CSW urges international pressure on Burma

Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) is calling on the international community to unite to bring change to Burma, on the 21st anniversary of the military crackdown on pro-democracy protests.

On 8 August, 1988 several thousand Burmese pro-democracy demonstrators, led by students, were killed by the military as it launched a brutal crackdown on a movement that had grown throughout that year. Since 1988, the regime has continued to perpetrate gross violations of human rights, including the systematic use of rape as a weapon of war, the widespread use of forced labour, forcible conscription of child soldiers, the use of human minesweepers, religious persecution and extrajudicial killings. Over 2,100 political prisoners remain in jail while Burma’s democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who has already spent over 13 years under house arrest, waits to hear the final verdict from her latest trial on 11 August, possibly leading to further years spent in prison.

As campaigners mark the 21st anniversary of the crackdown known as “8888”, CSW is calling on the United Nations, the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN), the European Union (EU), China, India, Japan, Russia, the United States and the United Kingdom to work together to intensify pressure on Burma’s military regime.

CSW’s East Asia Team Leader Benedict Rogers said: “It is essential that we do not simply remember this anniversary as yet another in Burma’s tragic history of brutal oppression. The most fitting tribute the world could pay to those who sacrificed their lives would be to unite and take concrete steps to support the brave Burmese people in their struggle for freedom. We call on the international community, working through the UN Security Council, to prioritise the release of all political prisoners in Burma, including Aung San Suu Kyi. We urge countries with influence on the regime, such as China, India, Russia and members of ASEAN, especially Singapore and Thailand, to recognize the severity of the political and humanitarian crisis in Burma, which affects the whole region, and to act to bring about change. We call on the EU, including the United Kingdom, and the United States to work with Burma’s neighbours to secure the release of political prisoners, the introduction of a universal arms embargo and the establishment of a commission of inquiry to investigate crimes against humanity in Burma. These are the steps that are required if we are to prevent another 21 years of torture, rape and murder with impunity in Burma.”