Australians Show Ongoing Support for Burma By Philippa Rayment
Epoch Times Melbourne Staff
Oct 03, 2007
As the whole world watched the suppression of popular unrest in Burma by the country's ruling junta over the past week, hundreds of people in Australian cities gathered to show their support for the monks and anti-government protesters.
At a candlelight vigil held on the steps of the State Library in Melbourne last Thursday, Chawzin, a Burmese student from RMIT, said the monks who led the protest were giving their lives for their country. "I am very sorry when I heard they are being killed and beaten," he said. "The monks are sons of Buddhas so I respect them and all our people respect the monks."
Jessica Krummel, event organiser for the Burma Australia Network, said while the protest was aimed to bring attention to the plight of the Burmese people, she said that there was this wonderful feeling of togetherness evident at the vigil – a feeling of unity, giving the Burmese people confidence and hope for a political transition and peace, reconciliation and democracy.
Also attending the vigil was a former democratically elected Burmese minister, Teddy Buri, who believed the protests were the result of political repression, a lack of freedom and democracy, ongoing poverty that he said was due to gross mismanagement of the economy and corruption by the military rulers.
Mr Buri also said the military's actions against the monks had sparked the anger among the populace and that is why, he said, that thousands of ordinary people were joining the monks.
Myo Hein of the Australia Burma Network said they had received distressing accounts of the violent suppression by the military.
"We have had some horrible news that two days ago the bodies of those people who were killed or injured have been thrown into the river, he said. "And four Buddhist monks have passed away in the detention centre."
Mr Hein also said he wanted to send a message to the leaders of the Chinese Communist Party who had declared they, with other world powers, would try and control the Burmese junta.
"But I do not believe the Chinese government," said Mr Hein. "Because they have been supporting the military regime since a long time ago and what we are thinking we are calling a boycott to the Olympic Games in China till the Chinese stop blocking the resolution of the UN. The UN cannot do anything without the agreement of China because China has a veto power."
"We will continue to keep protesting in Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra," he stated.
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Australia continues to support the people of Burma
Contact:
Australia Burma Network
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