Indonesian Alliance for Freedom in Burma: Statement of support from the Union of Indonesian Buddhist Students (HIKMAHBUDHI)
The Buddhist Channel, Oct 1, 2007
In the past few weeks, Burma has experienced a series of demonstrations by hundreds of thousands of Burmese people led by monks and nuns due to the rise of gas prices - a policy which has created greater burdens for the Burmese people.
For almost 20 years, Burma has been living in political and social repression under a military junta. In 1988, the people's aspiration for freedom and democracy was met with the killing of thousand of demonstrators and the detention of activists by the military junta which has as well arrogantly deprived the election result won by National League for Democracy (NLD), the party led by Aung San Suu Kyi. Furthermore, Aung San Suu Kyi and other democracy movement leaders have been detained and have yet to be released. The military junta is the most responsible party for what has happened in Burma today: ethnic cleansing, corruption, terrors, instability, and poverty.
The increasing number of protests by the Burmese people is an apparent and strong aspiration for a change. For the last two decades, the Burmese people have experienced continuous repression. Now, they have voiced their demand louder; their demand for freedom and democracy, led by Sangha members. The military junta has several times injured its commitment to represent democracy in Burma, and they continue to repress their people.
Responding to the crisis in Burma today, we, the Buddhist organizations united in The Indonesian Alliance for Freedom in Burma makes the following appeal:
- To give full support and solidarity to the movement of Sangha members and Burmese people in their efforts to pursue freedom and democracy in Burma.
- To remind the military junta not to use violence in facing all the peaceful protests. We sincerely hope that the junta would open their eyes, ears, and hearts to listen to the aspiration of the Burmese people.
- To urge the government of the Republic of Indonesia to take initiatives through ASEAN to push the military junta back to the road of democracy and immediately release Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners.
- To urge the international Buddhist community to give their full support for the fight of Burmese people for the sake of democracy and the liberty of Burmese people from further repression.
Jakarta, 26th September 2007
The Indonesian Alliance for Freedom in Burma
The Union of Indonesian Buddhist Students (HIKMAHBUDHI)
