Press Release, New York

Burma Point - www.burmapoint.com

October 2, 2007

Press Release
U.N. Actions on Burma Should be Re-examined

People of Burma have constantly been hoping that United Nations would rescue them from the country ruled by the worst regime in the world. Many people have dropped their hopes only because the world body proved that it is unable to do anything concretely to intervene in order to save them from recent and current killings by the brutal regime in Burma.

In the midst of the recent killings, the U.N. sends a special envoy Mr. Ibrahim Gambari to Burma to ease the situation there. However, the top generals are still playing games with the top U.N. official, who once said after his first visit to Burma that the regime was ready to “turn a new page”. While Mr. Gambari is running up and down in the country to reconcile the nation, the generals are continuing to kill more monks, young students and ordinary citizens, according Burmese media.

The question is “Can the U.N. do anything to save those peaceful people?”

On September 29, Burma Point received a report that the U.N. office in Rangoon is useless. We have also receieved similar reports in the past about the office led by Mr. Charles Petrie, the U.N. country coordinator.

The particular report says that people tried calling the hot line numbers provided by the U.N. office on the night of September 28, when they heard that soldiers were approaching monasteries to make arrests. But a male employee at the office replied to one of the callers saying he would put it in record and he would also inform the U.N. When others made calls, an official responded that the office “could not do anything to help”.

It is obvious the fact that monks and people are being killed and dissapearing according to our sources. As a matter of fact, even food donors to protesters and onlookers are now being arrested and perhaps tortured. Some have been sent to infamous Insein jail without any legal charges by the authority. Now, the rest of the many peaceful monks have been forced to take off their robes. Many teachers and their students, who are in their teens, were ordered to kneel down and slapped by soldiers because they were somehow involved in the movement, said a woman. Thus, we strongly condemn the act of the regime that calls themselves State Peace and Development Council (SPDC).

Myint Soe, a former Central Working Committee member of the National League for Democracy party, which is led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, said that the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Rangoon is corrupted. Much of the planned development programmes are incomplete.

“Projects staffs and participants who are going to attend the workshops or trainings had to take recommendation letter from police station and even Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA) about whether he or she has not involved in any criminal cases and political activities”, Myint Soe, Secretary of National League for Democracy – Liberated Area, explained.

USDA and police in Burma are, today, the real criminals that have killed hundreds of peaceful monks and people. Should our people continue to get recommendation letters from these departments?

We are very sadden and disappointed the fact that the U.N. continues to stay silent on the corruptions that exist between its officials and the ruling regime.

We, again, request that the U.N., the world leading organization, to protect and stand by its principles stated in its Universal Declaration of Human Rights by raising the loudest voice and taking concrete actions to prevent further killings and tortures by the ruling SPDC.


Contact: Moe Chan – 646-643-8689, 718-396-1464