Burma Point Supports the Message of President Ramos-Horta in Statement to U.N.

PRLog (Press Release) - Aug 29, 2009 -
Burma Point, a New York-based human rights organization, has expressed its support for the action plan regarding Myanmar, recently outlined in a Huffington Post Op-Ed article by Timor-Leste President José Ramos-Horta.  Burma Point communicated its view in a recent letter to U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, being the first human rights organization to voice such support.

President Ramos-Horta called upon the U.N. Security Council and countries of the world to freeze funds and assets held abroad by those in the Burmese military junta.  Ramos-Horta further asked nations to downgrade their diplomatic relations with the country’s officials to a minimum and offer support to any dissidents who seek asylum.  Finally, the president requested countries and supra-sovereign agencies to stand poised to assist the Burmese people in rebuilding their country, should change arrive.

Burma Point seconded this call for bolder action.  Executive Director, Moe Chan, declared, “Lives will be spared only if members of the United Nations take bold action against the military junta. Member nations must not allow the junta to continue its egregious abuses of its own people.  This inaction undermines the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and will forever stand as a blot on the history of the struggle for peace and democracy.”

Zack Michaelson, a Burma Point director and Member of the Board of Directors of Amnesty International USA, commented on the Ramos-Horta’s message.  He stated, “The methods of the past clearly have not worked and a new balance of carrots and sticks, as proposed by President Ramos-Horta, couldn’t hurt.  But what is most insightful is the assertion that change will come once the officer corps of the Burmese military realizes the shame in the way they have been called upon to victimize their fellow citizens.  If outsiders can deliver that message and peacefully support those within who embrace it, it may hasten a change for the people of Burma.”

In a show of solidarity for Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and the political prisoners of Burma, Burma Point and Amnesty International USA co-sponsored a recent event in front of the United Nations Headquarters in New York in which activists held signs, led chants, collected signatures, and handed out information.  Moe Chan and Zack Michaelson each gave interviews to international media that covered the event.

For more information, visit Burma Point’s home page http://burmapoint.com.
http://homepages.nyu.edu/~zm13/
http://zacharymichaelson.org

Photo:
http://www.prlog.org/10325885/1