No Blood Rubies from Burma

Guide to your “Secret Shopping”for Human Rights in Burma
The U.S. Campaign for Burma is calling for action!

During this holiday season, ask jewelry retailers about the origin of the rubies they are selling.
Step by Step: How To Approach Jewelry Retailers, and politely get the information we need.
1. Find a jewelry store in your area. All this takes is a simple Google search or thumbing through the yellow pages. Large nation wide jewelry stores are best, as changing in their policies will have the biggest impact.
2. Enter the jewelry store and express that you are interested in looking at rubies (always be honest — if you are not interested in buying a ruby, then do not say that.) While we are using the term “secret shopping”, there is actually nothing secret about this we want to be straight forward and honest.
3. When asked by the retail clerks what you are interested in, tell them that you want to look at a ruby (this could be a ring or a necklace). It is best to have a specific item in mind, like a ruby ring, necklace, bracelet, or set of earrings.
4. After you are shown the specific piece, find out as much as you can about the ruby, including the colors, the shapes that the rubies are cut in, and ask whether it is a “good” or a “bad ruby” in terms of quality. You might want to learn a bit too, asking how you tell the difference between a good ruby and a bad ruby. Also ask about the entire piece and not just the stone.
5. Ask the retailers about the origin (specifically, where was it mined) of that particular ruby. You might say “Do you know which country this ruby came from?” If they say “No” (which is very possible since most chain store clerks may not know), then ask them politely, “can you please find out for me?”
6. If the rubies are from Burma, please let them know that you do not support the purchase of items from Burma: “I’m sorry, but I don’t support rubies from Burma because of the human right abuses of the military regime.” [my bold] It is not often that someone tells a retail jeweler that they do not support some items for a human rights reason, so your comment is likely to be passed along to management.
7. Please remember not to confront or challenge the retail clerk directly about the fact that the future import of rubies from Burma is illegal. At this time, we are only trying to compile a list of retailers that sell Burmese gems. It is not often that someone tells a retail jeweler that they do not support some items for a human and may be trying to circumvent complying with the Tom Lantos Block Burmese JADE Act. While not especially likely, it is also possible that some jewelers are doing this inadvertently. Once we have the list we will write to the retailers who have not complied and give them a chance to change their practices before we take action. Individual actions are more likely to produce change when they are conducted as part of an organized campaign.
8. Please report your findings to us. Email U.S. Campaign for Burma’s Campaigns Coordinator, Mike Haack at mike@uscamapaignforburma.org. Report all your findings. We want to know both which retailers are stocking Burmese rubies and which are not.
9. We will keep everyone updated on what our next actions will be to make sure that all jewelers respect the Tom Lantos Block Burmese JADE Act.
http://uscampaignforburma.org/guide-to-your-secret-shoppingfor-human-rights-in-burma
Take Action!

Burmese Tyrants Can't Laugh, Dance or Sing!

And you can be sure they can't dance! The great Emma Goldman reportedly advised: "If I can't dance, I won't be part of your revolution,"

Let's not forget that Burma suffers from the same oppressive control over their every thought that holds the Tibetans down, and the Uyghurs and ANYONE who challenges the politburo. Some "People's" Republic!

Myanmar court hands comedian 45-year prison term

From Associated Press

21/11/08

YANGON, Myanmar - Myanmar's courts continued a crackdown on activists, handing out a 45-year prison sentence to a comedian who went to the delta to help cyclone victims and criticized the junta's slow relief response.

Comedian and activist Zarganar, whose birth name is Maung Thura, on Friday joined the at least 100 people to receive sentences of two to 65 years since early November. Many of the trials were held in closed sessions, sometimes without defense lawyers or family present.

[...] The government holds more than 2,100 political prisoners, up sharply from nearly 1,200 in June 2007 - before last year's pro-democracy demonstrations, according to international human rights groups.

[...] Among those sentenced Friday was Buddhist monk Ashin Gambira, who helped organize the protests, said a lawyer, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of antagonizing the government. The monk's 12-year sentence and prison terms for earlier charges brought his total to 68 years in jail.

[...] Zarganar, whose name means "tweezers" and whose comedy routines are banned for their jokes about the junta, and several other activists delivered donations of relief supplies to the Cyclone Nargis-shattered Irrawaddy delta. The May cyclone killed more than 84,000 people.

Zarganar was arrested in June after he gave interviews to foreign news outlets in which he criticized the junta's slow response.

Zarganar was sentenced for violating the Electronics Act, which regulates all forms of electronic communication, said his lawyer, Khin Htay Kywe. The comedian still faces other charges, she said.

Zarganar has been imprisoned several times before, including a three-week stint for providing aid to Buddhist monks during last year's demonstrations.

Three associates were tried with him. Sportswriter Zaw Thet Htwe and video journalist Thant Zin Aung were given 15 years each and face further charges, while Tin Maung Aye got 29 years, Zarganar's lawyer said.

Those sentenced recently included some 70 members of the opposition National League for Democracy party of detained Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.

Some of the most severe sentences were handed to 23 members of the 88 Generation Students group, veteran activists who have been spearheading nonviolent protests for the past several years.

On Thursday, well-known hip-hop singer Zeyar Thaw, a member of the band "Acid," was jailed for six years, and 14 members of Suu Kyi's party got 2 1/2 years each for calling for her release on her birthday in June, party spokesman Nyan Win said.

Zeyar Thaw is thought to be a leader of Generation Wave, an illegal student group formed in the wake of last year's pro-democracy protests.

http://my.earthlink.net/article/int?guid=20081121/49264050_3426_13350200811211771208311

Burmese Rise Against Oppression

Arrests as Burma marks uprising
At least 20 people have been arrested in the Burmese town of Taunggok after staging a silent protest on the 20th anniversary of a major uprising.
They were detained after marching while wearing T-shirts which referred to the date of the uprising - "8/8/88".
Activists outside Burma are marking the anniversary with demonstrations.
The 1988 protests drew hundreds of thousands of people onto the streets, but ended with a violent clampdown and the deaths of at least 3,000 civilians.
The date 8 August 1988 was significant for the numerologically minded Burmese, and marked the start of six weeks of rallies against military rule.
[…] The BBC is banned from Burma - also known as Myanmar - but reports from opposition sources inside the country say at least 20 people were arrested in Taunggok, and that the number could be as high as 50.
[…] Three activists staging separate protests are said to have been detained in the vicinity of Rangoon.
In the city itself, opposition sources said they were concerned for the welfare of a young woman seen walking in the streets wearing a T-shirt bearing an image of detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
There have been few such open signs of the significance of the date in Burma, with reports suggesting monks and laypeople met in private for secret ceremonies to remember those who died.
Nyan Win, a spokesman for Ms Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD), told AFP news agency that the anniversary marked "an important historical turning point".
Until the 8/8/88 protests, Ms Suu Kyi was only known as the daughter of liberation hero Aung San, but her speech to the assembled protesters during the rallies propelled her to the centre of the pro-democracy movement.
Anti-China protests
Elsewhere in Asia, human rights groups and activists who fled in the aftermath of the 1988 protests held demonstrations outside Burmese and Chinese embassies.
"We are here because China is the main supporter of the military regime," Kyaw Lin Oo, a Burmese activist, told reporters outside the Chinese embassy in Bangkok.
"We want the Chinese government to understand the actual cost of their support to the people inside of Burma," he added.
Anti-junta protests also took place in Manila, Tokyo, and Delhi, and protesters joined wider demonstrations to mark the start of the Olympics in London, Brussels, Berlin and Hong Kong.
"As the world celebrates the opening of the Beijing Olympics, people should pause to remember the atrocities in Burma 20 years ago," said Elaine Pearson, deputy Asia director of Human Rights

Watch.[…]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7548770.stm

Burma, 8/8/88

Congress Bans Gems from Burma

Victory! Congress Bans
Gem Imports from Burma

We are pleased to write to you with major news: last night the U.S. Congress passed new, enhanced sanctions legislation banning the import of gems from Burma. We want to thank the thousands of you who telephoned, emailed, and met with your members of the House of Representatives and Senate. We also want to acknowledge the hard work carried out by the members of the House and the Senate -- as well as their staff members -- who led this effort.
What Does the Legislation Do?
- This new law closes a gaping loophole in the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act that had previously allowed Burmese gems to be sold in the United States, even though most all other imports are banned. The Burmese regime's sale of rubies and jade brings them upwards of $300 million per year -- much of that from unsuspecting American consumers. Now, that will come to an end!
- The law also creates the position of a U.S. "Special Coordinator" for Burma, whose job will be to reach out to other countries to build support for Burma's human rights activists and ultimately seek a peaceful transition to democracy in the country.
Why The Legislation Is Important and Next Steps
- Similar to how "conflict diamonds" help prop up a civil war in Africa, the sale of Burmese rubies and jade funnelled hundreds of millions of dollars to Burma's military dictatorship, [my bold] financing their reign of terror.
We still have much more work to do -- the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act must be renewed and gems weren't the only source of funds for the military regime -- but for one day we want to pause and celebrate an important step forward.

THANK YOU. Aung Din, Jeremy Woodrum, Jennifer Quigley, Thelma Young, Jacqui Pilch
US Congress approves legislation to bar Myanmar gems, Agence France Presse
US Congress passes new Myanmar gemstone sanctions bill, Associated Press
http://uscampaignforburma.org/index.php

Support 1991 Nobel Peace Prize recipient

Aung San Suu Kyi and the struggle for freedom and democracy in Burma.
Become a member of the United States Campaign for Burma today.

Challenge China on Human Rights

Join activists supporting human rights for Burma, Sri Lanka, Tibet, any and all nations under the thumb of China as the opening of the Bejing Olympics seeks to whitewash the horrors of China's dominance.

8.8.08 - A Day for Burma, Not Beijing
We are a month away from one of the most important dates in Burma’s history. August 8th marks the 20th anniversary of Burma’s largest national democratic uprising, when millions bravely marched through the streets, and nearly toppled the military regime if they had not been brutally massacred. It is also on the day that China, the #1 supporter of Burma’s military junta, will open the Beijing Olympics.
Please help us as we prepare for a Global Day of Actions for Burma - to honor those who have struggled for freedom in Burma and to demand China end its support for Burma’s dictators.
Learn More
Read about China’s support for Burma’s generals.
Read about what happened in 1988 in Burma.
Watch a video with director/producer Judd Apatow talking about the importance of 8.8.88
Watch a Video on why you shouldn’t watch the Olympics
China is the main supporter of the Burmese regime, and we are asking people to pledge to boycott those who profit from the Olympic Games. The goal is to get 1 million people to sign up - creating a loud international cry against the Chinese government. 8.8.08 is the 20th anniversary of the huge massacre of democracy activists in Burma during the 88 uprising, and has always been a solemn day for Burma. This is also the day that the Beijing Olympics will begin.
Pledge to Not Watch Today!
To get 1 million people signed up we will need a lot of help.
Join the Street Team
To find out more - Go Here

Washington DC -Challenge China
July 24th Rally

Download Flyer Here
In conjunction with PEARL (People for Equality and Relief in Lanka http://www.pearlaction.org/rally.php), we will be holding a rally opposing China’s military funding of the governments of Burma and Sri Lanka, which commit grave human rights violations against ethnic minorities.
When: July 24, 2008 at 12pm
Where: Senate Russell Park
Contact: Thelma Young thelma@uscampaignforburma.org

August 8 Events
New York City
UN Rally, 12 - 7pm

Where: Burma Consulate General and Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, United Nations
Contact: 88 Generation Students in Exile (88 GSE), National League for
Democracy, Liberated Areas, USA Branch (NLD-LA), Women on the Move for Burma (WOMB), and International Campaign for Burma - New York (ICB-NY)

Czech Republic - Prague

Contact: Burma Center Prague

Burma Battles Cyclone; Upcoming Elections Feared Postponed

I was just about to post news about a new human rights video campaign below when this news came in:
Cyclone Nargis Devistates Burma
More than 350 people have died after a powerful cyclone struck Burma and destroyed thousands of homes.
Burmese state television said five regions had been declared disaster zones, following the 120mph storm.
It said at least 351 people were killed by Tropical Cyclone Nargis, including 162 who lived on Haing Gyi island off the country’s southwest coast. Many of the others died in the low-lying Irrawaddy delta.
Seventy-five percent of the buildings in the Irrawaddy’s Labutta township had collapsed, it said.
[...] Some citizens in Rangoon complained the 400,000-strong military was doing little to help storm victims and were largely invisible.
“Where are all those uniformed people who are always ready to beat civilians?” said one man. “They should come out in full force and help clean up the areas and restore electricity.”
Chris Kaye, the United Nation’s acting humanitarian co-ordinator in Rangoon, said: “The Irrawaddy delta was hit extremely hard, not only because of the wind and rain but because of the storm surge.”
http://uscampaignforburma.org/cyclone-nargis-devistates-burma
And this from the Huffington Post:
Cyclone kills hundreds in Myanmar; junta response a concern
May 4, 2008 10:43 PM EST
YANGON, Myanmar — A powerful cyclone killed more than 350 people and destroyed thousands of homes, state-run media said Sunday. Some dissident groups worried that the military junta running Myanmar would be reluctant to ask for international help.
Tropical Cyclone Nargis hit at a delicate time for the junta, less than a week ahead of a crucial referendum on a new constitution. Should the junta be seen as failing disaster victims, voters who already blame the regime for ruining the economy and squashing democracy could take out their frustrations at the ballot box.
Some in Yangon complained the 400,000-strong military was doing little to help victims after Saturday's storm.
"Where are all those uniformed people who are always ready to beat civilians?" said a trishaw driver who refused to be identified for fear of retribution. "They should come out in full force and help clean up the areas and restore electricity."
The Forum for Democracy in Burma and other dissident groups outside of Myanmar urged the military junta Sunday to allow aid groups to operate freely in the wake of the cyclone _ something it has been reluctant to do in the past.
It would be difficult for other countries to help unless they received a request from Myanmar's military rulers.
"International expertise in dealing with natural disasters is urgently required. The military regime is ill-prepared to deal with the aftermath of the cyclone," said Naing Aung, secretary general of the Thailand-based forum.
The storm's 120 mph winds blew the roofs off hospitals and cut electricity to the country's largest city.
Shari Villarosa, the top American diplomat in Yangon, said the storm's whipping winds and torrential downpour had caused "major devastation throughout the city."
"The Burmese are saying they have never seen anything like this, ever," Villarosa told The Associated Press. "Trees are down. Electricity lines are down. Our Burmese staff have lost their roofs."
[...] The cyclone came only days before a May 10 referendum on the country's military-backed draft constitution. Authorities have not yet said whether they would postpone the vote.
A military-managed national convention was held intermittently for 14 years to lay down guidelines for the country's new constitution.
The new constitution is supposed to be followed in 2010 by a general election. Both votes are elements of a "roadmap to democracy" drawn up by the junta.
Critics say the draft constitution is designed to cement military power and have urged citizens to vote no.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/05/04/un-official-243-dead-afte_n_100010.html
With such terrible hardships for the Burmese, it's all the more reason to pitch in and help them even by just talking about them to keep their struggle alive, and one person tells another, who tells another…you never know what can be generated.
Anyway, the video campaign shows celebrities doing their part to help bring human rights to Burma. Some participants are Will Ferrell, Jennifer Aniston & Woody Harrelson, Jason Biggs & Julie Benz, and Eddie Issard. Here is celebrity #4, the incredibly unique Sarah Silverman, doing her best to test the limits of social behavior:

http://uscampaignforburma.org/

Burma Report Back

From Avaaz.org:
Avaaz Members Donate over $325,000 to the Burmese Democracy Movement

"Thank you indeed from friends in need." - Dr. Naing Aung, Secretary-General, Forum for Democracy in Burma

Background: People Power vs. The Generals
Petition delivery to Gordon Brown

For decades, the nation of Burma has been ruled by a corrupt and brutal military dictatorship. Despite the awful risks, the Burmese people have repeatedly peacefully demonstrated in the streets, led in spirit by their last democratically elected leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, a woman who has been under house arrest for years.
Last fall, in the face of desperate poverty and continued repression, Burmese monks marched with hundreds of thousands of others asking for change. The world responded with a global outcry of solidarity.
Avaaz members responded in force, with 835,610 of us signing a petition calling on China and the UN Security Council powers to stop a military crackdown on the protests. Avaaz members endorsed and funded a global ad campaign targeting Chinese support for the Burmese military, and organized and joined in hundreds of protests and rallies around the world on October 6th. Avaaz members in Singapore successfully lobbied their foreign minister to deny the Burmese generals easy investment and vacation opportunities, and European Avaaz members lobbied their governments to strengthen economic sanctions.

Reasons for Hope:

1. The protests last fall brought a whole new generation of nonviolent activistsinto politics. Hundreds of thousands of new people are eager to take up the cause.
2. The brutality against monks, revered by all Burmese, was the last straw for the Burmese generals. They have now lost all legitimacy whatsoever with the people -- they are holed up in a jungle capital and rule by force of terror alone.
3. There are signs of dissension within the Burmese military, as some senior officers refused to crack down on the protesters.
4. International pressure remains steady. The Junta has been pressured, by the UN Security Council and by China, into fast tracking their (flawed) plan for democratization, and have announced a constitutional referendum to be held in May.
5. 2008 is going to be a big year for the Burmese democracy movement. Plans are being made, the movement is thinking big and planning its return.

People Power Can Make a Difference

http://www.avaaz.org/en/burma_report_back

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Presidential Candidates and Tibet

Sovereignty for Tibet was “taken off the table” by His Holiness the Dahlia Lama, to reassure the Chinese government that he is no threat to Chinese sovereignty. While this may seem absurd, given the power of China compared to the exiled Tibetan government, the “middle path” of compromise and reconciliation seemed the only way to protect the Tibetan people, and provide an opportunity to maintain their culture, in any form possible.
As “free” Americans, we have an opportunity to use our liberty, (what’s left of it) to help those who cannot help themselves, as so poignantly stated by 1991 Nobel Peace Prize recipient Aung San Suu Kyi of Burma (Myanmar). Please use the link below to review what some of the candidates have to say about the Dalai Lama and the future of Tibet.
The 2008 Presidential Campaign season is heating up as we head into six major primaries in January alone. And, Presidential campaigns are aggressively working to connect with voters. These days, every vote counts.
After 20 years of advocacy work in Washington, the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) knows that the administration must be responsive on the issue of Tibet. Who we elect as the next President of the United States matters greatly for the future of Tibetans. Many of you helped ICT secure the Congressional Gold Medal for His Holiness the Dalai Lama. In short, your vote in this election is extremely important to Tibetans.
Now, please take a few minutes and read the responses to our questionnaire from US Presidential Candidates.
http://www.savetibet.org/campaign2008

Burma's UK Diplomat Quits Burma

Can you imagine how awful things must be to cause the Burmese Diplomat to the UK to quit? Here are two reports about this desperate man's struggle to maintain integrity.
Burma's Diplomat in UK Resigns over Suppression of Monks' Protest
By The Associated Press , October 10, 2007

The BBC said Ye Min Tun, a diplomat with 10 years' service, had sent the embassy a letter of resignation.

"I have never seen such a scenario in the whole of my life. The government is arresting and beating the peaceful Buddhist monks," he said.

http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=8962

Revolution is just beginning’
Diplomat quits Burma Embassy in protest

A diplomat who gave up his job at the Burmese Embassy in London because of the violent crackdown in his home country told the BBC that the "revolution" in Burma was only just beginning.

http://www.newsdeskspecial.co.uk/2007/10/revolution-is-j.html

Burmese Army Major Deserts

Monks flee crackdown as reports of brutality emerge
Ian MacKinnon, South-east Asia correspondent, Thursday October 4, 2007, The Guardian

There is also widespread belief among diplomats that the death toll could be much higher than the 13 acknowledged. From lists of cross-checked names, the Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB), an exiles' media group based in Oslo, believes the number of dead in the violent street clashes stands at 138.

Fearing the violence that was to come, a Burmese army major, Htay Win, deserted from his unit in Rangoon before the killings began. He fled to Thailand in search of asylum, and yesterday explained why.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/burma/story/0,,2182966,00.html