Monday, October 6, 1997
Activists strive for a democratic Burma
CONFERENCE: ‘Free Burma’ campaign boycotts companies, decries
military oppression
By Carol McKay
Daily Bruin Staff
Following the heels of a win for the free-Burma movement,
political activists from around the world are crafting new
strategies for gaining democracy for the country.
UCLA’s Environmental Coalition sponsored the Free Burma
Convention this weekend, bringing together students, political
leaders and expatriates. Discussion focused on boycotting
corporations with stakes in the oppressed country and celebrating
the recent pullout of Texaco last week.
Texaco joined numerous other corporations previously involved in
Burmese marketing and manufacturing, including PepsiCo and
Heineken, by ending business in the country. There are still
companies however, that the Free Burma Coalition continues to
boycott because they remain financially invested in Burma,
including ARCO and Unocal.
Burma, which declared independence from Britain nearly 50 years
ago, has not yet gained the democracy sought after by the people’s
movements for several decades. Under the rule of the State Law and
Order Restoration Council (SLORC), Burmese citizens have yet to
experience freedom as Americans know it.
"Burma is like a land sitting in the shadow of the moon, waiting
for the sun to rise," said Dr. U Kyaw Win in his keynote address
Saturday morning. Win, who served as advisor to the late Prime
Minister U Nu, is strongly against the SLORC and is working towards
the democratization of Burma.
Win’s message to the diverse audience in Ackerman Grand Ballroom
condemned apathetic expatriates who have forgotten about the Burma
they left behind, because "they are drinking from the trough of
freedom," he said.
Win, who graduated from USC, began his speech with light-hearted
remarks about a Trojan being on Bruin soil. But his message turned
serious immediately, focusing on the people at the heart of the
struggle in Burma.
"The prisoner who wore these clothes," he said, raising up the
tattered garments of a Burmese captive, "also wore shackles and was
beaten. You can tell by the size of the (sarong) that the prisoner
was a small boy."
He also spoke of terrible restrictions upon freedom of speech
and expression. For example, a person could be imprisoned for seven
years, Win said, for owning and operating an illegal fax
machine.
Other speakers at this weekend’s convention spoke of the
successes garnered by international efforts. U Maung Maung, from
the Federation of Trade Unions of Burma, placed special emphasis on
the gratitude of Burmese political leaders toward activists in the
United States.
"The majority of the people inside the country cannot comprehend
how students in the United States would try to help them," Maung
said, noting that after four or five decades of oppression, the
lack of freedom has become a way of life in Burma.
"But at the political level, most people know … and appreciate
(your) efforts," he added.
According to Maung, the military regime in Burma is aware of
international efforts to democratize the country, and that their
reactions are a sign of fear. The SLORC has resorted, Maung said,
to employing professional lobbies to support themselves.
"The SLORC did not think that the people’s movement would take
place in this part of the world. The military regime is reacting.
They are frightened about what the people’s movement can do," Maung
said.
Spreading the word of Burma’s plight to media sources was
another message repeated throughout the conference. According to
Patrick Pierce of the American University, there is a large
reliance on the Internet for communications regarding political
activism for Burma.
American activists’ efforts are focused on two goals, according
to Pierce.
The first is to cut off foreign investment from Burma, and the
second is to continue support for democracy within the country.
"We are creating a culture where it is shameful and embarrassing
to support (the current regime in) Burma," he said.
The cries for democracy at the Free Burma Convention were simple
and direct.
Win, the keynote speaker, called out for the release of all
political prisoners. Zar Ni, the founder of the Free Burma
Coalition, condemned the "SLORC tyranny" and asked for simple
freedoms.
"What we want is a political system that allows us to address
… differences in opinions peacefully," Ni said. "Even democracies
have conflicts, but they compromise. That is the way we must
compromise in Burma."
INGA DOROSZ
A photo on display at the Free Burma Conference, courtesy of the
Burma Relief Centre, shows a Karen refugee girl looking out over
the charred remains of the KaMaLayKho camp that was razed in an
attack by the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army.