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The East Anglia University student
- Subject: The East Anglia University student
- From: omtun@xxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 24 Oct 1996 10:24:00
Subject: The East Anglia University student Union boycotts tourism to Burma
A REPORT FROM LONDON
By Oung Myint Tun
24/10/96
I have recieved an exciting report from a Burmese student,
Mg Myint Swe, who has been studying at the UNIVERSITY OF
EAST ANGLIA in England and is active in the student Union
of the University.
The East Anglia University Student Union has now decided
to stop promoting and selling holidays to Burma and to give
full support to movements and organisations which campaign
for the cessation of abuses of rights in Burma.
It is an inspiring achievement for him and a few other fellow
students. They have been trying to raise the level of awareness
of the students about the massive violations of human rights
and brutal denial of democratic and political rights in Burma.
The country is currently ruled by an illegal military regime,
called the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC ).
According to Mg Myint Swe, the following motion was passed
by the Union of University of East Anglia (UEA) students, very
recently, noting that:
1) The Burmese government consistently violates
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948.
2) 1996 is the Year of the Tourism in Burma.
3) The Burmese government is a brutal dictatorship
which suppresses any forms of opposition or dissent
often by violent means.
So, the Union is of the opinion that support should not be
given to governments who violate human rights and
prevent democratic processes. And the Union believes
that the people in Britain should not give financial support
to the Burmese government by promoting tourism to Burma
because the dictatorship in Burma thrives off the financial
rewards of tourism.
Therefore, the Union have carried the following resolutions:
1) Not to advertise or promote holidays to Burma
in the Travel Shop or elsewhere by brochures or any
other means.
2) To publicise in the Travel Shop that brochures
about Burma are unavailable.
3) To actively support societies campaigning to
highlight and to prevent abuses in Burma.
This resolution was proposed by Rob Sibson (School of Economics
and Social Studies) and seconded by Maggie Charmley (Environmental
Officer of the Union).
Because of this resolution, the East Anglia University Student Union
has now become the very first University student Union in the UK,
which has joined hand with the Burmese people and Burmese students
in their quest for democracy.
This achievement can also be acknowledged as a powerful starting point
for the students of the East Anglia University in their support for the
movements and organisations campaigning for the restoration of human
rights and democracy in Burma. And also by this pioneering action the
East Anglia University Students Union would give inspirations to the
other student unions (in British Universities and educational institutions)
to join hand with them to show solidarity with the Burmese University
students who are currently engaging in their struggle against the brutality
of the military dictatorship.