သံဃာေတာ္မ်ား အစာငတ္ခံ ဆႏၵျပၾကမည္....

For immediate release Contacts: Ashin Nyaka 347-665-5323
May 15, 2008 Ashin Candobhasacara 716-512-3801

BURMESE MONKS FAST IN ALARM AND GRIEF FOR CYCLONE VICTIMS
WHO ARE BEING STARVED THROUGH WILLFUL GOVERNMENT NEGLECT
Petition the United Nations to Take Action on Increasing Burmese crisis

When: Thursday, May 15th 3-6pm
Friday, May 16th, 9am-6pm

Where: Ralph Bunch Park 43rd St. and 1st Ave.

Visuals: 15 maroon robed Burmese monks and their supporters fasting, meditating and praying for Burma. Banners and signs.

What: 15 Burmese monks, members of the International Burmese Monks Organization, and their supporters will fast outside of the United Nations on May 15 -16th. Their goal is to persuade the United Nations to get unrestricted aid into Burma immediately. A number of the monks, relocated to the US from Burma after the monk-led protests last fall was brutally suppressed by the military junta, will be participating.

“We are not eating because our people are not eating. They are starving while the world waits and the Burmese generals steal the food aid. Maybe when the United Nations sees hungry people outside their doors, they will act more decisively,” said Ashin Nyaka, who is a visiting professor at Columbia University. The monk said they will not take food from Thursday morning until Saturday morning.

The monks petition the United Nations to take a more active, immediate role in getting supplies to cyclone victims before more die. They request the UN to act immediately to ensure that the victims are receiving the international aid that is amassed outside Burma’s borders. As one Burmese journalist inside Burma said, “One day’s delay can cause the loss of hundreds of lives.”

Twelve days after Cyclone Nargis hit the southern Burmese coast, Burma faces further crisis as the junta refuses to acknowledge the immensity of the disaster and the at least 2 million people who are on the brink of starvation and an epidemic of disease. The junta is refusing to give visas to many international aid workers and much of the donated food and supplies are not being delivered to victims. There are many accounts of the military siphoning off food to feed its soldiers, and supplies being sold on the black market.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon addressed the crisis this way on Monday, "We are at a critical point. Unless more aid gets into the country very quickly, we face an outbreak of infectious diseases that could dwarf today's current crisis.” Food aid delivered so far amounts to about one tenth of what is needed.

The monks delivered a letter to Mr. Ban asking him to go to Burma himself to assess the situation. They are also asking the UN Security Council to respond to this crisis with stronger diplomacy and even under the “responsibility to protect” of the UN charter.
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International Burmese Monks Organization 84-32 Apt. #2A Grand Ave Elmhurst, NY 11373
Phone & Fax: (718) 426-3959 Email: ibmohq@gmail.com www.burmesemonks.org

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Activists Warn Burma Senior Generals

October 14, 2007

Press Release


Activists Warn Burma Senior Generals to Avoid Future Penitence

Urge Indian Government to Release Karen, Arakan Ethnic Nationals


Burma Point received a letter dated October 2nd from a former top official of Burma’s military. The hand written letter is an evidence of Inida military and the regime in Burma joined together to commit mass murders of Burmese people. Thus, we strongly condemn both authorities for killing Burma’s nationals.

Although the world, today, finds out about the regime’s current killing of Burmese monks and people, including ethnic nationalities, through internet, television, and phones, there are other mass murders that occurred behind the scene would be impossible for the international community to know.

According to a news article published by Asia Times Online on August 15, Indian government was facing difficulty in court for not providing proper evidence against the defense, Burma’s ethnic nationals Karen and Arankan, who were being accused of weapon “smugglers.”

The letter we received could be the evidence that Indian officials have been looking for. By looking at the letter, it is obvious that the Indian government transformed itself to an apologist of Burma military regime by plotting to kill some of our ethnic nationalities and arrest others without proper evidence to indict them in court.

In addition, the letter mentions more mass killings by Burma’s senior generals.

The question we ask is for how long the SPDC would continue to kill the innocent Burmese people. Now is the time for the senior generals to come out before the people. It is urgently needed to reconcile the nation sincerely by meeting with people’s representatives led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

If Sr. Gen. Than Shwe and associates stubbornly refused to take appropriate steps for the nation we would like to warn of facing future penitence. In addition to what people witnessed of the regime recent killing of innocent monks, students, ordinary citizens, and ethnic nationalities, if more behind the scene atrocities, similar to the events mention in the letter, revealed we warn that Burmese people would one day surely punish the offenders.

In conclusion, on behalf of Burma ethnic nationalities, we request Indian government to release detained Karen and Arakan people immediately to any third countries that would accept them, and for India to become our good neighbor, the government must cease being apologist, killing our people, and selling weapons to the regime. We strongly urge the senior generals and associates to stop using good soldiers as your power sticks to brutally kill fellow nationals, avoid future penitence by standing up as “people’s soldiers” and implement requests stated above as soon as possible for the 50 million citizens of Burma.

Contact: Moe Chan – 718-396-1464, 646-643-8689