New protests on Rangoon streets

"Several hundred people have held protests in Burma's main city of Rangoon, despite three days of crackdowns on pro-democracy protests.

Protesters chanted slogans before being baton-charged by security forces, and at least two were severely beaten, eyewitnesses said.

In the central town of Pakokku hundreds of monks reportedly led a peaceful march of thousands of demonstrators.

The protests came as UN special envoy Ibrahim Gambari arrived in Rangoon."
_________________________________________

>> read the whole article on BBC News website <<

Sign the UN Security Council PETITION FOR BURMA

Get involved by signing the petition to the UN Security Council. Find out more how you can add your name to the list of worldwide supporters urging Kofi Annan and the UNSC to act on Burma. Click here to make a difference: www.unscburma.org

SIGN THE PETITION!

Accounts from inside Burma

Burmese people are continuing their protests in Rangoon, despite the use of force by the Burmese security forces.

"People inside Burma have been e-mailing the BBC News website and talking to the BBC Burmese Service about the growing unrest."

_________________________________________

"Police are everywhere in Yangon (Rangoon). They are arresting demonstrators on the streets, searching houses and arresting innocent people. They don't want the UN envoy to see the truth of the demonstrations in Burma. The foreign media is not getting the number of deaths right, I am sure that there are many more killed than the BBC is reporting. Shan, Rangoon"

_________________________________________

>> read e-mails from people in Burma on BBC News website <<

Soldiers break up Burma protests

"Soldiers and police have baton-charged Burmese protesters who tried to stage a further day of marches in Rangoon

ecurity forces sealed off five monasteries that were focal points of previous mass marches, in a bid to prevent further demonstrations.

Official media said nine people were killed on Thursday as troops fired tear gas and bullets to clear large crowds of protesters off Rangoon's streets.

British and Australian ambassadors in Burma say the toll was probably higher.

"Observers say the death rate could be many multiples of that number, and I certainly wouldn't disagree with that," British ambassador Mark Canning told the BBC.

The security presence in Rangoon on Friday was the heaviest yet, says the BBC's South East Asia correspondent, Jonathan Head.

Troops sealed off the key religious sites in Rangoon, including the Shwedagon and Sule pagodas - the focal point of some of the larger protests earlier in the week.


Burmese sources told the BBC that international mobile phone signals have been interrupted and soldiers are searching people for cameras and mobile phones.

Dissidents have been using the internet to get pictures and video of the protests and the military crackdown to international news outlets - who then fed them back into Burma via the internet and satellite TV."
_____________________________________

"Warning shots

Correspondents say Rangoon looked like a city locked down on Friday morning but at about 1300 local time (0700GMT), small groups of protesters began gathering.

Some were immediately rounded up. Within minutes, shots could be heard - but it was not clear if they were being fired into the crowds or overhead in warning. A witness told the BBC that a number of people were killed in Friday's violence.

Loudspeaker trucks have been criss-crossing the city, warning people not to protect anyone fleeing arrest."
______________________________________

"He said witnesses had told embassy staff they had seen "significantly more than that number of dead being removed from the scene of the demonstrations" in Rangoon"
______________________________________

"The BBC's Jonathan Head says Burma's rulers have turned their backs on the world and the torrent of outrage their actions have provoked.

The first opportunity to communicate that outrage will be when the UN special envoy, Ibrahim Gambari, arrives in Burma in the next day or two, when he will try to persuade the generals to put a stop to the crackdown. "
All the main roads into central Rangoon have been blocked.

Internet severed

Information from Burma has become increasingly patchy. Internet access has been cut in Rangoon and is only partially available elsewhere.

_______________________________________//

>> read the whole article on BBC NEWS website <<

Shots fired at Burmese protests

"Burmese soldiers have again fired shots as they attempt to disperse thousands of anti-government protesters in the main city, Rangoon.

Witnesses said it was not clear whether bullets were fired into the crowd or above heads. At least one person - a Japanese man - has been killed.

The military has been broadcasting warnings that the protesters should go home or face "serious action".

The fresh protests follow reports of overnight raids on six monasteries.

According to witnesses soldiers smashed windows and doors and beat the sleeping monks. Some escaped but hundreds of monks were taken away in military trucks.

Two members of the National League for Democracy, the party led by pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, were also arrested overnight."
________________________________________
"The soldiers responded with gunfire.

"They have shot several times into the crowd," one witness told the BBC. "One person was injured... they used tear gas... Now the injured person is carried off into a car to be taken to hospital... they [the soldiers] are using force on us."

There are fewer monks on the streets - since so many were arrested - and there are large numbers of ordinary people instead..."
________________________________________
>> read the whole article on BBC News <<

Burmese Riot Police Attack Monks

"Thousands of Burmese Buddhist monks and other protesters have been marching in Rangoon despite a crackdown that has reportedly killed at least one monk."

Monks' shaved heads stained with blood could be seen at the Shwedagon Pagoda where police charged against protesters demanding the end of military rule.

Some marchers started for the city centre while others headed for the home of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Security forces reportedly ringed six monasteries on the ninth day of unrest."
________________________________________

"Hospital sources in Rangoon told the BBC that at least one monk had been killed and that two others were in intensive care.
The monks were beaten with the back of rifles."

"Other reports differ on the number killed with a monastery official telling Reuters news agency two monks had died while Burmese officials told AFP three monks had been killed.

Analysts fear a repeat of the violence in 1988, when troops opened fire on unarmed protesters, killing thousands.

The UN Security Council has called a meeting for 1900 GMT on Wednesday to discuss the clashes, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said. "
_________________________________________

"Monks marching to the home of Aung San Suu Kyi reportedly urged civilians not to join them.

"We monks will do this, please don't join us, don't do anything violent,""
_________________________________________
>> read the whole article on BBC NEWS <<

Burmese protesters defy warning

"Tens of thousands of monks and civilians in Burma's main city Rangoon have defied military warnings and staged new anti-government protests."

"Reuters reported that eight trucks of armed riot police and 11 trucks of troops had moved into the city's centre."
_______________________________________

"International reaction

At the opening of the UN General Assembly in New York, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged Burma's rulers to exercise restraint in the face of the growing protests.

US President George W Bush is to use his speech - due shortly - to announce further sanctions against Burma's ruling military junta, the White House has said.

The US is hoping it will encourage other nations to act and embolden the protesters on Burma's streets, says the BBC's Jonathan Beale in Washington.

Close neighbour China called for "stability", and the European Union has also urged the junta to show the "utmost restraint" and to take the opportunity to "launch a process of real political reform".

The exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, has given his backing to the monks' call for freedom and democracy."
_______________________________________

>> read the whole article on BBC NEWS <<

US to impose new Burma sanctions

"new sanctions against the ruling military junta in Burma, the White House has said."
_______________________________________

"Some monks' representatives had called for the entire country to join them in their campaign to overthrow the government, which began eight days ago.

Monday saw marches in at least 25 towns and cities, including Mandalay, Sittwe and Pakokku.

Turnout estimates in Rangoon, Burma's biggest city, ranged from 50,000 to 100,000. "
_______________________________________

"A hard-core group of more than 1,000 of the maroon-robed monks and 400 sympathisers went to Aung San Suu Kyi's street at the end of Monday's march, the Associated Press reported.

They chanted a prayer for peace in the face of the riot police blocking access to her home, where she is under house arrest, before dispersing peacefully.

Monks have been urging Burmese people to hold 15-minute evening prayer vigils.

The organisation that has emerged to lead the protests, the Alliance of All Burmese Buddhist Monks, has vowed to continue marches until it has "wiped the military dictatorship from the land".

The protests were triggered by the government's decision to double the price of fuel last month, hitting people hard in the impoverished nation."
_______________________________________

>> read the whole article on the BBC News website <<

Jim Carrey - Burma Appeal II

"Jim Carrey's Call To Action for Burma

Support the world's only imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize recipient Aung San Suu Kyi.
Jim appeals to viewers to take action and e-mail the U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to coordinate a strong response by the United Nations Security Council to the situation in Burma.

Ban Ki-moon
inquiries@un.org

The Human Rights Action Center
www.humanrightsactioncenter.org

U.S. Campaign for Burma
www.uscampaignforburma.org

Jim Carrey for Burma!

"We're Moving!"

"HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING

BY MICHELE MONTAS
SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON

U.N. HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Thursday, September 6, 2007

http://www.un.org/News/ossg/hilites.shtml

MYANMAR ACTION UP TO SECURITY COUNCIL

* Asked about a letter from 88 students in Myanmar that urged the Secretary-General to bring the issue of Myanmar to the Security Council, the Spokeswoman said that the letter had been received, as had a letter from a number of Hollywood personalities urging the release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.
* She said that there have been a number of interventions by UN officials, including the Secretary-General, High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour and Special Adviser Ibrahim Gambari, on the situation in Myanmar. She later highlighted some elements of the press briefing given by Gambari on Wednesday, in which he called once again on Myanmar to release its political detainees, including those arrested during the recent peaceful demonstrations.
* The Special Adviser had noted that the United Nations is the only international actor to maintain a face-to-face dialogue with Myanmar’s top leaders and with Aung San Suu Kyi, the opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate.
* Montas quoted Gambari as saying that the United Nations is “moving very systematically to line up the support of the international community” to ensure that all key countries are working together to spur Myanmar to make progress, and it is making use of the Secretary-General’s good offices to pursue peace.
* The Spokesperson noted, however, that was it up to the Security Council to determine what is on its agenda. "

Call for UN Secretary General

Powerful Group of Hollywood Celebs. Call for UN Secretary General to "Personally Intervene" to Secure Release of World's Only Imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize Recipient

Embargoed Until September 6th, 2007 at 12:01 am USA Eastern Time, 6:01 am London Time

Contact: Jack Healey (202) 547-2582 or Jeremy Woodrum (202) 246-7924

"(Washington, DC) As protests continue in the Southeast Asian country of Burma, a powerful group of Hollywood actors and celebrities has launched an effort to press the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to "personally intervene" to secure the release of the world's only imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize recipient Aung San Suu Kyi.

The effort, carried out in the form of a letter to the Secretary General, was organized by Oscar-winning actress Anjelica Huston along with the Human Rights Action Center and US Campaign for Burma. They appealed to the Secretary General: "We urge you to take action to secure her immediate release."

"Aung San Suu Kyi is a woman that is taking on a brutal military dictatorship with nothing more than the truth in her heart and the support of her people," said Jack Healey, founder of the Human Rights Action Center. "Aung San Suu Kyi is the Mandela or Gandhi of Asia".

Added Jeremy Woodrum, co-founder of the US Campaign for Burma. "The situation inside Burma is grave, similar to that in Darfur. The silence of the world on Aung San Suu Kyi is unconscionable."

Two of the signatories, Hollywood stars Eric Szmanda from the television show "Crime Scene Investigation" and Walter Koenig from "Star Trek" recently traveled to refugee camps on the Thailand-Burma border to lend support and demand the United Nations do more to help. The trips were organized by the Human Rights Action Center and US Campaign for Burma.

Aung San Suu Kyi is the world's only imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize recipient, known for her charismatic Gandhian speeches calling for human rights and democracy in the Southeast Asian country of Burma. She has won over 60 international awards for her efforts to promote peaceful change in Burma, including the Sakharov Prize from the European Parliament and the
Presidential Medal of Freedom from then-President Bill Clinton. Her admirers include Nobel Peace Prize recipients Desmond Tutu and Adolfo Perez Esquivel, and musicians R.E.M. and U2.

Aung San Suu Kyi is not just a human rights advocate, but the rightful leader of the 55 million people of Burma. In the country's last election, she led her political party to a landslide victory, garnering 82% of the seats in parliament. The military regime, led by General Than Shwe,
annulled the results and has led by brute force ever since. Suu Kyi has been locked up for 11 of the past 17 years.

Burma is ruled by one of the world's most brutal military regimes, which has destroyed 3,000 villages in the eastern section of the country, forcing over 1.5 million people to flee their homes. The Associated Press has compared the military regime's attacks on civilians in eastern Burma to the tactics of the Sudanese government in Darfur, labeling eastern Burma "Southeast Asia's Darfur". The regime has also recruited 70,000 child soldiers, far more than any other country in the world.

Suu Kyi is one of an estimated 1,200 political prisoners in Burma. She has been imprisoned for more than 11 of the past 17 years.

Huston became interested in Aung San Suu Kyi and Burma after learning about the situation from Jack Healey. Support for human rights runs in her family. Her father, the director John Huston, led the efforts against McCarthyism in 1950s Hollywood.

##

=========================================================
September 6th, 2007

Dear United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon,

We are writing to urge you to personally intervene to secure the release of the world's only imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize recipient, Aung San Suu Kyi. As you know, she has been held under house arrest in the Southeast Asian country of Burma for 11 of the past 17 years. On June 19th, she spent her 62nd birthday under house arrest.

Aung San Suu Kyi is not just a charismatic leader, she is the elected leader of the Burmese people. In Burma's last election, she won 82% of the seats in parliament, yet the military regime cruelly locked her up along with many members of her party. Meanwhile, according to the United Nations expert on human rights in Burma, the ruling military regime has burned down or otherwise destroyed over 3,000 villages in eastern Burma, forcing over 1 million people to flee their homes.

This courageous, brave woman whom many call "Burma's Nelson Mandela" should be released and the military regime should end its attacks on civilians. We urge you to take action to secure her immediate release.

Sincerely,

Jennifer Aniston
Anne Archer
Kabir Bedi
Jane Birkin
Jim Carrey
Jorja Fox
Kris Hahn
Jack Healey
Dustin Hoffman
Anjelica Huston
Eddie Izzard
Walter Koenig
Christine Lahti
Padma Lakshmi
Laura Linney
Jimmy Miller
Damien Rice
Christina Ricci
Susan Sarandon
Liev Schreiber
Jason Schwartzman
Eric Szmanda
Bonnie Timmerman
Robin Williams
Owen Wilson
Elijah Wood
Robin Wright Penn"