Demonstrations for Saffron & Ayeyarwaddy on 26 September 2011 (Monday) in London, UK



Burma Democratic Concern (BDC) will be holding the Demonstration in front of the Burmese Embassy in London, UK and in front of the Chinese Embassy in London, UK to commemorate the 4th Anniversary of Saffron Revolution in Burma and to protest against China building dams at the confluence of the river Ayeyarwaddy respectively.

The 4th Anniversary of Saffron Revolution Demonstration

The phrase "Saffron Revolution" is the name appeared after 2007 demonstrations to describe the protests of the saffron-colored robes widely associated with Buddhist monks, who were at the forefront of the demonstrations against military dictatorship in Burma.

The cost of basic commodities prices were rising continuously and in late 2006, rice, eggs, and cooking oil are increasing by 30-40%. The living standards in Burma is distinguish in the fact that many of the high ranking army generals and their connected families have become immensely rich and on the other hand normal people are distressfully rely on their little earning .

On August 15, 2007 the government removed subsidies on fuel causing a rapid and unannounced increase in prices. The government raised prices from about $1.40 to $2.80 a gallon, and boosted the price of natural gas by about 500%. This increase in fuel prices led to an increase in food prices.

Long term suffering of the economic distress as well as living under the injustice system of the government makes the people took to the streets to protest the current conditions. In response to the protests, the government began arresting and beating demonstrators.

On September 5, 2007, Burmese troops forcibly broke up a peaceful demonstration in Pakokku and injured three monks. The military refused to apologize the demanding by the deadline of September 17.

This sparked the huge number of monks involving in the protests. Their role in the protests was significant due to the reverence paid to them by the civilian population and the military. After these events, protests began spreading across Burma, including Rangoon, Sittwe, Pakokku and Mandalay.

There were a series of anti-government protests in August 2007. The immediate cause of the protests was mainly the unannounced decision of the ruling junta to increase the fuel price by 500%.

Led by students and opposition political activists, the protest demonstrations were at first dealt with quickly and harshly by the junta, with dozens of protesters arrested and detained. The protests had been led by thousands of Buddhist monks and they withdraw religious services for the military.

The biggest antigovernment protests in two decades, some barefoot monks held their alms receiving bowls upside down before them instead of asking for their daily donations of food. It was a shocking image in the devoutly Buddhist nation.

The monks were refusing to receive alms from the military rulers and their families — effectively excommunicating them from the religion that is at the core of Burmese culture. The military rules by force, but the monks retain ultimate moral authority.

Receiving alms and donation is a ritual that expresses a profound bond between the ordinary Buddhist and the monk. The people are feeding the monks and the monks are helping the people make merit, when you refuse to accept, you have broken the bond that has tied them for centuries together.

The country’s two largest and most established institutions, the monk-hood and the military, were facing each other, both made up of about 500,000 strong young men. Tens of thousands of Burmese people led by these monks took to the streets of Rangoon demanding for change.

The Buddhist monks hold nothing but non violent and loving kindness, had no way of resisting soldiers with guns. The military junta in Burma views religion as a threat to its sovereignty. Rejected by both its spiritual and moral bases, the junta that has ruled for Burma many years had little to fall back on but force. It unleashed its troops to shoot, beat, arrest and kill the saffron-robed monks. Soldiers surrounded monasteries; preventing monks from leading further demonstrations — or from making their morning rounds to collect the alms that feed them.

Protests began spreading across Burma. Those marching through the capital chanted the “Metta Sutta” (the Buddha’s words on loving kindness) and making the event the largest Burmese anti-government protest in twenty years. Civilians were forming a human shield around the monks. Truckloads of armed soldiers and riot police were sent into Rangoon and shoot the un-armed demonstrators. The junta security forces began raiding monasteries across the country to quell the protests, arresting thousands of monks.

The military generals had embarked on a campaign of violence against Buddhist monks. In retribution for leading protest marches, monks were killed, beaten and arrested, many monks were disrobed, and several monasteries were raided, ransacked, and closed and imprisoned the unknown numbers of Buddhist monks and nuns.

Burma Democratic Concern (BDC) will be honouring the fallen heroes of Saffron Revolution on 26th September 2011 from 13:00 to 14:00 in front of the Burmese Embassy.

Date: 26 September 2011 (Monday)
Time: 13:00 - 14:00

Transit: Green Park (0.2 mi E)
Tube: Jubilee, Piccadilly, Victoria
Address: 19A Charles Street, Mayfair, London, W1J 5DX
http://maps.google.com/

Protest against China building mega-dams at the Burma’s Ayeyarwaddy river confluence in front of the Chinese embassy

China is pumping billion of dollars building the mega-dams on Ayeyarwaddy River.

People of Burma oppose the building Chinese dams especially at the confluence of the rivers, Mayka and Malika. Burmese people argued that it will affect adverse affect on the lives of the people, Burma environment and future of Burma.

The concerns over the Myitsone Dams started when people of Burma learnt that previous junta agreed building the dams at the heartlands of the Kachin's culture, heritage and religious beliefs.

Ecological change to the Ayeyarwaddy would impact all those whose lives are linked to the great river, from the ethnic peoples in the northernmost state of our country to the rice-growing delta of Burma.

If dams were finished, stored the water and produced the electricity, then the river’s water flow will dramatically slowing down and water level will be low leading towards dying the river.

At the upstream of the river especially in the dams water will be contaminated with chemical and water will be polluted which will threaten very seriously the very existence of the nation’s biodiversity as well as environmental crisis.

Ayeyarwaddy dolphins are the fresh water endangered species of its kind and they will be one of the very first species which could be extinct due to the negative impact of building dams at the confluence of the Ayeyarwaddy River.

Kachin state, home to the Kachin ethnic’s people of Burma will suffer more as the result of the dams building at their heart-land, near Myitgyinar town, laterally meaning in Burmese near to the great river with reference to river Ayeyarwaddy.

Locals reported that Chinese are clearing the deep forests at the dams sites carrying away all the woods, endangered wild life such as leopards, tigers, monkeys and traditional herbs used by the Kachin ethnics people for centuries for since generations unmemorable.

Chinese companies even don't spare the soils, stones and sands dug out from the dams sites.

Locals Kachin people said that every nights Chinese trucks which are totally covered with full of loads loaded with unknown materials which are believed to be precious Burma's materials are carrying away from the dams sites to China and no one dare to stop them.

China is profiting even before dams were come to effect open operating. Since the beginning due to the China's exploiting policies practicing in Burma, our country is suffering tremendously including losing Burma's sovereign.

Burmese people learnt that the dams will be controlled and operated by Chinese companies run by the Chinese in accordance with the Chinese rules and regulation.

While Burma is plummeting downhill economically, environmentally and ecologically, China is becoming the potential threat factors for all the Burmese people since the dams will be operating as the BOT System (borrow, operate and transfer); energy hungry China army could be rolling into Burma any time given the excuses that it could protect Chinese interest abroad.

Burmese people learnt that the dams will be transferred back after China is operating the dams for 30 years and Burmese people believed that by the time when the dams were transferred after its utmost capacity, then they will be time bombs waiting to be exploded constantly threatening the very existence of the Kachin people since poorly maintained Chinese standard dams could be broken anytime posing inevitable flooding within seconds.

Confluence dams, known in Burmese shortened forms, will affect Burma's future. If, and only if, the river Ayeyarwaddy were to be dried out and died, what sort and shape of the Burma will be facing for the future generations.

Without the river Ayeyarwaddy, weather could be changed and if we taken into account of the domino effect, Burma will have less rain which means less chance of growing rice which is the stable food of Burma leading towards food shortage, feminine, and as well as deforestation.

Addition, Burma could face water crisis since ground water will inevitably lower. Imagine if we don' have the river Ayeyarwaddy then rice production will be damaged and Burma would need to import rice from other countries.

Burma needs to use her foreign currency to buy rice and poor will be suffered most due to the side affect of building dams on the very tamed river Ayeyarwaddy.

Fish and water inhabitants will be extinct since dying river means dying biodiversity. Burmese people will face another bigger challenge—food shortage.

Less rain means less water and less water means less chance of surviving Burma's tropical forests and less survival of tropical rain forests means expanding of the deserts.

Burma which is once main exporter of rice, agricultural products and wood becoming the desert land with no rain will be facing water shortage, famine and food crisis how shall we react? How shall we take action? What are we going to do?

Prevention is better than cure as the saying said and we must take action now before too late. Crisis in Burma is crisis at your door steps even though you cannot see with your eyes right away but due to the interdependence of the nations in the world it will also have serious impact at your door steps given that butterfly effect will take shape.

Dam construction on the Ayeyarwaddy, Burma's “lifeline” river, will cause serious social and environmental problems.

Therefore, it is our national duty to protect saving river Ayeyarwaddy of Burma. Burma Democratic Concern (BDC) will be holding the demonstration in front of the Chinese Embassy in London, UK.

Date: 26 September 2011(Friday)
Time: 15:00- 16:00 pm
Place: In front of the Chinese Embassy
Address: 49-51 Portland Place, London W1B 1JL
Transit: Great Portland Street
Tube: Circle, Hammersmith, Metropolitan

To remember our fallen heroes, and to show our support for Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s call for peace, dialogue, and national reconciliation, to protest against building Myit-Sone Dam on Ayeyarwaddy River, Burma Democratic Concern (BDC) will be holding the demonstration on 26th September 2011 (Monday) from 13:00-14:00 in front of the Burmese Embassy in London, UK and the address is 19A Charles Street, Mayfair, London, W1J 5DX http://maps.google.com/and to protest against China building mega-dams at the Burma’s Ayeyarwaddy river confluence, Burma Democratic Concern (BDC) will be holding the demonstration in front of the Chinese embassy from 15:00 to 16:00 on Monday, 26th September 2011.

You are cordially invited to show your support and looking forward to see you all.
For more information please contact Burma Democratic Concern (BDC) at
U Myo Thein [United Kingdom]
Phone: 00-44-208-493-9137 , 00-44-787- 788-2386

U Khin Maung Win [United States]
Phone: 001-941-961-2622

Daw Khin Aye Aye Mar [United States]
Phone: 001 509-783-7223

U Tint Swe Thiha [United States]
Phone: 001-509-582-3261 , 001-509-591-8459

Yours faithfully,
Burma Democratic Concern (BDC)

http://www.bdcburma.org/

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