HKCFB – Support the Burma people’s call for genuine democracy and liberation!

By Hong Kong Coalition for a Free Burma • September 27, 2010

Stop foreign investments and arms trade in Burma!

The Hong Kong Coalition for a Free Burma expresses the strongest solidarity with the people of Burma in commemorating the third anniversary of the Saffron Revolution.

The Saffron Revolution is the one of the most recent expressions of the people of Burma’s continual and collective resistance to the military dictatorship of the General Than Shwe regime. It showed to people in Hong Kong and the international community the resilience of the people of Burma to reach genuine democracy and liberation as tens of thousands of Buddhist monks led a hundred thousand people in demanding the military government to cut down oil prices, reduce poverty and release political prisoners as well as many other vital concerns.

To this day, these issues remain ignored by the military government as it continues to arrest and torture activists, attack ethnic communities causes mass forced displacement, and commit systemic and widespread human rights violations in a culture of impunity.

Already, 3,500 ethnic communities have been displaced in the past 14 years. In the months between July 2008 and December 2009, more than 43,800 ethnic villagers have been forced to flee Eastern Burma due to military offensives. This military onslaught – including the devastation of ethnic communities, the denial of ethnic people’s right to autonomy and the natural resources in their areas – demonstrates the junta’s continued refusal to respect international human rights standards in for the lead up to the 2010 national elections.

The profits gained by the military junta from the many gas projects are not being used to improve social services and livelihoods of the people of Burma, however, but are instead funneled into funding the army. Millions of dollars are being spent in purchasing helicopters, planes and weapons while the people of Burma continue to live in abject poverty. Additionally, the luxurious wedding party of Than Shwe’s daughter, which cost USD 50 million, raises a question of revenue accountability in Burma.

The regime’s notorious Shwe Gas project is projected to provide the reigme with a profit of US$ 970 million a year for the next 30 years, or a total of US$ 29.2 billion. These socially irresponsible financial investments and trade agreements rely on forced labour and displacement, and moreover perpetuate military rule by providing the regime with a lucrative income. With the Myanmar-China Crude Oil Pipeline Projects on the way due to a deal with the China National Petroleum Corporation (China’s largest oil and gas producer), we can expect the junta to gain more profits and splurge on its army.

The people of Burma have every right to live in a society where justice and peace prevail. They have every right to rule their country and determine how best to use their natural resources.

As we express our solidarity and support to the people of Burma, we call on all human rights advocates, people’s organizations and the international community to continue to exert pressure on the military junta to give way to genuine democracy in Burma. We call on international and regional governments to put a premium on human rights, democracy and justice, and to hold the military junta accountable for the many crimes it has committed against the people of Burma. We specifically call on the Chinese government to immediately halt all projects and investments in Burma as an expression of its support to the international solidarity campaign for genuine democracy and human rights in Burma.

As long as the military junta remains in power, genuine democracy, peace or national reconciliation will not take root in Burma.