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BurmaNet news February 1, 1996: FBC
- Subject: BurmaNet news February 1, 1996: FBC
- From: strider@xxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 01 Feb 1996 19:33:00
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Date: Thu, 1 Feb 1996 19:33:10 -0800
Subject: BurmaNet news February 1, 1996: FBC UPDATE
------------------------ BurmaNet ------------------------
"Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies"
----------------------------------------------------------
The BurmaNet News: February 1, 1996
Issue #336 SPECIAL ISSUE - FREE BURMA CAMPAIGN UPDATE
Brief reports on Free Burma Campaign Activities in the United States
and elsewhere. These reports are compiled and put out as a special
issue of the BurmaNet News approximately once a month.
HEADLINES:
==========
FBC: SECOND INTERNATIONAL BURMA ACTION DAY
MADISON WEST HIGH DEMO AGAINST PIZZA HUT AND PEPSI
FBC UPDATE: FROM ZAR NI, FBC COORDINATOR
BURMA WEB PAGES
JAMES MADISON UNIVERSITY (JMU)
ALUMNI TOURS TO BURMA CANCELLED
STANFORD: STOP ALL FUTURE STANFORD TRIPS TO BURMA
UPDATE ON U.S.C.
BURMA CORPORATE LIST-UPDATE
MCGILL UNIVERSITY BURMA GROUP WORKING ON PEPSI
CFOB: LETTER CAMPAIGN AGAINST IVANHOE
NEW FBC GROUP AT MARY WASHINGTON COLLEGE
BCN: HEINEKEN OUT OF BURMA CAMPAIGN IN THE NETHERLANDS
BAC: ACTIONS AGAINST COLUMBIA SPORSTWEAR
INDIANA CAMPAIGN FOR A FREE BURMA: PLANS FOR 96
SELECTIVE PURCHASING IN OAKLAND
US CONGRESS: BURMA FREEDOM AND DEMOCRACY ACT
FREEBURMA WEBSITE: CONTACT CONGRESS THRU THE WEB
RAG: FREE WAY TO CALL YOUR SENATORS AND REPS ON BURMA
MASSACHUSETTS STATE SELECTIVE PURCHASING BILL
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN: PRESSURE ON BOARD OF REGENTS
GEORGETOWN: SELECTIVE PURCHASING ORDINANCE
BOYCOTT PEPSI CAMPAIGN
PENN STATE: PENN STATER MAKING DOCUMENTARY ON FBC
HOLIDAY MESSAGE TO UNOCAL EMPLOYEES
FBC- MADISON
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FBC: CALL TO ACTION: SECOND INTERNATIONAL BURMA
ACTION DAY (March 13, 1996)
On March 13, Ko Hpone Maw, a 23 year-old Rangoon Institute of
Technology (RIT) student, was shot by the security police. He was the first
to be shot during the early days of what became known as 1988 uprisings
(RIT has been a major political hotbed of student activism.) Ne Win's security
troops surrounded the campus and blocked all the roads. Hpone Maw died
of bleeding as the surrounding troops made it impossible to get any medical
treatment and died in the arms of his professor right on campus. Later his body
was taken to Rangoon General Hospital and kept in the mortuary there. At
the time, SLORC was not formed yet. Ne Win's Burma Socialist Programme
Party was still in power. BSPP feared that his funeral would cause further
student unrests in Rangoon. So they decided to bury him quietly. A handful
of fully armed soldiers, intelligence officers, Rangoon General Hospital
Medical Superintendent, some of his family members, and a few faculty
members from Rangoon Institute of Technology took Hpone Maw's body to
the Tar-mwe cemetary where he was buried queitly (without the usual Buddhist
funeral service) in the early morning (about 5 am).
Thus, March 13 is known as Hpone Maw Day or Human Rights Day in Burma.
So we want to launch a second wave of Free Burma Action on the coming March
13 targetting, again, Pepsi-co and oil corporations.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MADISON WEST HIGH DEMO AGAINST PIZZA HUT AND PEPSI
On January 31, 20 students assembled in the cafeteria at Madison West
High, WI to protest the sale of Pizza Hut pizza by our cafeteria staff. Some
students spread throughout the lunchroom distributing some 150 flyers, while
others stood by with signs and spoke to people with comments or questions.
Leah Whitesel made and distributed peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to
picketers, bystanders, and press as an alternative to eating pizza. We made
rounds through the cafeteria, distributing flyers and explaining to people
how Pepsico plays a role in Burma's forced labor farming. Zarni was on site
with Todd Price of WYOU-Madison TV and a cameraman to tape interviews.
The principal refused an interview, but
various protesters and concerned bystanders did give interviews. Zarni gave
an interview which touched many standing by, including a pack of adoring
girls. A reporter from the Capital Times, a Madison newspaper, arrived to
cover the story, and called later this evening to ask how the event ended
up. And, perhaps equally or more important, reporters from the school
newspaper showed up snapping pictures and taking interviews, insuring that
our message will reach the entire school in print.
Our stated main goal in staging the protest was to raise students'
awareness of Pepsico's insidious activities in Burma. We feel that at the
very least students have the right to make an informed decision about
whether or not to drink Pepsi, not an uninformed decision, as Pepsico would
rather have them do. Many of those present today will think twice next time
they buy a can of Pepsi or a slice of Pizza Hut pizza. The biggest point
that we hit on is that Pepsico helps Burma to market farm products grown by
slave labor, products that they otherwise could not sell.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FBC UPDATE: FROM ZAR NI, FBC COORDINATOR
The Free Burma Coalition
225 North Mills Street
Madison, WI 53706
Tel: 608-256-6572 Fax: 608-263-9992
*We get an average of one activist per day who signs on to our grassroots
movement. This is very encouraging for the cause and primarily due to the
internet.
*Bill Rubenstein, the original script writer of Beyond Rangoon and a good
friend of the FBC, has made arrangements with Castle Rock Entertainment for
the Free Burma Coalition to use the movie "Beyond Rangoon" for our
movement. Castle Rock is fed-exing three videotaped copies of "Beyond
Rangoon" to the Free Burma Coalition by this Friday. The FBC intends to
distribute copies of the tape among our FBC groups throughout the world at
the actual cost.
*Amnesty International (USA) is organizing Burma campaign and urge your
nearest Amnesty Group to sign up. Here is an except from Amnesty
International's materials developed for Amnesty Iternational USA Student
Campaign 1996:
"There are many organizations currently working on a multitude of issues in
Burma. Many are calling for boycotts of companies like PepsiCo and Unocal.
AI does not oppose boycotts, we simply choose not to use them as an
advocacy technique. We encourage you to join in coalition with these
oranizations during and after the campaign. Invite them to speak at an
event, attend one of their meetings or organize a joint demonstration. We
encourage you to become as involved as you can in your individual
capacity." To find out if your nearest AI chapter has signed on to the AI
Burma campaign, please contact:
Meghan from at MFAUX@xxxxxxxxxxxxx or at 202-775-5161 (voice).
The AI has just put out the Burma Campaign materials, that include valuable
information such as addresses of US senators and congressmen and -women
from various relevant committees, of CEOs from Unocal, Texaco, and PepsiCo,
of travel agencies, list of alumni associations, of Free Burma Coalition
focus group coordinators, and of Burma Action groups inthe US.
* Get involved in AIUSA's Burma campaign
Get in touch with the nearest local and campus AI chapters and work
with them. This time they will be pressuring publicly multinational
corporations that bankroll SLORC thugs in Rangoon. 150 chapters have
joined already.
* Show "Beyond Rangoon" on your campus or in your community by
yourself or in coaltion with the local Amnesty International chapter.
Have the viewers sign petitions to local senators to co-sponsor or
support the sanctions bill.
*Publications on Burma Available:
Burma Debate, a high quality bi-monthly from Open Society, is being
distributed to our FBC groups around the world free of charge. Thank you
Mary Pack. Also Ko Harn Yawnghwe, the Publisher of Burma Alert, will be
sending you all his well-researched publication. It's the best Burma
business watch publication.
*Speakers Bureau:
David Wolfberg is putting together a list of individuals for the Free Burma
Speakers Bureau. If any you have any suggestions please contact:
David Wolfberg at freebrma@xxxxxxxxxxxxx or
Christine at cfob@xxxxxxxxxxx
*A total of 61 Burmese water color paintings by a well-known Burmese
artist are available for sale at the Free Burma Coalition. The paintings
reflect Burmese cultural scenes. The artist, who did the covers for the
Burmese versions of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's Freedom from Fear and
her collected speeches, has made a pledge to donate 20% of the proceeds to
the Free Burma Coalition activities. Requests for the portfolio should be
made to the FBC. The price range is as follows:
7x 5 (in inch) $50 each
9X11 $75
11X15 $100
15x20 $150
18x24 $250
*Selective Purchasing Info:
There are about half a dozen FBC groups that are working on selective
purchasing ordinances in their cities, and you might wish to consider
undertaking similar project in your localities. For more information
regarding selective purchasing ordinances and how to get your city council
take a moral stand on injustices in Burma by enacting a selective purchasing
ordinance, please contact:
Simon Billenness (Franklin Research and Development Corporation) at
simon_billenness@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx or TEL: 1-800-548-5684
[Simon Billenness is the Coordinator for Selective Purchasing Ordiances,
and Head of the Coalition for Corporate Withdrawal from Burma]
or Conrad MacKerron (Progressive Asset Management)
at 1-800-786-2998 or 510-834-3722
*Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's videotaped keynote address at the Beijing
Women's Conference is available for $25 from the FBC in Madison.
The check is to be made out to "Free Burma Coalition" and the address
to mail it to: Free Burma Coalition, C/0 Dept.of Curriculum and Instruction,
225 North Mills St. Madison, WI 53706
The Free Burma Rock Concert project is still alive. If anyone interested in getting
involved in this specific project, please drop me a note at zni@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BURMA WEB PAGES
Free Burma Coalition (site-master Alex Turner at alturner@xxxxxxxxxx)
HTTP://DANENET.WICIP.ORG/fbc/freeburma.html
As it is case-sensitive, please make sure you type in lower case.
NOTE: at the FBC site, Brian Schmidt's (Brischmidt@xxxxxxx) New Pepsi
stickers are up and soon there will be videoclips from the movie Beyond Rangoon.
Free Burma Homepage (site-master Glenn Norris at freeburma@xxxxxxxxx)
http://freeburma.org
Note: Glen Norris, the creator of Free Burma webpage (not FBC), is working on
creating Free Burma Map with the contact email addresses and phone numbers.
Burmese Fonts:
http://sunsite.unc.edu/freeburma/software/fonts/
Slective Purchasing Campaign:
http://sunsite.unc.edu/freeburma/boycott/sp/sp.html
Burma Info Archive:
http://sunsite.unc.edu/freeburma/freeburma.html
Burma Art Net:
Zaw Zaw is creating a webpage where Burmese art items will be on display.
More info, please contact Zaw Zaw at (FreeBurma@xxxxxxx).
------------------------------------------------------------------
JAMES MADISON UNIVERSITY (JMU)
Over the weekend about 25 student activists from Virginia
colleges and universities inlcuding JMU and University of Virginia staged a
peaceful protest rally in front of the Pepsi Warehouse in Shenandoah
Valley. The rally was put together by Liz Abercrombie, head of JMU Free
Burma Coalition (and JMU Earth). Three student activists from the
University of Wisconsin at Madison, who came to participate in Virginia
Student Environmental Action Coalition Conference (or VA SEAC), attended
the rally. The protestors presented the manager of the Warehouse the Burma
case through a police officer as the manager rudely refused to listen to
protestors' explanations why Pepsi Boycott has been called for and he
locked himself up inside the building.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ALUMNI TOURS TO BURMA CANCELLED
The SLORC Minister of Tourism, Lt. General Kyaw Ba, denied
a landing permit to the Stanford alumni group's chartered plane because
the group planned to meet with Aung San Suu Kyi. The group director's
letter to Aung San Suu Kyi was read by the SLORC authorities, who then refused
to let the group come to Burma. The group director and TCS pleaded with the
SLORC officials to let them go to Burma, saying they would not visit Suu Kyi
after all, but the SLORC was unmoved by their appeal. The Stanford alumni
group and several others are taking tours of Asia arranged by TCS Expeditions.
Because of the problems TCS Expeditions has had with the Burmese military
government, they have cancelled the Burma portion of all their trips.
This includes all the schools listed below:
University of Michigan, University of Minnesota, University of
Arizona, Notre Dame and University of Washington.
Activists also put a lot of pressure on TCS to stop sponsoring trips to Burma
since information came out about TCS's role in trying to appease the SLORC.
One activist reported, "I can say with great pride that they told an FBC activist
(in an annoyed voice), 'you people sure are organized!'"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
STANFORD: STOP ALL FUTURE STANFORD TRIPS TO BURMA
We have started a campaign asking Duncan Beardsley, director of the
Stanford Alumni Association's travel-study office, to renounce all future
alumni trips to Burma and to make a statement against all other
University alumni trips to Burma.
It would be very helpful if other people would contact him and send him
information and opinions.
duncanb@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
UPDATE ON U.S.C.
The environmental club at USC is called SAFE - Student Activists For the
Environment. Burma activists gave the club a brief overview of the Burma
situation. They emphasized the environmental situation around the pipeline
and the dams. One Burmese woman talked about what it was like to leave
Burma and about the abuse of women by SLORC. The activists asked the club to
get involved to convince the University to cancel the USC Alumni "Road to
Mandalay". SAFE's membership includes the student body president of
USC and one or two members of the student academic senate.
The student body president said they'll be protesting the tour all the way to
the runway if necessary. Additionally, the suggestion that they issue a
resolution towards selective contracting in the Student Academic Senate was
well received -- maybe they'll kick Pepsi off campus.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BURMA CORPORATE LIST-UPDATE
Ken Bertsch at the IRRC and Chris Yu are now working together on
producing a comprehensive list of companies that are investing in Burma.
For those who are working on corporate divestment campaigns and need the
list for your City Council or your University Investment Office (meaning,
they need it specifically from a "legitimate and accountable" research
organization for legal purposes), please contact Ken at IRRC. His email is
REEDSLAKE@xxxxxxxx
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MCGILL UNIVERSITY BURMA GROUP WORKING ON PEPSI
CAMPAIGN
We are in the process of organizing a referendum on McGill campus
with the dual objective of ending a 7 year contract our university
entered with Pepsi Co as well creating a board for reviewing the
corporations that will be allowed on campus in the future. We are
still in the preliminary stages as of yet but have already drafted
up the questions which we hope will appear in the March referendum.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CFOB: LETTER CAMPAIGN AGAINST IVANHOE
Canadian Friends of Burma requests that people write letters to Robert
Friedland, the CEO of Ivanhoe, a mining company that is quite active
in Burma. Anyone who can help us write letters to Friedland's HQ in
Vancouver, denouncing this business operation would be greatly appreciated.
One of Ivanhoe's previous operations was in Colorado where cyanide was
used in mining extraction and a massive environmental mess has resulted.
Address:
Robert Friedland, CEO
Ivanhoe Capital Corporation
1900-355 Burrard St
Vancouver, BC V6C 2G8
ph# 604-669-8871
fax# 604-687-7140
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NEW FBC GROUP AT MARY WASHINGTON COLLEGE
Please help Annabele with her efforts to launch Free Burma campaign on MW
campus. Her address:
Annabelle Ripper
Box MNC-2301
17 College Avenue
Fredericksburg, VA 22401-4666
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BCN: HEINEKEN OUT OF BURMA CAMPAIGN IN THE NETHERLANDS
AMSTERDAM - "Heineken beer should pull out of Burma." That is the
goal of a campaign that was started in Amsterdam by X-Y and A Seed.
Heineken is building a brewery just outside of Rangoon. The campaign has
been picked-up by most if not all media in The Netherlands.
The socialists in the government want to know whether the Heineken brewery
is being built with the use of forced labour, and they have said they will push
for a Ducth ban on investments in Burma.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BAC: ACTIONS AGAINST COLUMBIA SPORSTWEAR
The Union of Myanmar Economic Holdings is the Burmese partner at the
factory Columbia sources from. 40% of UMEH is held by the Dept. of Military
Procurement. This means that a percentage of Columbia clothing made in
Burma directly finances military purchases.
On 1/12, REI told the Burma Action Committee that REI has told Columbia not
to send it any clothing made in Burma. This is a welcome partial victory.
BAC intends to reply to REI that we applaud this first step, but Columbia is
facing a boycott of all its products. We continue to request that individuals
and businesses cease all their purchases of Columbia products.
It would therefore be appropriate for activists to leaflet or carry signs
outside of any retailer carrying Columbia products, suggesting that people
not buy Columbia and that the retailer stop carrying it. We are not calling
for a boycott of retailers, just of purchases of Columbia products.
The Burma Action Committee in Portland had 11 demonstrators turn out for
its second demonstration against Columbia Sportswear, braving 50-degree
weather and pouring rain at its factory outlet.
*BAC hopes to have an article in Women's Wear Daily soon, including mention
of Internet activism and the danenet web site.
*BAC did a radio program on Burma/Columbia/City Council.
*The Burma Action Committee is going to present an argument to Columbia
Sportswear that garment factories in Burma violate its equal opportunity
guidelines, since businesses with more than five employees must hire from a
list established by the Township Law and Order Restoration Council.
We need evidence that LORCs may discriminate on the basis of gender,
religion, or ethnicity for determining whose name can be put on the list.
Specifics as much as possible are needed. Discrimination on the basis of age
and sexual orientation would also violate Columbia's guidelines.
This type of proof could then be used for any company with equal employment
guidelines.
Please email brischmid@xxxxxxx, call (503) 236-9776, or write PO Box 1926
Portland OR 97207
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
INDIANA CAMPAIGN FOR A FREE BURMA: PLANS FOR 96
The Indiana Campaign for a Free Burma met on the Indiana
University campus on January 16th and decided the following:
*Indiana University Alumni trip to Burma.
The group decided to hold a formal protest on January 29 during the
lunch hour in front of the main entrance to the university. On Jan. 15,
Dr. King Memorial Day, IU Campaign for Free Burma distributed pamphlets
entitled "IU Alumni, Where Is Your Conscience?" modeled after UCLA's flyer
which has a picture of children who are forced to work at the construction of
"Shangri-La Hotel" in Rangoon for "Visit Myanmar Year 1996" Group
members have also been encouraging students and faculty to write letters
protesting the alumni trip. Several letters have been written and posted
on the free burma list-server.
*Sanctions Bill in Bloomington, IN city council
The college Democrats and college Republicans have already been contacted.
The Democrats have said they will support the bill, while the Republicans said
they would not stop it but at the same time would not endorse the bill. The
Republicans have said that there will be no problem passing the bill. Now
we are looking for a sponsor at the city council.
*Fundraising
The group has decided to organize a benefit concert sometime in
February to raise more funds.
Campaign for a Free Burma in Bloomington, Indiana welcomes the endorsement
of Amnesty International (USA) to launch the Free Burma Campaign from
Jan. 15 to June, 1996.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SELECTIVE PURCHASING IN OAKLAND
Selective purchasing legislation in Oakland was introduced before
the city's Finance and Legislation Committee, Tuesday, Jan. 23 at 1
pm at City Hall (near 14th & Broadway, downtown Oakland).
The legislation will be debated and voted on two weeks later at a
full City Council Meeting Tuesday, Feb. 6 at 7:30 p.m. in council
chambers on the 3rd floor of City Hall.
The legislation is being introduced by Ignacio de la Fuentes and should
pass without any problems. However, it will probably not be unanimous.
Mayor Elihu Harris may oppose it.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
US CONGRESS: BURMA FREEDOM AND DEMOCRACY ACT
THE BURMA FREEDOM AND DEMOCRACY ACT OF 1995 (Bill # S1511) was
reintroduced in the US Senate this past December. The Bill was cosponsored
by Senators Mitch McConnell (R, Kentucky), Alfonse D' Amato (R, New York),
Daniel Moynihan (D, New York) and Patrick Leahy (D, Vermont). It seeks to
impose economic sanctions on the Burmese military junta.
The BURMA FREEDOM AND DEMOCRACY ACT OF 1995 (HR. 2892 IH)
was also introduced in the House of Representatives on January 25, 1996 by
Dana Rohrabacher (R, California) , Edward Royce (R, California), and
Christopher Smith (R, New Jersey)
Grassroots lobbying for Senate Bill # S1511, House Bill HR 2892 IH
a. Write your Senators and Congressmen
If you go to school in another state, write your Senators and Congressmen
both in your home state and your school state.
b. Ask your friends, family and professors to write too.
c. Write Senators and Congressmen who have degrees from your college.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Please find enclosed a sample letter to your Senators. It is vital that we
each write our Senators. And then make sure our friends and family around
the country also write!
If you need complete copies of the bill and Seantor McConnell's excellent
introductory floor statement, I can email them to you.
If you or your friends & family live in the state of a Senator on the Senate
Banking and/or Foreign Relations Committee, make writing a priority. The
bill will go through those committees before reaching the Senate floor.
If you have any questions, do not hesitate to email or call.
Simon Billenness
Franklin Research & Development
(617) 423 6655 (800) 548 5684
-----------------------------
Senate Banking, Housing & Urban Affairs Committee
Republicans
D'Amato (NY) Gramm (TX)
Shelby (AL) Bond (MO)
Mack (FL) Faircloth (NC)
Bennett (UT) Grams (MN)
Frist (TN)
Democrats
Sarbanes (MD) Dodd (CT)
Kerry (MA) Bryan (NV)
Boxer (CA) Moseley-Braun (IL)
Murray (WA)
Senate Foreign Relations Committee
Republicans
Helms (NC) Lugar (IN)
Kassebaum (KS) Brown (CO)
Coverdell (GA) Snowe (ME)
Thompson (TN) Thomas (WY)
Grams (MN) Ashcroft (MO)
Democrats
Pell (RI) Biden (DE)
Sarbanes (MD) Dodd (CT)
Kerry (MA) Robb (VA)
Feingold (WI) Feinstein (CA)
-------------------------------
THE BURMA FREEDOM AND DEMOCRACY ACT OF 1995 (S1511)
What the Bill Does
Co-sponsored by Senators Mitch McConnell (R, Kentucky), Alfonse D'Amato (R,
New York), Daniel Moynihan (D, New York) and Patrick Leahy (D, Vermont) the
"Burma Freedom and Democracy Act of 1995" (S1511) would:
bar US investment in Burma
bar US government assistance to the Burmese military junta
direct the US to vote against IMF and World Bank assistance to the Burmese
military junta
deny officials of the Burmese military junta and their families admission
to the United States
authorize the President to prohibit imports from Burma
authorize the Secretary of State to prohibit the use of US passports for
travel to Burma
***************************
Senator ________
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Senator ________:
I am writing to request that you support and co-sponsor the Burma Freedom
and Democracy Act of 1995 (S1511). This bill, co-sponsored by Senators
McConnell, Moynihan, D'Amato and Leahy, seeks to impose economic sanctions
on the Burmese military junta.
After brutally crushing peaceful pro-democracy demonstrations in 1988, the
Burmese military junta formed the State Law & Order Restoration Council
(SLORC). The SLORC has made no efforts to loosen its grip on power. In
1990, the SLORC refused to recognize the results of the Burmese elections in
which the National League for Democracy (NLD), led by Nobel Peace Prize
Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, won over 80% of the seats.
Although the SLORC released Aung San Suu Kyi from six years of house arrest
in 1995, she has stated that nothing else has changed in Burma. Despite
repeated calls by Aung San Suu Kyi for dialogue, the SLORC has refused even
to meet with her and other leaders of the democracy movement. Meanwhile,
the SLORC has continued to crack down on pro-democracy activists and to
refuse to allow the Red Cross access to political prisoners.
Last year, three American cities -- Berkeley (CA), Madison (WI) and Santa
Monica (CA) -- voted to boycott companies that do business in Burma.
Similar legislation has also passed the Massachusetts lower house and has
been introduced in the New York City Council.
Just as we supported Nelson Mandela's call for economic sanctions against
the apartheid regime in South Africa, we should respect Aung San Suu Kyi's
request that corporations not invest in Burma at this time. Passage of the
Burma Freedom and Democracy Act of 1995 (S1511) would send a clear signal to
the SLORC that the United States supports the Burmese democracy movement.
[With especially right-wing Senators, such as Jesse Helms, you may not want
to use the South Africa campaign analogy. With such Senators, you could make
an allusion to the recent Cuba sanctions bill if you can stomach it.]
Please write back and tell me what position you intend to take with the
Burma Freedom and Democracy Act of 1995.
********************************
Use the above letter for ideas; try to make your letter as different as you can!
Get hold of a copy of "Congress at Your Fingertips" from Capitol Advantage.
It is a comprehensive yet concise guide to members of Congress,
Congressional Committees and how to lobby effectively. The standard version
costs less than $10 and you can call toll-free and charge it.
Capitol Advantage, PO Box 1223, McLean, VA 22101
(703) 734 3266 (800) 659 8708
If you receive a reply from your Senator, send a copy to the Washington, DC,
office of the National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma (NCGUB),
the democratic Burmese government-in-exile so that they know where your
Senator stands on this issue.
National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma
815 Fifteenth Street NW, Room 432-N, Washington, DC 20005
(202) 393 7342 (202) 393 7343 fax maung@xxxxxxxxxxx
LOBBY FOR BURMA SANCTIONS
McConnell's revised sanctions bill was introduced on December 29 and it will
continue as an existing bill until either it passes or until this current
session of Congress expires (which should be around the middle to end of
October this year). Since this is an election year, the Senators and
Congressmen will be trying to get back to their districts to campaign often
this year so there should be plenty opportunity to raise Burma issues with
them.
When activists receive responses from Senators and Congressmen to the
letters they send that they send a copy to the NCGUB office so that we can
start a file of responses and compare what these individuals are saying to their
consituents vs. what they are doing here in Washington.
U Soe Pyne
NCGUB
815 15th Street, N.W.
Suite 910
Washington, D.C. 20005
This will greatly assist those of us in Washington trying to keep the
grass-roots informed on what is happening here as well as improving
coordination among us on the issue of which Senators look like they will
support us (if they get just a little more of a push!)
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FREEBURMA WEBSITE: CONTACT CONGRESS THRU THE WEB
from Glenn Norris
For those of you with web browsers, following is the most convenient
way yet available to voice your sentiments regarding specific burma
issues to the us governmant.
http://cedar.stanford.edu
the authors have set up a simple form which educates and sets up a
nice letter for you, preaddressed to the proper recipients.
please try it, and give your feedback to the creator.
THEN tell your friends to visit it.
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RAG: FREE WAY TO CALL YOUR SENATORS AND REPS ON BURMA
Exxon Corporation has set up/paid for a 1-800 line to contact US Senators.
It is under the auspice of a group that wants to refine the environmental
laws and the regulatory tendency of US environmental policy. The thing to
remember is that EXXon is paying. They pay the bill but the caller is simply
connected to the office of a US Senator.
1) Dail 1-800-444-1555
2) They will give you a short recorded message.
3) Follow instructions if you have a touch tone phone, public ones work
best and they have other advantages. :
4) Enter a zip code...they ask for yours but it doesn't have to be...it can
be any in the US.
5) Make a choice of the elected politician's office you want to be connected
to.
6) When the staff person answers you are set to discuss the proposed
environmental reform regulations, OR ANY OTHER ISSUE YOU WANT
(IE. THE FREE BURMA ACT)
Couple of tricks...we found they limit the number of calls to 3 from each
number. Solution: public phones are everywhere...enjoy Exxon's
corporate attempt to influence "grassroots democracy".
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MASSACHUSETTS STATE SELECTIVE PURCHASING BILL
In the Massachusetts State House, H2833 (Rep. Byron Rushing's bill barring
state purchasing contracts with companies doing business in Burma) received
a boost when Senator Ed Clancy was replaced as Chairman of the Senate
Steering & Policy Committee by Senator Cheryl Jacques. Senator Jacques'
staff are now actively reviewing H2833 in preparation for reporting the bill
out of the committee and to the Senate floor for a vote.
And if you have not written to your State Senator in support of H2833, now
is the time!
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UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN: PRESSURE ON BOARD OF REGENTS
University of Wisconsin Group is putting pressure on the Board of
Regents to consider Burma case seriously and we'll most likely have a
meeting with the Business and Finance Committe this Spring.
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GEORGETOWN: SELECTIVE PURCHASING ORDINANCE
The Georgetown Group has written up a selective purchasing ordinance to be
presented to the administration there. For more info on the text or
procedure of university selective purchasing ordinance, please contact
Douglas Steele at <douglas.steele@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> .
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BOYCOTT PEPSI CAMPAIGN
High school activists in Madison, Chicago, St. Louis, and Canada are
working on Boycott Pepsi Campaign.
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PENN STATE: PENN STATER MAKING DOCUMENTARY ON FBC
Andrew Stock at Penn State is making a documentary on Free Burma
campaign with the focus on Pepsi-University link. If you have any
video-footage, please drop him a note at ads127@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"We just recently filmed a protest by the campus organization Students for
a Democratic Burma. I need archival film/video footage, if available, of recent
events in Burma for this documentary. If someone could e-mail me with any
information I would be greatly appreciative."
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HOLIDAY MESSAGE TO UNOCAL EMPLOYEES
Dear Friends of the Unocal Campaign:
A demonstration was held at Unocal headquarters in December, and this
flyer was distributed to Unocal employees
December Update...
It's been a busy fall for the Campaign for a Free Burma. We've successfully
lobbied UCLA, Northwestern University and the Chicago Art Institute to cancel
sponsorship of tours to Burma. Just as in the pipeline area, thousands of citizens
have been conscripted into forced labor on tourism projects in preparation for
"Visit Myanmar Year 1996."
Meanwhile, the City of Santa Monica won't be doing as much business with
Unocal as they used to. The City Council voted unanimously in support of a
South Africa-style selective contracting law for Burma. As with the Berkeley ban,
Unocal had lobbied against this one but no representatives appeared at the
Council meeting.
Through increasing contact with Unocal employees, we are encouraged to learn that
many of you oppose the pipeline and don't think it's such a good idea for your
company to get in bed with the SLORC.
There are widespread concerns in Burma, shared by the SLORC and Aung
San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party, that tensions are mounting
in Burma's cities after seven years of brutal SLORC rule. The people are frustrated
with SLORC's failure to recognize the elected party. SLORC has convened a
"constitutional convention" intended to keep SLORC in power. While the NLD
won more than 80% of the votes (some 7 million) in 1990, SLORC is allowing
them 15% representation in the Convention. The SLORC draft requires any
leader of Burma to have a military background. As a result, the NLD is boycotting
the National Convention.
Suu Kyi is still calling for dialogue and calling on the people of Burma to
maintain a nonviolent stance despite SLORC abuses.
[Inside bottom 2/3 with photo of Mon monk with sign reading "Unocal - Come talk to
the Mon about the pipeline":]
World Religions in Burma
In the spirit of the holiday season, please take some time to think about those in
far off Burma (Myanmar) who face ongoing suppression of their rights to freely
practice their many religions. Burma's population includes Buddhists, Animists,
Muslims, Christians, Baptists, Seventh Day Adventists, Jews, Bahais.
Burma's military leaders have told the country's respected monks that the generals
are devout buddhists. But many monks have led the drive for democracy and have been
killed or imprisoned for it. In 1995, monks have told Western media reporters and
human rights workers that many people are afraid of the regime.
Earlier this year, the Overseas Mon Young Monks Association refuted Unocal CEO
Roger Beach's claim that the pipeline through Mon land would bring benefits to the
people there. Unfortunately, it has been a tragic year in the pipeline area as
thousands of soldiers have forced people from their homes and villages. Many weeks
after SLORC claimed to have issued a "secret directive" to discourage the practice of
slave labor, the Mon and Karen are still press-ganged.
This year, some of the 250,000 Muslims have been repatriated from Bangladesh to
Arakan State, but they have returned to a land where the SLORC has destroyed all the
mosques. Tens of thousands, meanwhile, will be entering their sixth year in refugee
camps in Bangladesh, having been forced out of Burma in 1991.
SLORC has exploited tensions between Buddhists and Christians by attaching
anti-Christian nationalism to its military campaigns, including the campaign to
secure the pipeline area.
One Seventh-Day Adventist was beaten to death with a rifle butt to his skull and
thrown in an unmarked pit.
In a documentary about the pipeline released this summer, a Christian family's home
was so shot up that bullet holes were found in the family Bible.
In meeting its real estate needs, SLORC has bulldozed Jewish and Ba'hai cemetaries.
UNOCAL could to much to alleviate the grave human rights situation facing people in
Burma by publicly supporting the recommendations of the United Nations Special
Rapporteur on Human Rights to Burma, Professor Yozo Yokota.
[Back side:]
What you can do...
Talk about the pipeline with your fellow employees. Is it really something which
will "benefit the people?"
Question your company's policy. Is the pipeline project consistent with Unocal's
Code of Ethics?
Talk to us. Tell us what you think. You can email us at freebrma@xxxxxxxxxxxxx or
call us at (310) 391-7788. We have documentaries and hundreds of photographs from
the pipeline region. Talk with the Burmese who come here time and time again to tell
you what they know about Burma. Find out the truth about the pipeline.
Organize your fellow employees, friends and neighbors into roundtable
discussions. Like Aung San Suu Kyi, the Burmese want dialogue.
Tell John Imle [Unocal's President] and Roger Beach [CEO] to get
Unocal Out of Burma!
Call Unocal at
1-800-BAR-1-ALL
[This # only good in California; outside try (213) 977-7600]
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FBC- MADISON
We're working in coalition with other groups in terms of getting
this divestment/shareholder campaign take off nation-wide.
We, the CSRI, are trying to mobilize the university community, faculty,
staff, and students in demanding that the University (of Wisconsin)
establish a set of investment policies that are socially responsible and
implement them accordingly. By "socially responsible investment
policies," we mean that the University will invest the public's money and
conduct the public's business only with those corporations that profess and
*comply* with ethical codes. These codes include fair and equal treatment
of workers both within and without the United States, environmentally sound
business practices, and non-collaboration with the regimes which are
labelled as highly repressive human rights violators by the United Nations
and other respectable international bodies such as Amnesty International.
The CSRI has a strong backing and full participation from the following
groups on UW Madison campus: Free Burma Coalition (FBC) which has a
network of about 90 college groups in the US, as well as abroad), Students for a
Free Tibet (SFT) with its network of over 50 campus groups in the US, East
Timor Action Network (ETAN) of which Noam Chomsky is the patron, Student
Labor Action Coalition (SLAC), the UW-Greens, Community Action for Latin
America (CALA), Teaching Assistant Association (TAA), International Women's
Rights, Progressive Student Network (PSN), Students of the New Progressive
Party, Associated Students of Madison (ASM), and Community, Asian American
Student Union (AASU) and Strategic Communications.
The coalition has also been in contact with the University administration with
regards to the University's involvement in political oppression and gross
human rights and labor violations both in the US and abroad including
Burma, Tibet, Nigeria and East Timor.
The Coalition recently held a conference on socially responsible
investment polcies and practices (or lack thereoff) on the part of US
educational institutions. Key organizers from campuses and organizations
across the US who are working in the similar areas will gather in Madison
on Jan. 12 and 13 to explore the possibilities of launching a nationally
coordinated campus-based socially responsible investment project targetting
universities and colleges and their investment policies and practices.
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