PRESS RELEASE
India needs to support the peoples of Burma, not to the Junta
September 22, 2007



India, the world's largest democracy, needs to urgently review its current policies on Burma, in light of on-going nation-wide protests by the peoples and Buddhist monks in the country.

The present protests in Burma clearly showed that Burmese military government does not represent the peoples of the country. Thousands of monks and peoples in several places around the country have been openly defying the Burmese military government since August 19 this.

The current protests began after the authorities imposed a massive increase in the price of fuel on April 15 without giving notice or justification, making life even harder for the peoples of Burma on top of years of repression and persecution by the junta.

The Buddhist monks have declared a "boycott" of the military, refusing to accept donations from military officers and thus sending an extremely strong signal to the authorities. The military regime had arrested more than 150 democracy activists last month alone.

UN Special Envoy to Burma Ibrahim Gambari had said that the international community needs to find an "urgent solution" to the situation, in a briefing to the Security Council yesterday.

In its informal briefing to the UN Security Council on 20 September 2007, Mr. Gambari informed the Council members that, "Undoubtedly, the developments over the last few weeks in Myanmar have raised serious concerns in the international community and once again underscore the urgency to step up our efforts to find solutions to the challenges facing the country". Mr. Gambari is planning to visit Burma soon.

While large-scale protests are taking place in Burma, India not only is silent on what is happenings in its next-door neighbor, but it is also sending its petroleum minister Mr. Murli Deora to Burma on 23 September 2007.

The minister, accompanied by Petroleum Secretary Mr. M. S. Srinivasan and MD ONGC Videsh Ltd (OVL) Mr. R S Butola, will be signing the Production Sharing Contracts (PSCs) for 3 Deep Water exploration Blocks between OVL, and Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise (MOGE), a Burmese government enterprise.

It is a shame for world's largest democracy to send its cabinet minister to Burma for reasons of exploiting more natural gas from the country, at the time while peoples and monks are protesting against the fuel shortages and economic hardships in Burma.

We, the Burmese pro-democracy activists residing in India, call upon the Government of India to review its current policies on Burma and to extend its support for the peoples of Burma in this hours of crisis in the country.

We urge the Burmese government to heed the voices and aspirations of the peoples of Burma by entering into a political dialogue with ethnic nationalities and democracy forces led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to solve the country's political and economic crisis.

We also demand the regime to immediately and unconditionally release all the political prisoners including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, Min Ko Naing, U Khun Htoo Oo, Ko Ko Gyi and U Win Tin.

Finally, we warn the Burmese junta not to resort to violence and not to crack down the peaceful protestors in the country.

Check picture gallery on this protest here.