The Burmese people have been run by a vicious and selfish military government since 1962.
In May 1990, the government held free elections for the first time in almost 30 years. The National League for Democracy (NLD), the party of Aung San Suu Kyi, won 392 out of a total 489 seats.
The military government did not accept the vote of the people and placed Aung San Suu Kyi under house arrest.

She has been under house arrest for 14 of the past 20 years!

Aung San Suu Kyi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991. The decision of the Nobel Committee says:

“The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the Nobel Peace Prize for 1991 to Aung San Suu Kyi of Myanmar (Burma) for her non-violent struggle for democracy and human rights.  …Suu Kyi’s struggle is one of the most extraordinary examples of civil courage in Asia in recent decades. She has become an important symbol in the struggle against oppression… …In awarding the Nobel Peace Prize for 1991 to Aung San Suu Kyi, the Norwegian Nobel Committee wishes to honour this woman for her unflagging efforts and to show its support for the many people throughout the world who are striving to attain democracy, human rights and ethnic conciliation by peaceful means. —Oslo, 14 October 1991 The Freedom in the World 2004 report by Freedom House notes that “The junta rules by decree, controls the judiciary, suppresses all basic rights, and commits human rights abuses with impunity. Military officers hold all cabinet positions, and active or retired officers hold all top posts in all ministries. Official corruption is reportedly rampant both at the higher and local levels.”

The freedom-loving nations of the world have maintained trade sanctions against Burma for decades now. Marking the country as a pariah-state has not loosened the grip of the military in any way.
Aung San Suu Kyi is 65 on 19 June. She will spend her birthday under arrest. As a mark of solidarity and respect, I ask all to please send her a birthday card. Doing so will give the Burmese Diaspora great encouragement.
Your birthday card will tell Aung San Suu Kyi the world has not forgotten her, despite being under house arrest. It will also tell the people of Burma you support their struggle for democracy.”

Burma Campaign Australia will display all of Aung San Suu Kyi’s birthday cards together on June 19th and will then send your card to her in Burma.

Send your birthday card by June 16th to:
Burma Campaign Australia
c/- Burma Office, Labour Council Building
Suite 6, Level 8, 377-383 Sussex Street,
Sydney NSW
Can’t afford a postage stamp? I understand. Send her your best wishes digitally: admin@aucampaignforburma.org

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From London to Washington the international press is giving Australia a beating today.  Gee – thanks Daryl!

Guest on the show Harry Connick Jr, rightly pointed out that it would not have gone to air – or would have been pulled – in the United States and managed to extract this apology broadcast at the end of the show:

“I think we may have offended you with that act and I deeply apologise on behalf of all of us – because I know that to your countrymen, that’s an insult to have a black-face routine like that on the show, so I do apologise to you,” Somers said, appearing embarrassed and stammering his words.”

Well Daryl, it’s a poor, wimpy and disconnected apology – and here’s why.

It’s offensive to our citizens.  To indigenous peoples, to ethnic communities, particularly after the scurrilous recent targeting of members of the Sudanese community including severe racially motivated beatings.

This isn’t the 1980’s or 1950’s, Mr Somers.  Stick to conversing with hats on broom sticks and pink ostriches – where your major talents appear to lie.

It is disgraceful that you, the producers and channel 9 television are unaware of the devastating consequences of such infantile “entertainment”.

It’s offensive because our Indigenous peoples are still under the thumb of the “Great John Howard Intervention”.   Considered doing something “positive” for them instead?

A challenge, Daryl Somers: do a show to highlight the plight of our indigenous people under the intervention.  Through comic wit, highlight our pathetic political leaders who introduced and continue to enforce it and the truck loads of “consultants” bleeding it dry without anything being done on the ground for those affected.  Restore some of your credibility.  Do some good.  Strike a blow for humanity, for our indigenous peoples.

I’m not holding my breath for that to happen.

That the amateur “actor” involved in the skit was partially of Indian decent is irrelevant.  Commercial television comes with sound and picture – not a genetic indicator with which to divine “ironies”.

There is funny and funny.  Maligning people on race, religion, gender, gender alignment or any of the multitude of other damaging “jokes” we’ve heard since the year dot is no longer funny.

The Australian public are better than that.

Shame on you, Daryl and Channel 9!

What message do we want to send to the world in this age of mass global communication?  That we are a nation of racist hillbilly hicks?

We can – and must – do better than this.

What’s next?

A revival of the 1947 statement by ALP politician Arthur Augustus Calwell: “Two Wongs don’t make a White?”  Because your “humour” is no better, mate.

Don’t think so?  There is a reason Pauline Hanson failed to be re-elected.  Australians are above xenophobic “jokes”.  Channel Nine should be excrutiatingly aware of that irony!  Hello 60 Minutes?

Put  “Hey, Hey it’s Saturday” back in the archives, seal the door and throw away the key if “nostalgic material” like this is all it can do.

Scott Kane

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These Are People - Not Playthings For Political Gain

Everyone has strong views on immigration.  Some voters want a large and constant flow of fresh citizens, some a limited number, others want none.

Federal Labor backbencher Kelvin Thomson came out swinging on Friday, saying Australia’s projected population explosion will have a “catastrophic” effect on the environment and called for immigration levels to be cut.

He was referring to the latest Intergenerational Report predicting Australia’s population will rise from 21.5 million to 35 million in the next 40 years.

“We are sleepwalking into an environmental disaster,” he said.

Kelvin is speaking in code. Let me translate it for you:  “The Greens voters are right.  The ALP ‘understands’ and therefore deserves all of The Greens’ second preferences.”

“There will be impact on the availability of food, water, energy and land. These things are already stretched and a 60 per cent population increase will only drive up the cost of these essentials and lower our living standards,” he said.

Oh, Kelvin, you have a heart of gold, thinking of the battlers and their struggle to feed and house the kids on their modest wages.  He is talking about the competition between manual workers and fresh migrants for the limited pool of unskilled jobs in Australia.  Migrants bid down the wages of all unskilled workers, desperate to establish their lives here, and displace others from the pool of unskilled workers.

“And what about the impact on our major cities? Declining housing affordability, traffic congestion, over-crowded concrete jungles.”

I love these word pictures.  Australia 2009 – paradise at its apex – should be preserved in amber against its inevitable decline.  Never mind that land zoning, the transport network and urban planning decisions are matters entirely in the hands of government.

“Australia is blessed in the quality of life that we have and I believe that we have an obligation to pass onto our children an environment and a country in as good a condition as the one our parents left to us.”

As though we can achieve a status quo ante – going back to the way things were before somebody else did the stuff we now don’t like.

Mr Thomson wants Australia’s immigration rate cut.  Has the ALP changed its long-standing immigration policy?

Ahem, no.  Such a policy shift would be announced by the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship Senator Chris Evans, who looks on in silence.

But it is safe to vote ALP because it ‘understands’ voter concerns.

Kelvin Thompson’s public statement was no accident.  It was prompted by opinion polls showing widespread unease with current immigration levels and authorized at the highest level in the ALP government.  It is a crude attempt at vote harvesting, no more, no less.

Thanks, Kelvin.  This is a remarkable contribution to the debate.

It changes nothing and adds nothing.  But ALP heartland voters are reassured and can go back to snoozing in front of the telly.

David Collyer

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Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, Burmese Prime Minister-elect

The Burmese military government have just jailed 1991 Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi for 18 months because of the actions of another, a man who swam to her guarded compound to meet her.

Aung San Suu Kyi has spent fourteen years of the last twenty in detention.

The current Head of State Senior General Than Shewe is Chairman of the so-called  State Peace and Development Council by force of arms. He must feel very threatened by this frail 64 year old woman.

Why is Aung San Suu Kyi important?  She became Prime Minister in the last genuine elections held in 1990.  And was jailed by the military for her troubles.

Our Foreign Minister Steven Smith claims to be doing everything in the diplomat’s toolkit to have this gentle soul, this icon of democracy, released.  Really?

Dig deeper, Mr Smith.  Insist on fresh options from the Foreign Ministry.  Insist our neighbors unite to drive out this dictatorship.  Insist the Chinese join this coalition.

Insist.

Australians, the Burmese are a close neighbor, a beautiful people who deserve better lives and more support than we have given them.

Democracy and freedom are hard won in any country.  The lives of the citizens of Australia are vastly enhanced by our personal liberty.  We want the same for all our Asian friends.

We insist.

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