Friday, October 05, 2007

Global protests call for UN Security Council action on Burma/Myanmar

Media Release: Embargoed until 00:01 Saturday 6th October

(includes advisory details for international events)

Global protests call for UN Security Council action on Burma/Myanmar:

Thousands/Hundreds expected on streets of YOUR CITY

Tens of thousands of campaigners are expected to take to the streets of capital cities around the world today (Saturday), including YOUR CITY, to call for urgent UN action on Burma/Myanmar.

The campaigners are standing in for the monks under arrest and those who would be shot if they tried to protest in Burma/Myanmar.

“Our friends and families in Burma cannot take to the streets so today we will do it for them. We may be far away but that does not mean we are powerless - we must speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves and keep the world’s attention focussed on their plight,” said Myo Thien, a Burmese refugee who fled the country in 2003.

Protests will start at 12-noon in dozens of countries around the world and on five continents (for a list of events and contact details please see editor’s notes).

The international day - supported by the Burma Campaign, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the International Trade Union Congress, the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), Avaaz, the US Campaign for Burma and hundreds of other groups - is calling for UN Security Council action to address the crisis.

Campaigners are also urging the international community to do more to keep the pressure on the Burmese/Myanmar government until the military crackdown ends and all political prisoners are released.

“Because the media pictures have gone and we can’t see what’s happening does not mean the crisis has ended, far from it. Now is the time we need to draw attention to what’s happening behind closed doors or atrocities will increase. Today we’re saying we haven’t forgotten you, we are watching,” said a spokesperson for the campaign.

Around the world 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.

In INSERT YOUR CITY, the day of action will be INSERT DETAILS OF YOUR EVENT (This should include times, location and an explanation of the photo opportunity)

“The NAME government must do more to end this crisis. The media pressure may have decreased but the people of YOUR COUNTRY are saying we expect you to act to end the violations of basic human rights,” said INSERT LOCAL ORANISERS NAME, who is organising the INSERT CITY events.

Editors Notes:

For more details or interview please contact:

INSERT YOUR COUNTRY: YOUR PHONE NUMBER

Country, City

Event

Start Time. [Date is 6th October unless stated otherwise].

Contact: Phone/Email

AUSTRALIA,

Melbourne

Bring banners, placards,

saffron colored shirts.

12.00

Amnesty International Australia + 61 2 92 17 76 00

www.amnesty.org.au

For all others:

Australian Burmese Network

+61 (0) 422463178

AUSTRIA, Vienna

Rally: Monk Gyosei Masunga will 'play the drums - for peace in Burma' at Stock im Eisen (near Stephansplatz). Wear red

12.00

Austrian Burma Campaign

+43 (0) 699 1000 7645

BELGIUM, Brussels

March at Place de la Liberté.

12.00

Amnesty International Belgium (fr)
+ 32 2 538 81 77
www.aibf.be

Arnaud Collignon acollignon@aibf.be


Clarence Jameson cjameson@aibf.be

CANADA,

Toronto

Candlelight vigil and march which will begin in front of the China Consulate.

12.00

Mynthura Wynn: 416-533-3656 or C: +! 416-882-3868, Ulla Laidlaw: +1 416-605-2588, Carol Lee:+1 647-588-9758

CHILE,

TBD

TBD

TBD

DENMARK, Copenhagen

Rally at Chinese Embassy

10.00,

5th Oct

TBC

FRANCE, Paris

Rally at Parvis des droits de l'homme du Trocadero

12.00

Vassaly Sitthivong contact details to follow.

GERMANY,

Berlin

TBD

TBD

TBD

HONG KONG

TBD

TBD

TBD

INDIA, Bangalore

New Dehli

Pune

March

March

March

12.00

12.00

18.00

Dr. Zawwin Aung

Burmese Trade Union Leader

+91 9871 578 569

drzawwinaung@gmail.com

IRELAND, Dublin

Rally with flowers at O'Connell Bridge

12.00

+353 1 286 0497

JAPAN

TBD

TBD

TBD

LUXEMBOURG

TBD

TBD

TBD

MALAYSIA,

Kula Lumpur

Rally at KLCC (entrance near the Menara Maxis)

20.00 5th Oct

Moon Hui and K. Shan + 60 3-77843525, +60 3-79552680

suaram@suaram.net

MONGOLIA, Sukhbaatar

Multi-faith rally

11.00

Amnesty International Mongolia
+976 11 324 705
www.amnesty.mn

NEW ZEALAND,

Wellington

Rally at Civic Square

12.00

Andrea Valentin avalentin@business.otago.ac.nz

Amnesty International NZ
+ 64 4 499 3349
www.amnesty.org.nz (for Christchurch and Dunedin)

NETHERLANDS

TBD

TBD

TBD

NORWAY, Oslo

Demonstration, wear red

12.00

Kathrine Sund, contact details TBD

SOUTH AFRICA, Cape Town

Rally at the Company Gardens

12.00

Craig Ackermann widebluecraig@gmail.com

SOUTH KOREA, Seoul

Rally at Burmese Embassy

12.00

TBD

SPAIN, Barcelona

Day of Action for Burma

12.00

Concha Pinós birmaniaporlapaz@yahoo.es

+34 639419772

birmaniaporlapaz@yahoo.es

http://birmaniaporlapaz.blogspot.com/

SWEDEN, Umea

Rally at Mimerskolans Bollplan

12.00

Markus Maunula, info@burmakommitten.org

+46 47 22 47 92 37

SWITZERLAND, Geneva

Rally at 1242 Satigny

12.00

Assoc. Suisse-Birmanie

+41 12-13564-9

asboffice@bluewin.ch

THAILAND, Bangkok

TBD

TBD

TBD

TAIWAN, Taipai

Rally at National Taiwan Democracy Hall, wear red

12.00

Peter Dearman

dearpeter@gmail.com

USA,

San Francisco

Washington DC

Justin Herman Plaza

March from Burmese-

Chinese- Indian embassies

12:00

TBD

Thelma, Campaigns Coordinator

U.S. Campaign for Burma

1444 N Street, NW, Suite A2

Washington, DC 20005

Tel: (202) 234 8022

Fax: (202) 234 8044

Web: www.uscampaignforburma.org

UK,

London

March with monks from Tate Museum, wear red

11.00

Gemma.mortensen@crisisaction.org

+44 (0) 20 7324 4748,

+ 44 (0) 7791 586 211

Mark Farmaner The Burma Campaign UK

+44 (0) 7941 239 640, +44 (0) 207324 4713

ENDS

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