Show up and wear red

Just go and show your support for the people of Burma! There are two opportunities on Wednesday, October 3, 2007 in Washington, DC:

- Burma’s Saffron Revolution: Hearing before the Committee on Foreign Relations, United States Senate, 110th Congress, First Session (Time: 2:30 PM, Place: 419 The Dirksen Senate Office Building)

- Congressional Human Rights Caucus, Special Update: Burma (Time: 3:30 – 5:00 PM, Place: 2200 Rayburn House Office Building)

Details of both events, as received from the U.S. Campaign for Burma below:

"Jennifer Quigley, Burma Campaign" wrote:
Date: Tue, 2 Oct 2007 16:20:41 -0400 (EDT)
From: "Jennifer Quigley, Burma Campaign"
Subject: Burma Friends in DC, MD, and VA: Help Us Tomorrow (Wed.) in
Congress

Dear all,
We are asking for all of our friends in Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, DC to attend a hearing in the US Senate tomorrow (Wednesday) and help us fill the room with people wearing the color red. For the front row of the hearing room, we have printed dozens of t-shirts that demand UN Security Council action. We need 30 people to meet at the fountain in front of Union Station at 1:00 pm. We will give you t-shirts so that you can sit in the front row at the hearing so that the media cameras will see you with your t-shirts. From Union Station, we will all walk to the hearing together.

We need to know who the 30 people are right away -- so please email me at jennifer@uscampaignforburma.org and let us know if you can be there. Bring your friends too. The hearing starts at 2:30 and we need to be there early to make sure we can get seats so be sure to be at Union Station at 1:00 if you want to help us wear the shirts.

If you can't be there early, show up on time but BE SURE TO WEAR A RED SHIRT IN SOLIDARITY WITH THE MONKS. LET’S PACK THE ROOM IN RED. You will still need to be there at least 45 minutes early so you can get a seat.

Other details on the hearing are below.

Jennifer Quigley
Advocacy Coordinator
U.S. Campaign for Burma
1444 N Street NW, Suite A 2
Washington, DC 20005
Ph: 202-234-8022
Fax: 202-234-8044
www.uscampaignforburma.org





BURMA'S SAFFRON REVOLUTION

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HEARING

before the

COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS
UNITED STATES SENATE
ONE HUNDRED TENTH CONGRESS

FIRST SESSION

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Wednesday, October 3, 2007

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Time: 2:30 PM
Place: 419 The Dirksen Senate Office Building

Presiding: Senator Boxer

Witnesses:

Panel 1:

Mr. Scot Marciel
Deputy Assistant Secretary
Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs
Department of State

Witnesses:
Ko Aung Din
Policy Director and Co-Founder
U.S. Campaign for Burma

Mr. Tom Malinowski
Washington Advocacy Director
Human Rights Watch

Mr. Michael Green
CSIS Japan Chair, former NSC Asia Director



Congressional Human Rights Caucus
Special Update:
Burma
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
3:30-5:00 p.m.
Room: 2200 Rayburn
Please join the Congressional Human Rights Caucus for a special update on the current situation in Burma. The briefing will be held on Wednesday, October 3, 2007, from 3:30 – 5 p.m. in room 2200 Rayburn HOB. The briefing is open to the public and the media.
The despicable crackdown on peaceful demonstrators in Burma last week and the current “silence of the graveyard” which the Burmese junta has imposed all over Burma has placed this country at the center of attention of the international community. Demonstrations following the cancellation of fuel subsidies in mid-August spread around the country and into the capital, culminated with 100,000 people marching for democracy on September 24. These peaceful demonstrations led by Buddhist monks and prominent democracy and human rights activists, became the largest expression of the desire of the Burmese people for democracy, human rights, and freedom since the massacre of thousands of protestors in 1988. In addition to democratic reform, the over 100,000 people demanded the immediate and unconditional release of 1991 Nobel Peace Prize Winner, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, and that of all other political prisoners and religious leaders. Unfortunately, this heroic peaceful movement was brutally suppressed by a military crackdown that has killed over 200 protesters and left hundreds of people severely injured. Democracy and human rights groups further estimate that over 2,000 have been arrested, imprisoned, and/or tortured as part of this violent crackdown.
The Burmese people have long suffered under the oppressive rule of a military junta, which renamed itself from the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) to the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) in 1997. Following a military coup after the 1990 democratic elections, the victorious National League for Democracy (NLD) was not allowed to assume office, and NLD leader and Prime Minister-elect Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was placed under house arrest. The military junta has turned this once thriving country into one of the world’s worst police states, in which Burmese citizens do not enjoy even the most basic human rights. Extrajudicial killings, rape, drug trafficking and attacks on ethnic minorities are common place. The Burmese press is state controlled and will only report the official government view.
The Burmese dictatorship has destroyed more than 3,000 villages and created 2 million displaced persons in the past decade and a half, creating strong international criticism. The Burmese military regime has caused such international concerns that it was placed on the permanent agenda of the United Nations Security Council and was subject to unusual public and harsh criticism by the International Committee of the Red Cross.
To discuss these important issues, we welcome as expert witnesses:
Bo Hla-Tint, National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma
Than Lwin Htun, Voice of America Burmese Service
Alex Arriaga, Amnesty International
Jennifer Quigley, U.S. Campaign for Burma
We look forward to seeing you at this important briefing. If you have any questions, please contact Sarah Burns (Rep. Lantos) at x5-3531 or Hilary Hosford (Rep. Wolf) at x5-5136. For media inquiries, please call Lynne Weil at x5-5021.
Sincerely,

TOM LANTOS, M.C., Co-Chair, CHRC
FRANK R. WOLF, M.C., C0-Chair, CHRC



Hans Hogrefe
Senior Professional Staff Member -- Majority
House Committee on Foreign Affairs
Exec. Director, Congressional Human Rights Caucus
2170 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20515
Direct: 202-225-4819; Cell: 202-316-3905; Fax: 202-225-2136