For Release On: Friday, Sept. 12th

Contact: Aung Khin, 714 609 4526 in Los Angeles
Nyunt Than, 415 892 0871 in San Francisco

Say No To Irresponsible China
Groups demand China stops supporting Burma's junta, protests planed

What: Burma pro-democracy activists throughout California plan to protest in front of Chinese consulates in Los Angeles and San Francisco to voice their concern over Chinese support for Burma's military regime. The Burma Freedom Petition singed by more than 14 hundreds people that calls for Chinese government to help restore democracy in Burma will be delivered to the Consulate Generals. Protest comes after China's denouncement of recent United States sanctions on Burma and its advancing of $200 millions loan to Burma's junta. China has also announced that it will strength its ties with Burmese military. The groups fear such support will erase the effect of tough US sanctions and encourage the military to continue to suppress its own people.

Where: The Chinese Consulate General in San Francisco located at 1450 Laguna Street, San Francisco, CA 94115. & The Chinese Consulate General in Los Angeles located at 443 Shatto Place, Los Angeles, CA 90020. Visit www.badasf.org for more information.

When: Thursday, September 18, 2003 (The 15th anniversary of military takeover in Burma) - 11 AM press conference and protest.

Who: Organized by Burmese American Democratic Alliance (BADA), Burmese American Women's Alliance (BAWA) and Committee for Restoration of Democracy in Burma (CRDB). The protest will be joined in by Burma freedom supporters, students activists, human rights groups and women rights groups, which are advocating freedom for the people of Burma.

Why: China has backed Burma's junta since it's illegal takeover of the power in 1988 and has supplied more than $ 3 billions worth of arms, which has been used for the brutal suppression of dissent and to consolidate the military's grip on Power. In fact, Burma is one the world's poorest country ruled by the most brutal regime in the world. Growing China's influence and its strategic military establishment inside Burma has made other Burma's neighboring countries nervous. India, Thailand and ASEAN (South East Asian Nations) have adapted unsolicited friendly policies towards Burma to counter China's influence. That encourages junta to resist the international pressure and ignore the will of its people. China's support for junta is largely responsible for the prolong dictatorship in Burma that has brought so much misery to the innocent people of Burma.

United States has imposed the strongest sanctions ever on Burma after recent violent attack on pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her party leaders by the military. However, China is softening the impact of US sanctions that could have brought down the regime otherwise. China openly criticized the US sanctions, and pledged to help Burma's military. As much as China is becoming another superpower of this free world, its ignorance of the will of Burma's people and irresponsibly siding with the brutal regime can no longer be tolerated. The time has come for China to stop turning blind eyes on the suffering of the people under brutal dictatorship in Burma and to withdraw its support for the dictators.