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Dear All,

We need the help of all our supporters who live in the United States -- can you call your Congressional office?

Here's the situation: over the weekend, Burma's military regime began bombing (with shells/mortar rounds) villages of the ethnic Karen people in eastern Burma. Thousands of refugees are streaming out of the area, over the Moei river and into Thailand.

We received some photos of people fleeing and released them to the media. Indiscriminately targeting peoples' homes and lives is a crime against humanity and war crime, illegal under international law.

Over recent years, Burma's regime has decimated over 3,300 villages and forced at least 1.5 million people to flee their homes. Regime troops destroy food supplies, hospitals/clinics, schools, and even cooking pots.

Yet, the UN Security Council has not acted to stop these attacks, even though they investigated and took action in similar situations in Yugoslavia (former), Rwanda, and Darfur.

Right now, two leading members of Congress, Joe Crowley (D-NY) and Don Manzullo (R-IL), are organizing a letter to President Obama that urges him to take action to stop these attacks once and for all, and bring the perpetrators -- the Burmese regime -- to justice.

Can you help us by calling your your Congressional office in Washington, DC to ask if your Congressperson will sign the letter? All the instructions you need are right here.



Learn how to ask your member of Congress to sign this letter.

June XX, 2009

President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear President Obama,

Successive U.S. administrations, with overwhelming bi-partisan support from Congress, have shown their support for Burmese peoples’ aspiration to live in a democratic society free from their military dictatorship. Unfortunately, despite U.S. efforts as well as decades of peaceful attempts by successive United Nations Special Envoys and Rapporteurs to convince the Burmese military regime to end its atrocities and seek a peaceful transition to democracy, peace, democracy and stability elude Burma.

Therefore, we urge you to take the lead in establishing a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Commission of Inquiry into the Burmese military regime’s crimes against humanity and war crimes against its civilian population. Similar cases in Rwanda, Yugoslavia, and Darfur have all led to Commissions of Inquiry and each previous case had UN Special Envoys and Special Rapporteurs assigned to seeking peaceful solutions to their respective countries international humanitarian crises. Still though, the UNSC took the necessary step and established a Commission of Inquiry to investigate and provide justice and accountability for the war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide committed with impunity by state agents. By elevating the cause of Burma to the UNSC, the United States is putting Burma’s supporters on notice that we will not support the status quo while millions of people languish.

The United Nations has passed over 30 resolutions acknowledging and decrying the Burmese military regime’s crimes and blatant system of impunity. All the while, Burma’s military regime has carried out a scorched-earth campaign against the country’s ethnic minority civilian population, destroying over 3,300 villages, using systematic rape as a weapon of war, pressing the Burmese people into modern-day slave labor, killing innocent civilians, and forcing at least one million people to flee their homes as refugees and internally displaced. The regime has also conscripted tens of thousands of child soldiers, and imprisoned and tortured those who dare speak out in support of freedom and democracy.

Compounding the brutality of the regime’s war crimes and crimes against humanity is their flagrant system of impunity, in which perpetrators go free, but victims fear retribution if they seek accountability and justice. While the “slow burn” nature of the military regime’s grave crimes has kept the spotlight away from these atrocities, it makes them no less dire. In fact, it makes it ever more urgent that we call upon the UNSC to hold the Burmese military regime to account for their war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Furthermore, the regime’s constitution, on which it predicates its upcoming elections in 2010, contains an amnesty provision that exempts all members of the military regime from prosecution. The amnesty provision is a blatant attempt to legitimize the structured and systematic violence in the country for all junta inflicted crimes. In addition to the amnesty provision, the constitution also removes any rights for civil redress for victims of crimes committed by the military and police and blocks access to justice in civilian courts thus effectively denying justice to the regime’s victims.

The world must not sit by and allow Burma’s regime to commit mass atrocities with impunity. We urge you to urgently seek support at the UNSC for a Commission of Inquiry to investigate the Burmese regime’s war crimes, crimes against humanity and system of impunity. The regime must be held accountable, on behalf of the millions of people of Burma who have no other course for redress.

Sincerely,

Joe Crowley (D-NY)
Don Manzullo (R-IL)
Rush Holt (D-NJ)
Peter King (R-NY)
Anna Eshoo (D-CA)
Madeline Bordallo (D-Guam)
Carolyn Maloney (D-NY)
Joseph Pitts (R-PA)
Brad Sherman (D-CA)
Michael Michaud (D-ME)
Jim Moran (D-VA)
Frank Wolf (R-VA)
Mark Kirk (R-IL)
Brian Bilbray (R-CA)
David Price (D-NC)
Dan Maffei (D-NY)
Adam Schiff (D-CA)
Allyson Schwartz (D-PA)
Maxine Waters (D-CA)
Mary Jo Kilroy (D-OH)
Paul Hodes (D-NH)
Bob Inglis (R-SC)
Gerry Connolly (D-VA)
Daniel Maffie (D-NY)
Tim Bishop (D-NY)
Henry Waxman (D-CA)
Edward Royce (R-CA)
Tom Perriello (D-VA)
Janice Schakowsky (D-IL)
James Langevin (D-RI)
Maurice Hinchey (D-NY)
Trent Franks (R-AZ)
Mark Souder (R-IN)
Aaron Schock (R-IL)
Michael Honda (D-CA)
Steve Israel (D-NY)
Albio Sires (D-NJ)
James McGovern (D-MA)
Ruben Hinojosa (D-TX)
Todd Platts (R-PA)
Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI)
Tim Ryan (D-OH)
Michael McMahon (D-NY)
Patrick Kennedy (D-RI)


Already, 40 members of Congress have signed this letter, but we need many more to make an impact. Check to see if your member has already signed before calling.

If you have already called, please call again and follow-up until your Congressperson signs on. We know the Burmese regime pays a great deal of attention to the UN Security Council, because senior diplomats, who have met with regime leaders, have told us first-hand.

After you make your calls, please write to us, right away (at mikejen@uscampaignforburma.org) to let us know how your call went. Also, if you want help identifying your member of Congress, feel free to write to us or check www.house.gov

Sincerely,

Mike Haack and Jeremy Woodrum

ps. You don't have to be able to vote, to call your member of Congress. If you live in your Congressperson's district, you are a constituent. Your Congressperson represents you!

Background Articles

Aid group: 3,000 villagers flee Myanmar shelling
Associated Press

Rights Group Warns of Clashes in Burma
Voice of America