(1 July – Dili) – “The Indonesian military raped women to subdue Timorese men, to reduce the commitment of combatants to the struggle for independence,” Ms Lita Sarmento shared at the international meeting held on 30 June to 1 July 2010 in UNMIT Obrigado Barracks in Dili. She said this after Ms Shadia Marhaban reported on the impact on women in Aceh of the 30-year conflict between the Indonesian Government and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM). “In one village (in Aceh), 40 women were raped. It was a strategy of the Indonesian military to cripple the Movement,” Ms Marhaban elaborated.
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On Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s 64th Birthday
Makati City, PHILIPPINES June 19, 2009 — About one hundred activists and supporters of the Free Burma Coalition – Philippines (FBC-Phils) trooped to the SPDC Myanmar Embassy to celebrate the 64th birthday of Burma’s democracy leader, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, and to demand for her immediate and unconditional release from illegal detention.
Chanting the slogan, “Aung San Suu Kyi, Not Guilty!” the rallyists from the trade union, urban poor, youth/student, human rights workers and informal workers’ sectors brought with them floral arrangements bearing the words “NOT GUILTY” and a birthday cake with two candles formed in number 64. The activity is held as part of the simultaneous global actions celebrating Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s 64th birthday.
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s is not guilty, the junta is
The recent arrest and detention of Burma’s democracy icon Daw Aung San Suu Kyi poses a monumental challenge to how democracy should work in the world today.
Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel laureate is being tried on charges that she violated the terms of her current six-year house arrest. The charges came with only two weeks to go before the term of her house arrest expired.
She was supposed to be declared as a free citizen on May 27 but the junta has just found another reason to extend her detention period when an American war veteran swam across a lake in central Rangoon and spent a night at the waterfront villa where Aung San Suu Kyi has spent 13 of the last 19 years under house arrest.
8,888 Petitioners From the Philippines Calling for the Release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi
(Philippine participation to the global 888,888 petition of the FBPPN)
8,888 Petitioners From the Philippines Calling for the Release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and All Political Prisoners in Burma
(Philippine participation to the global 888,888 petition of the FBPPN)
The Free Burma Coalition-Philippines (FBC-Phils) and the Initiatives for International Dialogue (IID) wish to announce that it has reached the number of 8,888 faces and signatures as part of its campaign for the release of all political prisoners in Burma including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.
As of the last count, close to 9,000 signatures, personality sketches, photos and messages of support were gathered by FBC-Phils and IID to conclude the 2-year campaign which began in late 2007 during the 2nd National Assembly of the FBC-Phils.
Philippine Activists join Global Action for release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi
Makati City, Phils, May 19 — About 40 activists belonging to the Alliance of Progressive Labor (APL), the Initiatives for International Dialogue (IID) and the Free Burma Coalition -Philippines (FBC-Phils) organized a rally in front of the SPDC – Myanmar Embassy in Makati City at 10:30 am today.
The activists denounced the ploy to extend the incarceration of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the National League for Democracy and popular icon of the Burma democracy movement. They called for the immediate and unconditional release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and all the more than 2,000 political prisoners in Burma.
Activists denounce Aung San Suu Kyi’s detention; dub Burmese junta ‘crazier than American intruder’
“It is obvious that all these harassments against Aung San Suu Kyi and her party could form part of junta’s “pre-election campaign”.The junta is now marginalizing all its opponents to further legitimize itself in power via 2010 elections. This over-acting move simply reveals the regime’s insincerity to its promised democratic reforms”
Thus said solidarity activists in the Philippines lambasting the imprisonment of Burma’s democracy icon Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in one of Burma’s notorious detention center, the Insein prison. The group likewise dubbed the junta ‘crazier than American intruder John William Yettaw.’ “It is obvious that all these harassments against Aung San Suu Kyi and her party could form part of junta’s “pre-election campaign”.The junta is now marginalizing all its opponents to further legitimize itself in power via 2010 elections. This over-acting move simply reveals the regime’s insincerity to its promised democratic reforms”
Activists launch Global Campaign to Release All Political Prisoners in Burma
Responding to the global campaign calling for the release of all political prisoners in Burma, including Daw Aung San...
A Public Apology Is In Order
The Free Burma Coalition – Philippines (FBC-Phils.) welcomes the official response of ANAKBAYAN on the PUP incident of March 6, 2009. FBC-Phils. further welcomes the ANAKBAYAN’s declaration of support to the cause of freedom and democracy for the people of Burma and urges ANAKBAYAN to do its share of solidarity.
Campus Harassment: “Student activists” tear down FBC-Phils. exhibit on Burma
MANILA, MARCH 6 — At 1:30pm today inside the campus of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) in Manila, a group of young students claiming to be “genuine activists” forced the members and volunteers of the Free Burma Coalition – Philippines (FBC-Phils) to fold down a photo exhibit on political prisoners in Burma, confiscated their campaign materials, and pushed them out of the campus, threatening physical attack if they do not leave.
Activists demand to put Burma on ASEAN Summit agenda; urge regional bloc to start HR monitoring
PHILIPPINES — With drums and bugles, about 90 activists under the Free Burma Coalition-Philippines today held a rally in front of the Thai Royal Embassy in Makati City in time for the 14th Asean Summit.
Organizations present during the rally were: Alliance of Progressive Labour (APL), Sanlakas, Partido ng Manggagawa (PM), Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP), Coalition Against Trafficking in Women-Asia Pacific (CATW-AP), KPML, Bagong Kamalayan, ZOTO, and the Initiatives for International Dialogue (IID).
Jose Ramos-Horta on my mind
There was a time that His Excellency, Dr. Jose Ramos-Horta, President of Timor-Leste and Nobel laureate– was simply Jose to me.
I first met him over breakfast at a quaint hotel in Bangkok sometime in 1992. We were both attending a conference called “Peoples Plan for the 21st Century” that, well, wanted to chart a common framework for the broad social movement in the region at the dawn of the new millennium . He was there to speak on behalf of his forgotten people- some 600,000 East Timorese who were under the yoke of a then occupying force- Indonesia. A third of his people – around 200,000 – had been slaughtered, starved, killed or impaled by the military and police of the dictator Suharto who in 1975 sent in a Catholic army general to lead the invasion of this puny, gentle, territory.
On with the Saffron Revolution! End the Crackdown! Stop the Killings, Massive Arrests and Political
The Burmese military regime may have killed, maimed, or impoverished the bodies of the peoples of Burma—but the spirit of the Saffron Revolution and the peoples’ aspiration for genuine democracy are very much alive.
With the crackdown of the thousands of people who participated in the historic Saffron Revolution a year ago, the notoriety of the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) was further revealed. The junta’s casual disregard to human rights has reached a level where all international laws were ignored in the name of power. And all in the mighty name of power, a monk must be killed, a media man’s life must be sacrificed and hundreds must be detained.
Burma watchers to Burmese junta: Democratize or face more protest
“There is no way the military regime can hide the continuing denial of human rights in Burma and its deplorable management of the country. It is therefore urgent for the international community to take stronger and more comprehensive action against the kind of government that turned its country into a garrison state.”
Thus said Free Burma Coalition-Philippines spokesperson Egoy Bans on the 20th anniversary of the bloody coup d’etat staged by the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC), now known as State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), the official name of Burma’s military junta.
“IRRESPONSIBLE AND BASELESS”: Burma watchers hit Thai PM on Aung San Suu Kyi
Appalled by Thailand’s Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej’s recent remark that democracy icon Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is being used as a political tool by the West and that she should be left off the agenda in engaging Burma’s military regime, Philippine democracy supporters of Burma today lambasted the Thai PM and dismissed the comment as an utter”display of ignorance”.
In time for the Beijing Olympics
“Part of the goals of the Olympics as stated in its charter is to place sports at the service of the harmonious development of people, promotion of a peaceful society, and preservation of human dignity; we urge the Chinese government to now replicate that in their policy on Burma.”
Thus said activists from the Free Burma Coalition-Philippines as the group today challenged the Chinese government to withdraw its support from the military regime in Burma. The group added that *”China’s pledge to improve its own human rights record should extend to its foreign policy especially on Burma, where human rights abuses are rampant.”
Activists reiterate demand to free Suu Kyi; urge Burmese junta to stop violence against women
With renewed calls for the immediate and unconditional release of Burma’s pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, activists in the Philippines today held a rally in front of the Burma Embassy in line with the international celebration of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s 63rd birthday. June 19 is also declared as Burma Women’s Day
Activists dub Burmese junta as “coward”; urge UN and ASEAN to take concrete actions
“It is baseless. This is plain and simple cowardice. The junta makes irrational decisions that simply ignore world opinion.”
Thus commented Egoy Bans, spokesperson of the Free Burma Coalition-Philippines (FBC-Phils), on the decision of the military regime of Burma to extend Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s house arrest. FBC-Phils dubbed the Burmese junta as a “bunch of cowards” and challenged the United Nations and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to apply more pressure on the generals in Rangoon to free the leader of the National League for Democracy (NLD).
Catholic Church holds mass for Burma cyclone victims
In accordance to the circular issued by the Archdiocese of Manila, all Catholic churches within its jurisdiction today held a “Second Collection for the Cyclone Victims in Myanmar” in response to the worldwide efforts providing immediate help for the victims of Cyclone Nargis in Burma.
Burma solidarity network led by the Free Burma Coalition – Philippines (FBC-Phils) and the Initiatives for International Dialogue (IID) laud the initiative of the Catholic Church and enjoin all Filipinos to pray for Burma people and support the fund drive.
Proof of Burmese junta’s ineptness to govern
Much has been reported about Burmese junta’s continuous restriction to the free entry of humanitarian aid and aid workers in Burma that hit the country weeks ago. The international community, the United Nations, other international agencies including ordinary observers from different parts of the world has one thing to say—this is grossly unacceptable.
Activists liken Burmese junta to “vulture” preying on a dying population
Following reports that the military junta in Burma will still pursue its already questionable national referendum of a likewise controversial constitution on May 10 despite the calamity wrought by Cyclone Nargis, activists in the Philippines today held another picket in front of the Burmese Embassy in Makati City to reiterate their demand for the “nationwide postponement” of Burma’s referendum.