Rally for the Commemoration of 4th years of Saffron Revolution: We Want Real Change for Burma

On the 4^th anniversary of the Saffron Revolution, Solidaritas Indonesia for ASEAN People (SIAP), KontraS, Imparsial, FPPI, PBHI,LBH Pers and YLBHI, as Indonesian civil society who is also part of the community of the ASEAN people gathered again to join the struggle of our dear Burmese fellows.

We call on the international community to maintain pressure on Burma’s regime until it carries out a genuine democratic transition by: immediately and unconditionally releasing all political prisoners and ending impunity for human rights abusers.

Burma’s regime has been trying to win over the international community by organizing meetings with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and inviting UN Special Rapporteur Tomás Ojea Quintana to visit the country. However, as UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon in his report, dated 5^th of August 2011, to the 66^th General Assembly on the Situation of Human Rights in [Burma] “the detention of all remaining political prisoners will continue to overshadow and undermine any confidence in the Government’s efforts”. Agreeing with the UN Secretary General, Solidaritas Indonesia for ASEAN People (SIAP), KontraS, Imparsial, FPPI, PBHI, YLBHI, LBH Pers,  emphasise that “the world must not be misled by the regime’s attempts at window dressing”.

Four years after the Saffron Revolution took place, 222 monks and nearly 2000 political prisoners remain behind bars. Those responsible for the brutal crackdown on peaceful demonstrators in 2007 are still in power thanks to the sham “elections” of 2010. They still run the country, enjoying impunity and remain free to continue committing serious human rights violations, especially in ethnic areas.

Therefore, we, Indonesia civil society who gathered in front of Myanmar’s embassy here in Jakarta , today declare that “In order to accept that true change is underway in Burma, the international community should require the regime to do more than just meetings with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. The regime needs to show a true willingness for democractic transition by immediately and unconditionally releasing all political prisoners and ending impunity for human rights abusers”. The change in Burma is a change for ASEAN people.

See the photos here.

For more information, please contact:

Muklis Lazuardi – (SIAP) Hp: 0818700322
Chrisbiantoro – (KontraS) Hp: 081319070436

This post is in: Press Release