天下に民主化を求めて行進する姿に深く感動しました。この闘いの力を持続、拡大していけば、私たちは平和な国ビルマにきっと帰れます」
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★関連記事
【日刊ベリタ】2008年08月02日
＜ビルマ民主化＞
「もうひとつの８・８」を忘れるな！
北京五輪の開催日、中国のビルマ軍政支援停止を求めて世界各地で抗議行動
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8808共同声明 JOINT STATEMENT
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8月8日にあたり、ビルマ人の民主化活動団体、世界各国のＮＧＯ、アセアンのミャンマー議連など計51団体が共同声明をだしましたので、以下、紹介させていただきます。
1988年以来、軍政だけが資源開発等によって潤い、その影で多くの国民が抑圧され、犠牲になってきました。民主化に向けた真の前進は全く見られません。声明では①アウンサンスーチー氏を含む、すべての政治囚の釈放、②少数民族に対する弾圧と戦闘の停止、③すべての関係者を含む対話の開始を求めています。
（日本語訳は追ってお送りいたします。）
日本からは、当フォーラムやビルマ情報ネットワークなどが賛同いたしました。
JOINT STATEMENT
August 4, 2008
Media Contact: +66 81 839 9816, +66 84 466 5406, +66 81 686 1652
Democracy in Burma 20 years on: We won’t forget, we won’t give up
Twenty years after the inspiring 8888 uprising, we stand in solidarity as a movement, more determined than ever, to achieve democracy and human rights in Burma. We join our voices with the people of Burma in the conviction that change is urgent and possible.
On August 8, 1988, young people in Burma launched massive nationwide rallies, calling for an end to military rule and the establishment of a democratic government. The military response was swift and brutal: It killed around 3,000 people, mostly students and monks, and imprisoned thousands more. The “8888 generation” has continued their brave struggle for democracy from prison, in exile, and on the ground. The courageous effort of monks and young people during the Saffron Revolution last September is evidence of the people’s unwavering desire for freedom.
Twenty years on, the international community must realize that unconditional engagement, discreet diplomacy and ASEAN’s so-called constructive engagement has failed. It has enabled the regime that calls itself the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) to engage in delay tactics while intensifying repression. We urge the international community to stand united with us and deny the regime the means to continue oppressing and killing civilians.
The situation in Burma and its regional impacts have worsened since 1988, despite the regime’s increased income. The SPDC has used hundreds of millions of dollars from Burma’s vast oil and gas reserves to buy weapons from China, Russia and India to continue their oppression. Their misrule has led to increasing displacement, drug trafficking and other threats to human security in the region.
This is why international demands for change must be matched with action, including an arms embargo and targeted financial sanctions. Without concrete pressure, the military regime will not be motivated to engage in negotiation and genuine reforms. The international community must be firm in its resolve to ensure that change comes to Burma. This must begin with:
1. The unconditional release all political prisoners, including Aung San Suu Kyi. In just the last few months, the number of political prisoners has risen by 65% from 1,150 to 1,900. The regime has already been cracking down on the democracy movement in the lead up to August 8.
2. The cessation of repression and hostilities against ethnic groups. The military offensive in Eastern Burma has intensified, with 76,000 displaced in 2007 alone. Over the last year, the SPDC Army deployed 85 new battalions in Karen State. Burma has one of the worst displacement situations in the world, affecting many ethnic nationalities.
3. The commencement of tripartite dialogue. In the past year, the military regime has claimed “progress” towards democracy by conducting a sham constitutional referendum and calling for elections in 2010. The sham process has worsened Burma’s problems, as evidenced by Burma’s deteriorating political and economic stability. The root cause of Burma’s problems is political, therefore political dialogue between all stakeholders is an essential starting point for the long-term solution.
The SPDC’s most recent crime against humanity resulted in about 140,000 people dying. Instead of helping people prepare for Cyclone Nargis, it pushed through a sham referendum in May. The regime worsened the situation by blocking domestic and international aid to survivors and arresting local aid workers. Now, the SPDC is using the disaster to enrich itself by manipulating the exchange rates, effectively grabbing 25% in “commission” on all aid coming into the country.
August 8, 2008, will also mark the beginning of the Beijing Olympics. China is uniquely positioned to address Burma’s problems and to facilitate democratic reform. China must stop protecting Burma at the UN Security Council.
We cannot afford another 20 years of this regime!
1. Burma Partnership (BP)
2. Alternative ASEAN Network on Burma (Altsean-Burma)
3. Free Burma Coalition – Philippines
4. Initiatives for International Dialogue (IID)
5. Asia-Pacific Coalition for East Timor (APCET)
6. 88 Generation Students (Exile)
7. All Burmese Human Rights Action Committee (Malaysia)
8. All Burma Federation of Student Unions – Foreign Affairs Committee (ABFSU-FAC)
9. Burma Global Action Network (BGAN)
10. Association Suisse-Birmanie
11. Partners Relief & Development Australia
12. All Kachin Students and Youth Union (AKSYU)
13. Burma Campaign UK
14. Austrian Burma Center
15. Shwe Gas Movement
16. People’s Forum on Burma
17. Network for Environment and Economic Development (NEED Burma)
18. Burma Information Network (Japan)
19. Karenni IDP’s Research Group
20. People's Empowerment Foundation
21. National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma (NCGUB)
22. Burma Democratic Concern
23. Center for peoples Dialogue
24. Friends of the Third World
25. US Campaign for Burma
26. Enigma Images
27. Burma Truth
28. Chin National League for Democracy (Exile)
29. People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy
30. Taiwan Environmental Action Network
31. ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus (AIPMC)
32. Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (Forum-ASIA)
33. Health Equity Initiatives, Kuala Lumpur
34. Burma Campaign Australia
35. Kachin National Organization -Japan.
36. Karen Environmental and Social Action Network (KESAN)
37. Tibetan UN Advocacy, Switzerland
38. Christian Solidarity Worldwide
39. Focus on the Global South
40. Foundation for Media Alternatives
41. Swedish Burma Committee
42. Network for Environment & Climate Defenders San Frontier (NECADsf)
43. The Other Media
44. Free Burma Housewives
45. Persatuan Pemuda Negara Malaysia
46. terre des hommes Germany
47. Pagan Awareness Work (Inc)
48. Asian Arts
49. Believing Women for a Culture of Peace Organisation
50. Collaborative Development
51. Alliance of Chin Refugees
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JOINT STATEMENT
8 August 2008
Media Contact: +66 81 839 9816, +66 84 466 5406, +66 81 686 1652
China Must Act on Burma as Olympics Kick Off
Activist Groups Worldwide Call on China to Stop Supporting Burma's Dictators
August 8th 2008, the start of the Beijing Olympic Games, is also the 20th anniversary of the 1988 Burmese people’s uprising.
The fanfare and glitz of today’s opening ceremonies, to be watched by billions around the globe, are intended to herald the arrival of China as a newly responsible and capable world power. However, China undermines the public image it is trying to present by being the main supporter of the Burmese regime.
Twenty years ago today, the Burmese people’s frustration and anger over decades of military rule bubbled over into a massive non-violent uprising. We, as organizations dedicated to restoration of democracy in Burma, want to remind the world that Burma’s dream of democracy deferred and China’s lofty Olympic ambitions are today deeply connected.
Without China’s propping up of the Burmese junta’s dictatorship, today might be a celebration of a people’s victory rather than a reminder of a nation’s continued tragedy. China provides Burma’s junta with almost everything it needs to perpetuate its rule. China sells Burma the arms and military hardware it needs to sustain its rule by the barrel of a gun. China protects Burma on the international stage, shielding it from action at the UN Security Council, and ensuring that international pressure is muted by Chinese diplomacy. And China fills the regime’s coffers with lucrative oil and gas deals, enabling the junta to ignore international sanctions and an economy decimated by its own mismanagement. Simply put, China is the Burmese junta’s arms dealer, bodyguard, and personal bank.
In return for its largesse, aside from a few cutthroat deals on Burma’s vast energy resources, China receives only trouble. Burma exports to China a raging HIV/AIDS epidemic that its military regime refuses to act on. Burma is also China’s largest source of illegal drugs, from heroin to methamphetamines. And, of course, China gets the shameful dishonor of publicly propping up a stubborn and despised regime. China should stop putting its neck out for a regime that is already a regional threat to peace and security.
We, the undersigned organizations, today call on China to end its vital support for the Burmese military junta. We demand that China:
· Implement an immediate arms embargo with Burma.
· Call for the release of all Burmese political prisoners, including Aung San Suu Kyi.
· Halt its obstruction of justice for Burma’s people at the United Nations.
· Publicly denounce the military’s regime sham “roadmap to democracy” and preparations for the 2010 elections, and call for genuine democratization and reconciliation.
China claims that it is promoting stability in Burma in its engagement with the regime, but Burma will never know stability until democracy is rightfully restored. After the junta’s bloody crackdown of the Saffron Revolution and its criminal response to Cyclone Nargis, China can no longer argue with any sincerity that the Burmese junta is fit to rule. China should end its support for this regime and use its clout and influence in Burma to force the generals to the negotiation table with Burma’s ethnic nationalities and the democratic opposition. Until China takes responsibility for its actions in propping up Burma’s dictatorship, China will never be regarded as a “responsible power,” no matter how many Olympic spectacles it dazzles with. An entire country is waiting for China to act, and an entire world is watching. Let August 8th 2008 also be remembered as the day that China finally changes course on Burma.
1. Burma Partnership
2. Free Burma Coalition - Philippines (FBC-Phils)
3. Initiatives for International Dialogue (IID)
4. Polish Burma Solidarity
5. Center for Peoples Dialogue (CPD)
6. Friends of the Third World (FTW)
7. Suara Rakyat Malaysia (SUARAM)
8. Canadian Friends of Burma (CFOB)
9. Burma Campaign UK
10. The Rangoon Post, USA
11. Partners Relief & Development Australia
12. The Montagnard Foundation, Inc
13. Free Burma Campaign (Korea)
14. Alternative ASEAN Network on Burma (Altsean-Burma)
15. People's Forum on Burma (PFB)
16. Danish Burma Committee (DBC)
17. Taiwan Free Burma Network
18. Human Rights Without Frontiers South East Asia
19. Center for Citizens' Alliance
20. PD Burma
21. Association Suisse Birmanie
22. Korean House for International Solidarity (KHIS)
23. Actions Birmanie, Belgium
24. Hong Kong Christian Institute
25. Asia Monitor Resource Centre
26. Asia Pacific Mission for Migrants
27. Info Birmanie
28. Burma Initiative, Germany
29. Christian Solidarity Worldwide
30. Burma Global Action Network
31. US Campaign for Burma
32. Burma Campaign Australia
33. National Coalition Against Racial Descrimination (Nepal)
34. Kachin National Organization –Japan