EBO “
News Summary:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Three protesters arrested at
2.
3. U.N. Envoy Says Progress Needed In
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Three protesters arrested at
on Thursday who had attempted to scale a
balcony at
The three women, bearing a banner reading
"Expel the Ambassador Now" were
restrained by embassy staff and handed over to
Secret Service officers, said
Dan Beeton, of the Free
John Gill, spokesman for the uniformed
branch of the Secret Service, which
is tasked with protecting 170 foreign
missions in the
the arrests. He said the three women were
charged with unlawful entry but did
not release their names.
Around 70 activists and exiles had
gathered outside the embassy in an
upscale
pro-democracy uprising which ended in a massacre by
government troops in
Activists complained that embassy staff
used unnecessary force to restrain
the women, two of whom scaled a ladder to an
embassy balcony from which they
hoped to hang their banner.
Gill said he had not been made aware of
any such complaints against embassy
staff by protestors.
The protest came amid an escalating
campaign in
been detained since May.
Mass demonstrations in
become known, were brutally suppressed by the
military. Hundreds or thousands
of protestors are thought to have been
killed.
-----------------------------------
Aug. 8 (Bloomberg) --
opportunities and basic health care while spending
money on the armed forces,
the International Confederation of Free Trade
Unions said.
The organization, which represents labor unions in 150 nations, issued a report
to coincide with today's 15th anniversary of
a military crackdown on pro-democracy
demonstrators in the nation formerly known as
“The Burmese dictatorship is responsible
for lost generations of Burmese children
and youth,'' Guy Ryder, ICFTU general
secretary, said in a statement on the
organization's Web site. “Two generations are now
growing up living in fear and
desperation, with little hope of a better future.''
The Confederation said
military as it does on education. Teachers are
poorly paid and many have to
grow their own food and run private classes at
night in order to survive. It said its
report is based on interviews with doctors,
teachers, labor union officials and
non- governmental organizations.
“The ruling military dictatorship does not
regard children's development and
welfare as a priority,'' the Confederation said
in its report. ``Almost half of the
state budget is allocated to the army, leaving
very little for such important items
as education and health care.''
The “catastrophic'' economic situation has
forced most parents to rely on their
children to work in order to feed their families,
the report said.
The Confederation called on the
international community to “redouble'' its efforts
to bring democracy to the country.
-------------------------------
U.N. Envoy Says Progress Needed In
Myanmar
U.N. Wire
August 6, 2003
By Steve Hirsch
WASHINGTON — U.N. envoy Paulo Sergio
Pinheiro has told U.N. Wire that
unless there is human rights progress in
Myanmar, there would be no point
in him returning to that country.
Pinheiro made his comments this week
during a phone interview from
following a Radio Free Asia report that he would
re-evaluate his mandate
to engage the government without further
progress.
"If I don't see any progress, I don't
think that my presence can be
useful," he told U.N. Wire.
He said that fact-finding and cataloging of human rights violations can be
done by others, but if the ruling State Peace
and Development Council does
not release political prisoners, "I
cannot keep repeating the same thing
forever."
In addition to release of prisoners, he
called for release of imprisoned
National League for Democracy leader Aung
San Suu Kyi and her opposition
colleagues, held since May 30 attacks on the
opposition.
Although the
is "not very hopeful."
Pinheiro said
suggested that the SPDC produce a road map or plan
for the months ahead.
He also said the government has told him
that the March bugging of his
interviews with political prisoners was the work of
junior officers and
that he is satisfied with the explanation.
###
If you do not wish to receive this daily newsletters, please reply
with your e-mail address and the
"cancel" in the text section.
With many thanks,
Euro-Burma Office
Square Gutenberg 11/2
1000
tel: 32 2 280 0691/280 2452
fax:
32 2 280 0310
e-mail:
[email protected]