Thursday, September 27, 2007

JS IN DE PVDA OUTRAGED BY CURRENT DEVELOPMENTS IN BURMA


Join our action for a free Burma!

For more than nine following days, monks and other Burmese citizens have been protesting against the military junta. JS in de PvdA is very impressed by the courage of all Burmese taking part in these peaceful and very powerful demonstrations which is calling for democratic change.

The last two day the Military Junta has been trying to brutally suppress the peaceful demonstrations, with lethal consequences. We welcome the response of the International Community condemning these brutalities.

It takes a very special kind of courage when people are willing to give up all they hold dear to them, for a democratic cause that they know is still very far away and on the short term very likely only offers them a one-way ticket to prison. However, this time, everybody seems to hold his or her breath, hoping for real democratic change this time.

Started by the monks, whom are perceived highly in Burma, the demonstrations are joined by more than 100.000 people. Therefore these demonstrations are the biggest since the uprising in 1988, which was brutally struck down by military junta, killing thousands of demonstrators. This we can not allow to happen this time!

Although we welcome the initiatives of the international community the need to intervene and help demonstrators, forcing and pressuring the military junta even harder by condemning their enforcement of power, is becoming greater.

JS in de PvdA calls upon all ECOSY and IUSY member organizations to actively support the democratic movement in and for Burma. This can be done in several ways: address the situation to your party and national government or address the Burmese representation in your country. Awareness is in this case very important, help us raise it!

We have to carefully watch the ongoing demonstrations in Burma and Socialists and Social Democrats have to respond to the violence used. Like opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi inspired us to do, we have to use our freedom to promote theirs!

Please join in our common struggle for free Burma, for more information please contact Zita Schellekens: zschellekens@js.nl.

Zita Schellekens
International Secretary JS in de PvdA


Michiel Emmelkamp
President JS in de PvdA

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