Influential US Congressman calls for Kofi Annan to take action: "What are we waiting for?"

A leading member and acknowledged expert on Burma in the US House of Representatives' International Relations Committee has slammed Burma's military regime for an alleged crackdown on Buddhist monks demonstrating in the country's second largest city of Mandalay. The criticim is also in response to reports of regime-instigated violence against the country's Muslim population.

"The recent brutality against Buddhist monks peacefully protesting Burmese military rule and against Muslim citizens is the latest in a series of crackdowns by the highly repressive military dictatorship. Let there be no doubt about the nature of this regime - while it gives lipservice to democracy and road maps, the regime continues to systematically rape, enslave, imprison and murder innocent civilians,"
said Congressman Joseph Pitts, a leading member of the House International Relations Committee.

According to reports from Political Defiance Committee, an organization closely monitoring political developments in Burma, on October 29th riot police violently broke up a demonstration of over 900 monks from the Masoerain New Monastery, the country's largest Buddhist teaching center, with over 3,000 student monks. The regime fired guns into the crowd, and also used blunt clubs and smoke bombs. An unknown number of monks were seriously injured in the violent attacks, but at least one has been confirmed dead and four more have been admitted to a medical intensive care unit.

Aung Din, director of policy at the US Campaign for Burma, says the military regime targeted the monks because of their outspoken support for the leader of Burma's freedom struggle, 1991 Nobel Peace Prize recipient Aung San Suu Kyi, during her trip to region several months ago. The monks provided material support and security for Suu Kyi during her trips to Mandalay, before the regime brutally attacked her convoy on May 30th, 2003, killing scores of her supporters and placing she and dozens of NLD members under arrest.

"The military regime is very afraid of Buddhist monks, because of their strength, their influence over the public and their support for Aung San Suu Kyi," said Aung Din.

Since mid-October, sources inside Burma report that the regime has attempted to instigate violence between Buddhist monks and members of the country's Muslim population. The attacks resulted in the burning of several mosques and houses.This is consistent with past behavior of the regime, which has provoked violent clashes between ethnic and religious groups in order to justify its grip on power. At the same time, the regime launched attacks on the Karen National Union, forcing hundreds of villagers to flee the country as refugees or take refuge deep in Burma's jungles as internally displaced persons.

The attacks on Buddhists, Muslims, Karen, and others come just weeks after Burma's military regime reshuffled its leadership, revealing a "road map" for change and promising a transition to democracy. Since it assumed power in 1988, the regime has promised a power shift on countless occasions, but never delivered on its promises.

The road map "ploy" appears to have elicited the support of some regional leaders, and United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan has refused to breach the subject at the UN Security Council, added Aung Din.

Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, United Nations agencies, and the US State Department have documented horrific human rights abuses committed by Burma's military regime, including murder, rape, torture, and the use of a modern form of slavery.

Said Congressman Pitts, "What is the international community waiting for? We need to act now. I strongly urge Secretary General Kofi Annan to use his authority to call for immediate UN Security Council action on Burma."