As Aung San Suu Kyi spends her 58th birthday under arrest, parliamentarians from Europe and Asia have written a letter to Than Shwe, the dictator of Burma. They warn Than Shwe that they will be lobbying their governments to increase pressure on the regime, including taking the issue to the UN Security Council. They are also demanding the immediate release of Aung San Suu Kyi and all political prisoners, and that the regime end violent attacks on the democracy movement.
Signatories to the letter include former Foreign Secretary Robin Cook MP, former development minister Clare Short MP, Senator Kraisak Choonhaven, Chair, Foreign Affairs Committee, Thailand, Neil Kinnock, Riaz Fatyana, Chairman of Parliamentarians Commission for Human Rights, Pakistan, and Maung Maung Aye who was elected as an MP in the 1990 elections in Burma ignored by the regime.
In the letter the parliamentarians express their “frustration and anger over the unnecessary and unacceptable situation that has been allowed to develop.”
It goes on to say: “It appears to be that the interests of your regime and some of its members are being placed ahead of the needs of the country and the people. This is unacceptable and cannot be ignored by the international community.”
At the same time184 British MPs – over a quarter of all MPs – have signed an Early Day Motion (EDM) calling for targeted investment sanctions against Burma. EDM 1331 calls for Britain to implement investment sanctions unilaterally if it cannot get agreement for sanctions with its EU partners. Earlier this week the EU failed to agree any significant response to the crackdown in Burma. Signatories to the EDM include former Cabinet minister Frank Dobson MP, former minister Glenda Jackson MP, and Vera Baird MP, Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Burma.
John Jackson, Director of the Burma Campaign UK, welcomed the letter and the EDM. “Democrats around the world have united to demand action, and Than Shwe ignores this at his peril. It is a sign that patience is running out, governments across the world are coming under increasing pressure to take action against Burma’s dictatorship.”
For more information contact John Jackson, Director of Burma Campaign UK,or Mark Farmaner, Media Officer, on 020 7281 7377
Full list of signatories to the letter to Than Shwe:
Glenys Kinnock, Member of the European Parliament (MEP) (UK)
Vera Baird MP, Chairman of the UK All Party Parliamentary Group on Burma
Brigitta Gadient, Member of the Swiss Parliament
Senator Kraisak Choonhaven, Chair, Foreign Affairs Committee (Thailand)
Chee Soon Juan, Chairman of the Singapore Democratic Party, Singapore.
Alliance for Reform and Democracy in Asia
Riaz Fatyana, Chairman of Parliamentarians Commission for Human Rights, Pakistan.
Maung Maung Aye, Mandalay North East (1) MP elect, National League for Democracy
Daniel Aung, MP elect Burma
Myint Cho, Director of Members of Parliament Union (MPU-Burma)
Gay Mitchell T.D. Fine Gael Spokesperson on Foreign Affairs, Republic of Ireland
Patricia McKenna MEP, Vice Chair of the Delegation for relations with the Member States of ASEAN, south-east Asia and the Republic of Korea (Ireland)
Martine Roure MEP (France)
Sophie Haestorp Andersen, Member of the Danish Parliament
Torben Lund MEP, Vice Chair of the PES Group (Denmark)
Dirk Van Der Maelen, Leader of the flemmish socialist faction in the Belgian Chambre of Representatives
Max van den Berg MEP, Vice Chair of the Development Committee, Vice Chair of the PES Group (The Netherlands)
Johannes Swoboda MEP, Vice Chair of the PES Group (Party of European Socialists) (Austria)
Anna Karamanou MEP, Chair of the Committee on Women’s Rights and Equal Opportunities (Greece)
Anne van Lancker MEP, Member of the Delegation for relations with the Member States of ASEAN, south-east Asia and the Republic of Korea (Belgium)
Maria Carillho MEP, Chair of the South Asia and SAARC Delegation (UK) (Portugal)
Rt Hon Neil Kinnock (UK)
Rt Hon Robin Cook MP (UK)
Rt Hon Claire Short MP (UK)
John Hume MEP (UK)
Arlene McCarthy MEP (UK)
Philip Whitehead MEP (UK)
Eluned Morgan MEP (UK)
Graham Watson MEP – Leader of the ELDR Group (European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party) (UK)
Gary Titley MEP, Leader of the EPLP (European Parliamentary Labour Party) (UK)
Linda McAvan MEP, Deputy Leader of the EPLP (UK)
Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne, Vice-Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee (UK)
Geoffrey van Orden MEP, Vice Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee (UK)
Tony Coleman MP (UK)
Tim Loughton MP (UK)
Charles Hendry MP (UK)
Peter Bottomley MP (UK)
Edward Garnier MP (UK)
Andrew Mitchell MP (UK)
Baroness Cox (UK)
Dr Evan Harris MP (UK)
Dr John Pugh MP (UK)
Andrew Stunell MP (UK)
Baroness Ludford (UK)
Iain Luke MP (UK)
Dr Ashok Kumar MP (UK)
Vera Baird MP (UK)
Mike Gapes MP (UK)
Sandra Osborne MP (UK)
Anne Picking MP (UK)
Malcolm Savidge MP (UK)
Bill Tynan MP (UK)
Ann Clwyd MP (UK)
John Austin MP (UK)
Lord Faulkner of Worcester (UK)