Free Burma Political Prisoners Nows!

FREE BURMA’S POLITICAL PRISONERS NOW! Press Release Embargoed until 01.00am Thailand time Friday 13 March Bangkok, Thailand (13 March 2009) A global signature campaign for the release of Burma’s political prisoners has been launched today, on Burma’s Human Rights Day. The campaign aims to collect 888,888 signatures before 24 May 2009, the legal date that Nobel Peace Prize winner Daw Aung San Suu Kyi should be released from house arrest. Over 150 Burma exile and solidarity groups are participating in the campaign. Events and activities will take place around the world, including in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, London, Dublin, New Delhi, Hong Kong, Manila, Seoul, Jakarta, Sydney, and Tokyo. The petition calls on the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to make it his personal priority to secure the release of all political prisoners in Burma, as the essential first step towards national reconciliation and democratization in the country. The target symbolises 8.8.88, the day the junta massacred some 3,000 people who courageously protested in Burma’s largest democracy uprising. On 3 December 2008, 112 former Presidents and Prime Ministers from 50 countries sent a letter to the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urging him to press for the release of all political prisoners in Burma by the end of 2008. 241 legislators from all over Asia also sent a public letter to the UN Secretary-General on 5 December conveying the same message. Over 2,100 political prisoners remain in Burma’s jails. Tate Naing, a former political prisoner and secretary of the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma), said, “Political prisoners are not criminals. They have simply stood up for freedom and democracy. Without the release of all political prisoners, there can be no peace and stability in our country. But we need the UN Secretary General to step in and show strong leadership on this issue. With this signature campaign, we want to show Ban Kimoon just how many people around the world care about this issue.” The global signature campaign will run from 13 March to 24 May. To sign the petition, visit www.fbppn.net -ENDSFor media interviews, please contact: Soe Aung, Forum for Democracy in Burma: +66(0)818399816 Dr Naing Aung, Forum for Democracy in Burma: +66(0)818837230 Tate Naing, Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma): +66(0)812878751 Sign the Petition at www.fbppn.net Tell your friends to sign the petition 888,888 Signatures for Burma

FREE BURMA’S POLITICAL PRISONERS NOW! Notes to editors: 1. Launch events: for further information please visit www.fbppn.net and click on the Google map City

Date, Local Time & Location

Event

Bangkok

13 March, 10.30am Foreign Correspondents Club Press conference 13 March, 6pm Bangkok Arts and Culture Centre Public performance

Chiang Mai 13 March, 10am, Chiang Mai University International Centre

Press conference

Tokyo

13 March, 2pm Shibuya and Gotanda

Public demonstrations

New Delhi

13 March, 9am, Burmese Community Recreation Burma Human Rights Center, Bodella, Vikaspuri Day Celebration

Manila

13 March, 10.30am Philippines Department of Foreign Affairs

Public rally

Seoul

15 March, 11am Burma’s SPDC embassy

Demonstration & press conference Signature collection

15 March, 2pm, Myoung Down Jakarta

13 March, 2pm Human Rights Working Group office

Press conference

London

13 March, 1pm, Burma’s SPDC embassy

Public demonstration

Dublin

14 March, 12pm Grafton Street

Signature collection

Sign the Petition at www.fbppn.net Tell your friends to sign the petition 888,888 Signatures for Burma

FREE BURMA’S POLITICAL PRISONERS NOW! 2. The campaign is led by the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma) and Forum for Democracy in Burma. The following organizations have endorsed the campaign:

Exiled Burma groups

ETHNIC NATIONALITIES COUNCIL • Arakan National Council (comprised of all Arakanese political parties and civil society organizations.) • Chin National Council (comprised of all Chin political parties and civil society organizations.) • Kachin National Organization (comprised of all Kachin political parties and civil society organizations) • Karen State Coordinating Body (including Karen National Union and all Karen civil society organizations.) • Karenni State Coordinating Body (including Karenni National Progressive Party and all Karenni civil society organizations.) • Mon State Coordinating Body (comprised of all Mon political parties and civil society organizations) • Shan State Representative Council (comprised of all ethnic nationalities’ organizations in Shan State) • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

NATIONALITIES YOUTH FORUM All Arakan Student and Youth Congress (AASYC) All Kachin Student and Youth Union (AKSYU) Kayan New Generation Youths (KNGY) Palaung Youth Network Group (PYNG) Pa-O Youth Organization (PYO) Karen Youth Organization (KYO) Karenni Students Union (KSU) Chin Students Union (CSU) Karenni National Youth Organization (KNYO) Arakan Youth Network Group (AYNG) Mon Unity League (MUL) United Lahu Youth Organization (ULYO) Zomi Student and Youth Organization (ZSYO)

STUDENT AND YOUTH CONGRESS OF BURMA • All Arakan Student and Youth Congress (AASYC) • All Burma Students' Democratic Front (ABSDF) • All Burma Students’ League (ABSL) • All Kachin Student and Youth Union (AKSYU) • Arakan League for Democracy- Liberated Area (Youth) (ALD-LA Youth) Sign the Petition at www.fbppn.net Tell your friends to sign the petition 888,888 Signatures for Burma

FREE BURMA’S POLITICAL PRISONERS NOW! • • • • • • • • • •

Democratic Party for a New Society (DPNS) Kuki Student Democratic Front (KSDF) Karen Youth Organization (KYO) Mon Youth Progressive Organization (MYPO) National League for Democracy- Liberated Area (Youth) (NLD-LA Youth) Naga National League for Democracy (Youth) (NNLD Youth) Palaung Youth Network Group (PYNG) Pa-O Youth Organization (PYO) Tavoyan Youth Organization (TYO) Zomi Student and Youth Organization (ZSYO)

NATIONAL COALITION GOVERNMENT OF UNION OF BURMA WOMEN’S LEAGUE OF BURMA • Burmese Women's Union (BWU) • Kachin Women's Association - Thailand (KWAT) • Karen Women's Organization (KWO) • Karenni National Women's Organization (KNWO) • Kuki Women's Human Rights Organization (KWHRO) • Lahu Women's Organization (LWO) • Palaung Women's Organization (PWO) • Pa-O Women's Union (PWU) • Rakhaing Women's Union (RWU) • Shan Women's Action Network (SWAN) • Tavoy Women's Union (TWU) • Women's Rights & Welfare Association of Burma (WRWAB) NATIONAL COUNCIL OF THE UNION OF BURMA Democratic Alliance of Burma (DAB) • Arakan Liberation Party (ALP) • All Burma Students' Democratic Front (ABSDF) • All Burma Muslim Union (ABMU) • All Burma Young Monks' Union (ABYMU) • Chin National Front (CNF) • Committee for Restoration of Democracy in Burma (CRDB) • Democratic Party for a New Society (DPNS) • Democratic Party for Arakan (DPA) • Federation of Trade Unions - Burma (FTUB) • Karen National Union (KNU) • Lahu Democratic Front (LDF) • Muslim Liberation Organization of Burma (MLOB) • Myeik Dawei United Front (MDUF) • Naga National League for Democracy (NNLD) • Network for Democracy and Development (NDD) • Palaung State Liberation Organization (PSLF) Sign the Petition at www.fbppn.net Tell your friends to sign the petition 888,888 Signatures for Burma

FREE BURMA’S POLITICAL PRISONERS NOW! • • • • • • • •

Pa-O People Liberation Organization (PPLO) Wa National Organization (WNO) Overseas Burmese Liberation Front (OBLF) Overseas Karen Organization (OKO) People's Patriotic Party (PPP) People's Liberation Front (PLF) People's Progressive Front (PPF) People's Defence Force (PDF)

National Democratic Front (NDF) • Arakan Liberation Party (ALP) • Chin National Front (CNF) • Lahu Democratic Front (LDF) • Palaung State Liberation Front (PSLF) • Pa-O People Liberation Organization (PPLO) • Wa National organization (WNO) • New Mon State Party (NMSP) • Kayan New Land Party (KNLP) • Karen National Union (KNU) National League for Democracy- Liberated Area (NLD-LA) Members of Parliament Union (MPU) FORUM FOR DEMOCRACY IN BURMA • All Burma Federation of Student Unions (Foreign Affair Committee) (ABFSU - FAC) • All Burma Students' Democratic Front (ABSDF) • Burmese Women's Union (BWU) • Democratic Party for a New Society (DPNS) • Network for Democracy and Development (NDD) • People's Defence Force (PDF) • Yaung Chi Oo Workers Association (YCOWA) • Individual democracy activists OTHER EXILED BURMA GROUPS • • • • • • • • • • •

Arakan Workers Union Arakan League for Democracy (Exile – India) Arakan Liberation Party (ALP) All Burma Democratic Lusei Women’s Organization (ABDLWO) Burma Information Team (BIT) Burma Lusei Union (BLU) Burmese Women Delhi (BWD) Chin National League for Democracy (CNLD) Chin Students and Youth Federation (CSYF) Chin Youth Congress (CYC) Chin Women’s Organization (CWO) Sign the Petition at www.fbppn.net Tell your friends to sign the petition 888,888 Signatures for Burma

FREE BURMA’S POLITICAL PRISONERS NOW! • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Chin Human Rights Organization (CHRO) Cho Ethnic Council (CEC) Federation of Trade Union of Burma (FTUB-WB) Falam Chin Women Development (FCWD) Grassroot Human Rights Education Human Rights Education Institute of Burma (HREIB) Kachin National Organization (KNO) Kuki People Congress (KPC) Matu Youth Organization (MYO) National League for Democracy (NLD- LA) Naga National League for Democracy (NNLD) Patriotic War Veterans of Burma (PWVB) Phophara Community Education Committee Shwe Gas Campaign India and Shwe Gas Movement Women’s League of Chin-land (WLC) Zomi National Congress (ZNC) Zomi Women’s Union (ZWU) Zanniat Youth Organization (ZYO) Zomi Community Committee (ZCC)

Asia –Pacific • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Burma Campaign Australia Asian Students Association Hong Kong Coalition for a Free Burma Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) People Forum on Burma – Japan Joint Action Committee of Burmese Community – Japan Burma Info – Japan Burma Relief Center - Japan Amnesty International – Japan Altsean-Burma – Bangkok KMSuB- Indonesia IMPARSIAL – Indonesia Indonesia’s NGO Coalition for International Human Rights Advocacy – Indonesia Commission for “the Disappeared” and Victims of Violence (KontraS) – Indonesia The Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation – Indonesia Initiatives for International Dialogue – Philippines Asia Pacific Solidarity Coalition Thai Action Committee for Democracy in Burma Peace for Burma - Thailand Burma Campaign Korea Promoting Committee for National Movement in Burma (PCNMB) Burma Centre Delhi - India Sign the Petition at www.fbppn.net Tell your friends to sign the petition 888,888 Signatures for Burma

FREE BURMA’S POLITICAL PRISONERS NOW! • • •

Free Burma Coalition – Philippines Christian Solidarity Worldwide, Hong Kong Burma Workers' Rights Protection Committee (BWRPC) - Malaysia

Europe • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Actions Birmanie, Belgium Asien Haus, Germany Association Suisse Birmanie Austrian Burma Center Birmania por la Paz, Spain Burma Action Ireland Burma Aktion, Germany Burma Bureau, Germany Burma Campaign UK Burma Center Netherlands Burma Center Prague Christian Solidarity Worldwide, UK Info Birmanie - France Norwegian Burma Committee People in Need, Czech Republic Polish Burma Solidarity Social Democratic Students, Sweden Swedish Burma Committee Reporters Sans Frontiers – France English PEN Burmese Democratic Movement Association - UK

North America • •

US Campaign For Burma Canadian Friends of Burma

Sign the Petition at www.fbppn.net Tell your friends to sign the petition 888,888 Signatures for Burma