Davao-based international solidarity organization, the Initiatives for International Dialogue (IID), secretariat of Free Burma Coalition – Philippines (DBC-Phils), is leading a series of solidarity activities to support the ongoing people power uprising in Burma (also known as Myanmar).
Davao-based international solidarity organization, the Initiatives for International Dialogue (IID), secretariat of Free Burma Coalition – Philippines (DBC-Phils), is leading a series of solidarity activities to support the ongoing people power uprising in Burma (also known as Myanmar). IID denounces the violent crackdown being waged by the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), Myanmar’s military government, against peaceful demonstrators led by the country’s Buddhist monks. IID also calls on the international community and civil society groups around the region to support the Burmese people’s clamor for democracy and genuine reconciliation through an all inclusive dialogue.
In 1988, the military junta massacred, detained, tortured and forced into exile hundreds of student activists. In 1990, the results of parliamentary elections was not recognized which gave an overwhelming victory to opposition party headed by Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. Suu Kyi has been under house arrest for twelve of the past seventeen years and is still kept isolated and prevented from any political activity.
Ongoing protests in the capital and other cities were sparked by the sudden and sharp fuel price increase of up to 500% in August last month. What started as a demonstration of about 40 student demonstrators who protested against the fuel price increase and later joined by Buddhist monks who in recent weeks led peaceful protest marches is now snowballing into a people power revolt. This week the international media has extensively exposed the violent dispersal of the peaceful demonstrations and crackdown on the protesters. The military junta used automatic gunfires, batons and tear gas and raided monasteries leading to torture, deaths and detention of monks and other protesters.
IID is organizing a week-long series of solidarity activities that includes visit to consular offices of Japan, Malaysia and Indonesia to urge their governments’ withdrawal of support to the Myanmar government and join the Burmese people’s clamor for genuine peace and democracy in Burma.
IID joins the international community in calling for United Nations and ASEAN to put a stop to the ongoing carnage and violence in Burma and urge the military government to engage in a dialogue with the people. ID has been in the forefront of advocacy and solidarity work for Burma in the region and has been closely monitoring developments inside the military-ruled Burma which has been under a despotic authoritarian regime for over 20 twenty-years.
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