Urgent request concerning Burma (Myanmar)

Bergen, Nor­way, 25 Sep­tem­ber 2007
Nor­we­gian Min­is­ter of For­eign Affairs
Ambas­sador of the Russ­ian Fed­er­a­tion to Norway
Ambas­sador of the Peo­ple’s Repub­lic of Chi­na to Norway
Ambas­sador of India to Norway
Nor­we­gian Ambas­sador to the Unit­ed Nations

Your Excel­len­cies,

Urgent request con­cern­ing Bur­ma (Myan­mar)
On behalf of the Rafto foun­da­tion for human rights, I here­by extend a strong request for your gov­ern­ments to take imme­di­ate action to secure that the unrest cur­rent­ly unfold­ing in Bur­ma (Myan­mar) is resolved in a peace­ful manner.

Along with many observers in the inter­na­tion­al com­mu­ni­ty, I fear that the tense sit­u­a­tion unfold­ing at this very moment in Ran­goon and oth­er Burmese cities may end in tragedy for the cit­i­zens exer­cis­ing their human right to free speech and polit­i­cal par­tic­i­pa­tion, and for the polit­i­cal future of the coun­try as a whole.

The prob­lems of the Burmese peo­ple can­not be solved by fur­ther repres­sion of the polit­i­cal oppo­si­tion in the coun­try. I there­fore urge you to issue an imme­di­ate and pub­lic demand addressed to the gov­ern­ment of Bur­ma, requir­ing that the oppo­si­tion be includ­ed in talks aimed at reform­ing the polit­i­cal insti­tu­tions of the coun­try in a man­ner con­ducive for achiev­ing improved liv­ing con­di­tions and respect for human rights for all its citizens.

Sign.

Arne Lil­jedahl Lynngård
Chair­man of the Rafto Foundation