U-N / DRUGS (r)

[moe@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Saturday, April 4, 1998 Published at 11:29 GMT 12:29 UK 
Special Report from BBC news

Protesters target Asem over refugees' plight

More than 100,000 Karen refugees remain on the Thai-Burmese border
A leading Burmese democracy campaigner has joined a protest at the 26-nation
Asia-Europe meeting (Asem) in London. 

Ten organisations, including Survival for Tribal Peoples and Campaign
Against the Arms Trade, are angry that discussions at the conference have
focused on economics rather than human rights. 

The summit is being held as fears mount over the health of the Japanese
economy. 

As well as the leaders of the 15 EU member states, leaders from Cambodia,
China, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Thailand and
Vietnam are in attendance. 


  
May Oo tells her story to the BBC's Radio 5 Breakfast programme (2'37") 
May Oo, the President of the Karen National League, which represents ethnic
refugees on the Thai-Burmese border, is to join the protest ranks outside
the meeting. 

She fled Burma for the border in 1988 when the country's military regime
took over a student uprising. 

Later, she went to the United States as a refugee - but has continued to
campaign for the 115,000 refugees she left behind who continue to live under
appalling conditions. 

May Oo says the regime has attacked their border camps and her people are
living under siege. She claims one of them has been completely burned down,
and two are still under attack. 


 
Protesters want human rights issues on the agenda 
The campaigner says she wants the international community to understand the
gravity of the situation. 

"We really hope that international communities realise the situation and get
involved especially with ASEN meeting in the UK right now," May Oo said. 

She expressed disappointment that human rights issues were not being given a
higher priority at the summit. 

"Many investors, including those here in Britain claim that human rights
have nothing to do with the economic crisis in Burma. 

"Burma is a case in point where the absence of democracy and respect for
human rights has lead to an economy where people suffer from deprivation. So
we really think the British Government should be proactive in support of the
activist groups here who are working for human rights in Burma," she said.