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Press
release on the Burma Sanctions Coalition.
18 march 2002 |
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| Archbishop
Tutu urges UK sanctions against Burma |
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There were many moments in our struggle
against apartheid when it appeared as if the forces of evil were on
the rampage, as if evil, lies and injustice would have the last word.
But during those hours when hope was fragile, we were strengthened
by the support of our brothers and sisters around the world. Sanctions
were imposed, governments and citizens worked hard against the regime,
and my people are now free.
Burma is the next South Africa. Its people are engaged in an epic
struggle for freedom. Burma’s military has put millions of civilians
into forced labour, imprisoned hundreds of political prisoners, has
created more child soldiers than any other country in the world, and
has forcibly ‘relocated’ half a million ethnic people. The
people of Burma have peacefully protested but have been met with tanks,
live fire, and bayonets; they have voted for a Government led by Aung
San Suu Kyi and have been denied this government; their leaders have
been imprisoned, tortured and some killed, yet they refuse to give
up their fight for freedom. The ugly face of brutality stands against
the serene courage of a people peacefully resisting. The people of
Burma need support in the same way we South Africans did. The Burma
Sanctions Coalition which is launched today aims to provide such support.
Its members include the Body Shop, the Co-operative Bank, Friends
of the Earth and MSF. Our aim is to transform this coalition into
a movement, to push on, until we reach our goal of a free and democratic
Burma.
Immediately after the brutal massacres against peaceful pro-democracy
protesters in 1988, Burma’s military was in financial crisis
and so opened its doors long closed to foreign investors. Shamefully,
some foreign companies ran to their aid. They helped a bankrupt regime
to expand its army to one of the largest in Asia, while the people
of Burma have become some of the poorest and most oppressed in the
world. We cannot in good conscience turn a blind eye to the dollar
that passes from the hand of the businessman to the hand of the General,
that buys the bullet, or the landmine, or the mortar, that eventually
ends the life of a child, woman or man in Burma. We must cut this
life-line to the Generals in Rangoon, we must stop the investment.
The UK government, and indeed the governments of Europe must prevent
their companies from investing in tyranny. The United States has already
taken such action. If other countries follow suit, then sanctions
will have a powerful political, economic and psychological effect
on the regime. Such sanctions will also bolster those brave citizens
of Burma who are struggling to free their fellow countrymen and women.
We cannot depend on either the altruism of a few companies to leave
Burma, nor the successes of the boycott movement to force them out.
In the post-September 11th economic and political climate, we must
be more aware than ever of the role that companies play in buttressing
tyranny, and the unpredictable consequences of such a short-sighted
policy. Burma’s military continues to push drugs, HIV/AIDS and
desperate humanity over its borders. It is imperative that companies
no longer play a part in supporting those who destroy the lives of
others. If the actions of these companies are allowed to go unchecked,
it reflects on the values of our society, it reflects on me and you.
As citizens, as a Coalition, as a community, we must press our Governments
to prevent these companies from fuelling the oppression in Burma.
My courageous sister, Aung San Suu Kyi, separated from her family,
from her comrades, and from her people, still speaks forcefully of
the need for international support - ‘Please use your liberty
to promote ours’, she asks. We must heed this call. Governments
the world over give my sister so much praise for standing courageously
against the Generals and the military machine they command. But praise
can be empty. Words are not enough. We can help bring about the liberation
of Burma. Freedom is a dangerous message, and we want it to ring loud
in the dark hallways of the dictators in Rangoon.
We find ourselves in a situation where governments are waiting on
other governments to act – and so everyone simply waits. No country
should wait for another to act first on this issue. No government
should hide behind the need for multilateral action. A journey of
a thousand miles begins with one step. Collective action is the gathering
of many individual actions. The UK can take a lead within Europe by
imposing sanctions against Burma now. It can also encourage others
to follow.
I believe wounded justice can be healed, I believe that good can only
be temporarily defeated, I believe that unarmed truth will overcome.
This is a moral universe. Good and wrong matter, lies and truth matter,
and there is no way in which injustice and oppression can ever ultimately
prevail. I know that one day we will celebrate a free and democratic
Burma.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu
for further information on the Burma Sanction Coalition
www.burmacampaign.org |
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