Saffron on Ice

Burma sentences dozens of pro-democracy dissidents to lengthy prison terms.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/11/AR2008111102272.html http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/12/world/asia/12myanmar.html?_r=1&em&oref=slogin Over the past few weels, Burma's military regime has sentenced over 100 of the country's leading human rights activists to very long terms in prison. Most of those imprisoned are young, prominent human rights activists who participated in last year's Saffron Revolution in Burma (during which hundreds of thousands of monks took to the streets calling for an end to dictatorship in Burma). Meanwhile, the military regime continues its attacks on ethnic minority civilians in eastern Burma, destroying 12 villages and driving 2,000 people from their homes in the past two weeks. The regime's scorched-earth ethnic cleansing campaign has forced over 1 million people to flee in recent years, and an additional 1/2 million who struggle to survive as internally displaced persons We and others have been pressing governments around the world to take action. Already, Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States have condemned the arrests. Two days ago, the European Union Foreign Ministers met and called for the release of all political prisoners. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is due to visit Burma in December, but there are fears he may back out of the visit because of the difficulties in negotiating with the regime. These prison sentences make it all the more important that Ban Ki-moon goes ahead with his visit. There have been 37 visits to Burma by low-level UN envoys, but things have only got worse. We need the Secretary General's personal engagement on Burma. Take action. Please send an email to the UN Secretary General urging him to visit Burma and make the release of political prisoners his top priority.