Activists to pressure PM over Burma

Human rights activists will today converge on Government House to demand Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont and United Nations special envoy Ibrahim Gambari act urgently to help solve ongoing problems in Burma.

The prime minister will today host talks on Burma with Mr Gambari, who chose Bangkok as his first stop on a tour of Asia to discuss the situation in Burma with Asian leaders before his return to the military-ruled country.

Mr Gambari entered Burma shortly after the junta violently broke up peaceful demonstrations in Rangoon late last month. He had talks with the Burmese generals and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and reported back to UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon.

Metha Maskhao, secretary-general of the Committee for Human Rights Campaign, said the network will give a letter reflecting concerns about the crackdown on monks and pro-democracy citizens to Gen Surayud, as representative of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), and Mr Gambari.

''Both the UN and Asean must urgently play a greater role in dealing with the political crisis and human rights violations in Burma,'' said Mr Metha.

The UN and Asean should step up efforts to pressure Burma to comply with the UN Security Council's statements, especially the lifting of curfews.

The two organisations must also help pressure the military government to release arrested and detained demonstrators, allow injured protesters in detention to receive medical treatment from state-run hospitals and health offices and give representatives from the International Red Cross access to meet the arrested protesters and locate people missing since the crackdown.

He said the military junta should be encouraged to withdraw troops from roads in Rangoon and big cities across the country and assure the Burmese people its soldiers will respect human rights and the international rule of law.

''Human rights organisations in Thailand are receiving information from civil groups in Burma that the government and its soldiers are still using force and violence to suppress civilians and monks who joined the continuing protests, though the UN Security Council issued a statement demanding it stop using violence against protesters,'' Mr Metha said.

Mr Gambari is scheduled to visit Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia as representatives of Asean, as well as China and India. He reportedly wants the three Asean countries to send their foreign ministers as Asean representatives to talk with the Burmese government.

Meanwhile, a security source said about 100 monks who travelled from Rangoon to Tachilek township on the Thai border were not allowed to cross into Mae Sai in Chiang Rai yesterday.

But some of them were able to sneak in to Thailand with the help of local villagers, the source added.

A 27-year-old monk now in Mae Sai said he took part in the peaceful demonstrations in Rangoon and saw Burmese soldiers kill civilians and monks.

The monk said he knew that 1,000 monks were rounded up and crammed together in a small room. They were so tightly packed that most spent the night standing up before being released, he said.

Human rights activists will today converge on Government House to demand Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont and United Nations special envoy Ibrahim Gambari act urgently to help solve ongoing problems in Burma.

The prime minister will today host talks on Burma with Mr Gambari, who chose Bangkok as his first stop on a tour of Asia to discuss the situation in Burma with Asian leaders before his return to the military-ruled country.

Mr Gambari entered Burma shortly after the junta violently broke up peaceful demonstrations in Rangoon late last month. He had talks with the Burmese generals and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and reported back to UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon.

Metha Maskhao, secretary-general of the Committee for Human Rights Campaign, said the network will give a letter reflecting concerns about the crackdown on monks and pro-democracy citizens to Gen Surayud, as representative of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), and Mr Gambari.

''Both the UN and Asean must urgently play a greater role in dealing with the political crisis and human rights violations in Burma,'' said Mr Metha.

The UN and Asean should step up efforts to pressure Burma to comply with the UN Security Council's statements, especially the lifting of curfews.

The two organisations must also help pressure the military government to release arrested and detained demonstrators, allow injured protesters in detention to receive medical treatment from state-run hospitals and health offices and give representatives from the International Red Cross access to meet the arrested protesters and locate people missing since the crackdown.

He said the military junta should be encouraged to withdraw troops from roads in Rangoon and big cities across the country and assure the Burmese people its soldiers will respect human rights and the international rule of law.

''Human rights organisations in Thailand are receiving information from civil groups in Burma that the government and its soldiers are still using force and violence to suppress civilians and monks who joined the continuing protests, though the UN Security Council issued a statement demanding it stop using violence against protesters,'' Mr Metha said.

Mr Gambari is scheduled to visit Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia as representatives of Asean, as well as China and India. He reportedly wants the three Asean countries to send their foreign ministers as Asean representatives to talk with the Burmese government.

Meanwhile, a security source said about 100 monks who travelled from Rangoon to Tachilek township on the Thai border were not allowed to cross into Mae Sai in Chiang Rai yesterday.

But some of them were able to sneak in to Thailand with the help of local villagers, the source added.

A 27-year-old monk now in Mae Sai said he took part in the peaceful demonstrations in Rangoon and saw Burmese soldiers kill civilians and monks.

The monk said he knew that 1,000 monks were rounded up and crammed together in a small room. They were so tightly packed that most spent the night standing up before being released, he said.