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Focus on Burma

Democracy advocate and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi’s recent call to trial by the Burmese government has led to a global outcry against the oppressive military regime.  People all over the world have been rallying in support of the leader and her cause. OnMonday, May 18, 2009 Nonviolence International (NI) joined in the fight, co-sponsoring a protest with the U.S. Campaign for Burma (UCSB).

About 50 people including three NI staff members gathered in front of the Burmese Embassy in Washington, D.C. to show their support.

They waved posters of Suu Kyi and shouted, “Free, free, freeBurma! Free, free Aung San Suu Kyi!”.  Attendees took turns speaking to those inside the embassy through a bullhorn, demanding that they put pressure on officials inBurma.

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“We hope to get the release of Aung San Suu Kyi, Burma’s only hope to democracy. Her house arrest term ends in two weeks and the junta is only looking for ways to keep her away,” said Co-chair of USCB Tin Maung Thaw. Rally attendee George Heine agreed, “To put her down for further detention is a very low down scheme”.  Human rights advocates and Suu Kyi’s lawyer believe that the Burmese junta is using this as an excuse to keep the popular pro-democracy leader away from the Burmese population until their puppet candidates are elected to office in the upcoming 2010 Burmese election.
The group later protested outside the White House, and were greeted by over 200 Tamil Sri Lankans, who were there protesting the killing of Tamils by the hands of the Sri Lankan government.
Nonviolence International Southeast Asia has also been continuing their work inBurma with their recent publication, Speaking Truth to Power: The Methods of Nonviolent Struggle in Burma. The goal of the publication is to introduce to the general public the methods of strategic nonviolent political struggle being used to oppose and undermine the military rule inBurma/Myanmar.

The publication focuses on the activists of central Burma, who conducted a primarily nonviolent campaign in order to gain access to the country’s political life. They were democratically elected to seats in the 1990 elections, but the military junta has blocked them from assuming power. The publication documents over 34 methods of nonviolent action the activists have employed while revealing the story behind the human rights reportson Burma.

To download the publication click here!

How can Nonviolence International supporters help?

There is an urgent need to translate this fabulous publication into Burmese, making it accessible to the general Burmese public. We need $7,000.00 to translate publish and distribute it. Donate now and help empower Burmese citizens to end their military dictatorship!

NI Goes to Oslo
This past weekend Nonviolence International founder, Mubarak Awad, travelled to Oslo, Norway for a conference held by the Norwegian Peace Foundation. Dr. Awad joined officials from the Norwegian government, members of various NGO’s, professors on the Middle East, and Norwegian university students to discuss the 1993 Oslo Accords (also known as the “Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements”).
The conference examined the successes and failures of the 1993 Accords, and explored where the declaration stands in today’s political situation. Throughout the three-day conference pro-Israeli and Palestinian speakers offered their views on the conflict. However, due to technical issues the other Palestinian speakers were unable to obtain travel permits to the country, leaving Dr. Awad in charge of discussing the Palestinian viewpoint.
During the conference Dr. Awad gave lectures on nonviolent strategy and action, conflict transformation and peace-building, the prospects for nonviolent resistance in Palestine, and the first Intifada. He explained how the nonviolent approach of the Intifada created a positive worldwide image for the cause, and gained support that would have been impossible to achieve through an armed struggle.
He had several interviews over the course of the weekend by students, NGO’s, and the Norwegian National Radio in which he discussed the Intifada and how Palestinians can still use nonviolent methods as an effective force against the Israeli occupation.
Dr. Awad also led a roundtable dialogue highlighting the five main reasons the 1993 Oslo Accords failed to create a lasting peace. They were:
  • The document was originally kept secret from the Palestinian public, thus making them suspicious of the document in general, and the fact that the government could work towards peace without the knowledge of the people.
  • The majority of Palestinian citizens were in favor of a separate conference that was going on at the same time which was committed to a discussion of the occupation.
  • The Palestinian leadership in Tunisia felt that the push from the Oslo Accords to make Israel and the United States recognize the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) was enough to eventually reach a two-state solution.
  • Israel’s continued construction of settlements in Palestinian territory, the division of Palestinian land into segments by Israel and the installation of road checks within this space, and the destruction of Palestinian economy to the point that unemployment was raised to more than 40% contributed to a general lack of support for the Accords.
  • The Palestinian public became increasingly frustrated with the PLO due to financial corruption, and a lack of governance and adherence to civil society and human rights. This led to increased support for Hamas, an Islamic group, rather than keeping the secular PLO in leadership.
Dr. Awad wishes to thank the Norwegian government for their continued effort with this difficult conflict, and asks them to keep supporting civil society and including the Palestinian people in the process

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