8/8/97: INVITATION TO ADELAIDE CITY

[uneoo@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Subject: 8/8/97: INVITATION TO ADELAIDE CITY LUNCH TIME MEETINGS


/* Posted 4 Aug 9:00pm 1997 by drunoo@xxxxxxxxxxxx(Dr U Ne Oo) in igc:reg.burma */
/* -------------" 8/8 Invitation to City Lunch Forum "-------------- */

AN INVITATION TO CITY LUNCH FORUM ON 8-AUGUST
*********************************************
A series of Lunch Time meetings in solidarity with the up-rooted people of
the world will be held by The South Australian Council of Churches
throughout August 1997. On this Friday, August 8, 1997 a Lunch Time
meeting for Burma will be held and our friends are invited to come to
the following place. Myself, Mr Mathieson of Flinders University and
Sr Patricia Pak Poy will be sitting as the panel and the meeting is to be
Chaired by Dr Malcolm McArthur, Director of South Australian Council of
Churches.

Date: Friday 8 August 1997
Time: 12:45 -- 2:00 PM
Place: Pilgrim Church Hall, 15 Flinders Street, Adelaide.
(Tea, Coffee & Biscuits will be available)

Similar meetings in solidarity with uprooted people are to be held at the
same place/time in this August: on 15th. Uprooted People in Africa, to be
Chaired by Archbishop Ian George; 22nd Meeting on Aboriginal Displacement,
with Chair of Abiriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission Gatjil
Djerkurra; on 29th about Refugees and Environment, Chair Archbishop Ian
George.

"ONE WORLD KIT" AVAILABLE FROM OFFICES OF THE COUNCIL OF CHURCHES
*****************************************************************
(* Some extracts from the One World Kit Booklet)
Cover Story: The Personal Face

The heat of a pre-monsoon morning was intense, and there was a slight
smell of burning in the air when James Isbister and Sue Walker visited the
refugee camps on the Thai-Burma border in May 1995.
        A few nights before, Burmese troops had crossed the river which
forms the border and had burned down the camp, killing several refugees. It
had been decided that the people should be moved to a site further away
from the border for their own protection.
        Each family had collected its few remaining possessions, and walked
to the side of the road to wait for the expected trucks which would carry
them to hoped-for safety. The hours pased, the heat increased, and still
people waited paiently.
        Our attention was attracted by a young lad wearing just tattered
rags and an old straw hat, who sat with his dog by the roadside. The dog
was sleek, shiny and healthy looking, and there was an obvious bond between
boy and dog. We didn't see the boy eat all day. He sat patiently, still,
conserving his energy, but every few minutes, his hand darted out to
capture an insect which he fed to his dog. Was the dog's entire diet
insects caugut by the boy? It would take a lot of insects to keep a fully
grown dog healthy.
        In the two years since this event, I have not been able to get the
boy from my mind. Despite his own difficulties and the danger in which he
and his friends lived day by day, he understood better than I about caring
and sharing and loving.
        The camp to which those refugees were moved has recently been
attacked by Burmese troops, and the people are agiain in transit. I can't
help wondering about the boy and his dog. Have they survived ? Are they
still together ? Does their bond help still to make life worth living ?

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(ONE WORLD KIT:
AMNESTY INTERNAITONAL RECOMMENDATIONS IN REGARDS TO THE REFUGEES)

* Build awareness and public support for the rights of refugees
* RAtify and implement international treaties such as 1951 Refugee
Convention
* Stop fircibly returning refugees to countries where they are at risk of
human rights violations.
* End practices such as mandatory detention that prevent asylum seekders
from making claims
* Provide fair asylum procedures
* Accept responsibility for examining asylum claims
* Recognise the special needs of women and child refugees
* Protect refugees in situations of mass exodus
* Base repatriation programs on human rights standards
* Strengthen international solidarity and responsibility sharing
* Make the international system more accountable
* Ensure that internally displaced people are protected

The Kit is available from the offices of the Council of Churches in
Australia: In South Australia (SA Council of Churches, GPO Box 2106,
SA 5001, 220 Victoria Square ADEALIDE SA 5000.)

With best regards, U Ne Oo.

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