Shameful - Government and EU failing on Burma

Yesterday I wrote a post re the importance of action NOW on Burma - our Government now agrees there needs to be action but they still have not yet taken any. Meanwhile the EU is appearing extraordinarly ‘weak and ineffective’ over the ongoing human rights abuses, ethnic cleansing and violent persecution in Burma.

Here's a quote today from Green Party MEP Caroline Lucas said: “The time for weak words of solidarity is over: and we need some real action now if we are to prevent bloodshed on the scale of 1988, when over 3,000 pro-democracy protestors were killed by the military junta. The reality is the EU has been weak and ineffective on Burma: it hasn’t adopted any measures likely to cause the regime any real hardship, and it has been cutting funding for projects to support human rights and democracy in the country. The EU needs to act – with a complete ban on all new investment, a ban on imports into EU of gems, fossil fuels and timber (the lucrative industries whose revenues fund the military regime), by putting pressure on China to withdraw its financial support for the regime and sponsoring a regional conference on Burma’s future."

The bravery of the thousands of protesters in Burma is incredible - their actions signal that there is deep desire and desperate need for change. For far too long the Burmese people have lived under an appalling regime with no respect for human rights nor human dignity. The companies and countries that are currently trading with Burma should use this time to exert pressure on the Junta regime to stop the oppression and the inhumane treatment of its citizens.

See the previous post for action to Email UN Security Council and here for Burma Campaign who are launching later today a new email campaign. Please make sure you let our Government know they need to take action. Arrests and the first deaths have occurred - see here - we cannot leave it any longer - the international community must lend full support now.