Why 'Free Burma' ? Why today ? Why all of a sudden ? Why not look at all the other misery in the World with over 40 wars and conflict zones ? This is not just about Burma ((I have written more specifically about the situation in Burma for the last few days)).

Let me answer why I also joined the campaign when it started last week on a German Wiki going back all the way to 1996. On February 8, 1996 many Internet sites were blacked out, showing only a blue ribbon to support freedom of speech...

http://www.cs.washington.edu/blueribbon.html

I have not seen an online community message that strong till today, October 4, 2007. From blue ribbon gifs uploaded by a few webmasters to blogtivism embeddedable by almost anyone 11 years later: The Internet has grown up and will continue to grow up and empower more and more individuals around the world.

We must continue to value und lend our freedom of speech for those who don't have it yet. If you see a regime blacking out Information access out of fear, technology enables us to tear down its mask and let the world know what is happening. The Internet is more than just shopping carts, ringtones and Britney Spears, it makes tearing down masks possible. Freedom of speech without fear is taken for granted in most Western countries - and this is dangerous. It will make us lethargic. Freedom of speech and basic human rights should never ever be taken for granted.

The message and solidarity from bloggers and websites all over the World hopefully sends a message to anyone blocking freedom of speech and information access in any regime or country.

Therefore, to anyone saying this small virtual blog action today is completely useless in the "real" World, it is not in my view...

"If we look at this conflict as a straightforward eyeball to eyeball confrontation between Empire and those of us who are resisting it, it might seem that we are losing.

But there is another way of looking at it. We, all of us gathered here, have, each in our own way, laid siege to Empire.

We may not have stopped it in its tracks - yet - but we have stripped it down. We have made it drop its mask. We have forced it into the open. It now stands before us on the world's stage in all its brutish, iniquitous nakedness. Empire may well go to war, but it's out in the open now - too ugly to behold its own reflection. Too ugly to rally its own people."

Free_burma

My blog will now link to this site for the next few days. I'm happy ((well actually I'm sad because of the current events in the country)) that the blogger world can unite and turn its attention to this lesser known country and its Nobel prize winner for a few days...

In the early hours of June 4, 1989, I was on Chang'an Street, just west of Tiananmen Square in Beijing, when I saw Chinese soldiers open fire and kill many of my fellow protesters. I barely escaped the same fate. The horror of that day is seared in my mind like it was yesterday.

In recent days, my memories of Tiananmen have come rushing back as I have watched the mass demonstrations in Burma and the junta's bloody crackdown. After decades of military dictatorship, hundreds of thousands of the people of Burma -- a diverse outpouring of Buddhist monks, democracy activists and ordinary civilians -- are standing up to confront the country's brutal regime.

All of us in the Chinese democracy movement stand in solidarity with the Burmese people, who are engaged in a life-or-death struggle to free their country from years of oppression and decay. Everything is at stake for the Burmese, but the outcome in Burma will also have a major impact on our struggle in China.

The Burmese junta has chosen to face the uprising with violence because it is losing its grip on power and because it is convinced that China will come to its aid in the U.N. Security Council and suppress any meaningful international response. So far, those calculations have proved correct. Last week, China, together with Russia, prevented the Security Council from even condemning the violence inflicted on the protesters. In January, the two countries had vetoed a non-punitive Security Council resolution urging national reconciliation.

China has a parasitic relationship with Burma. Beijing sucks out Burma's natural resources -- especially oil, gas and timber -- at heavily discounted prices, which it obtains because so few countries are willing to do business with a regime that manages its own economy so poorly and that has such a terrible human rights record. China views the junta's preservation as in its own interest, to ensure that competition for those resources remains minimal. To this end, China is the principal arms exporter to Burma, providing 90 percent of its weapons. Without $1.6 billion in past military assistance from China, Burma would not have been able to create a 400,000-member army, the second-largest in Southeast Asia, behind only Vietnam. And this Chinese support is provided despite the quiet complaints of Yunnan province officials about the massive outflow of drugs and HIV-AIDS from Burma into China.

While China's initial response to the protests has been to defend the junta vigorously, it is unclear how long that support will last. The more that the international community highlights the blood on China's hands -- for arming the junta and steadfastly defending the regime's tactics, which include systematic rape and murder -- the less likely it is that Beijing will stand firm. Particularly when combined with activists' efforts to highlight China's role in funding the Sudanese regime and thus the atrocities in Darfur, China's culpability for the violence in Burma will only reinforce attempts to brand the 2008 Olympics in Beijing the "Genocide Games."

There is a bright side to China's communist government being driven not by values but by pragmatism. Not only does its support for the Burmese junta contradict the image of a responsible power that China has tried to project in recent years, but if the junta falls, Beijing will want to be on good terms with a new democratic government lest it try to cancel or renegotiate China's massive contracts for natural resources. While Beijing will hold on as long as preserving the junta seems possible, it will also abandon the Burmese generals the moment preserving its own interests requires doing so.

The stakes in Burma are huge. The Burmese people peacefully elected a democratic government years ago, and the junta has not allowed those leaders to take office. The U.N. Security Council needs to demand the cessation of violence and a return to a meaningful, U.N.-supported dialogue between the junta, the National League for Democracy and ethnic groups. Such a dialogue must have benchmarks to measure progress and must result in the restoration of democracy to Burma. Until the Security Council acts, the United States and other freedom-loving countries should provide China with a stark choice: either use its leverage on Burma to ease a democratic transition or be held publicly responsible for its failure to do so.

Yang Jianli is president of the Foundation for China in the 21st Century. He was released last month after completing a five-year prison term in China, where he was sentenced for attempting to observe labor unrest in 2002.

I wrote a few days ago:

It might also be a good time to think about what regimes China - hosting the Olympic games in 2008 - is supporting and ((North Korea, Burma...)) and where it is threatening people ((Chinese Dissidents, people in Tibet, Taiwan...)):

While the poster above was designed to show Chinese oppression of Tibet in light of next year's Olympic games, it can be applied in general to China's politics in the region. In short, China doesn't give sh*t about basic human rights.

Now students from the '88 revolt generation have indeed launched an ultimatum to China not to veto actions against Burma any longer. Quote:

Here is our demand. Chinese Government must play a leading role to stop killing spree in Burma and support UNSC intervention to Burma. The ultimatum for China to join the world's body will be 72 hours starting from September 29, 2007 9:00 am to October 2, 9:00 am US Eastern Time. If China fails to meet our demands, we have decided to wage you the following global campaigns.
1. Boycott 2008 Olympic campaign
2. Boycott China's products.

Please visit our campaign at this link; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pc2za8K1RUs

Source: http://burmamyanmargenocide.blogspot.com/2007/09/ultimatum-to-china-due-oct-2-900am.html

((Note that the links also contain the logos of Western oil companies Total and Chevron/Unocal, I wrote about this earlier, one good source is the movie Total Denial, link here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0976178/  ))

While it may be naive to call for an import of Chinese goods ((even though a product doesn't say 'Made in China' chances are that the components were made in China)) the boycott of the Olympics would show a strong sign to the Chinese leadership.

Several other groups ((Tibet, people concerned about Darfur/Sudan)) have called for action before. This is not the first time China is involved and protecting the worst offenders of freedom of speech and free media.

Out of 168 countries ranked by 'Reporters without Frontiers' in terms of media access/freedom, China ((and 'friends' Birma and North Korea)) occupy the last 5 spots...

Why don't these countries organize a nice, little 5-way olympics in 2008 among themselves ? Then they will be happy to know the majority will get nice, shiny medals.

((Source: http://www.reporter-ohne-grenzen.de/rangliste-2006.html  - And yes, I'm aware of some of the criticism this organization got, http://www.monde-diplomatique.de/pm/.home_edi3.php ((German)), but overall the results sound fine and have been confirmed by various other human-rights organizations.))

If you have been reading my last posts,you will know what this is about. Digg it...

http://digg.com/world_news/Support_Burma_International_Bloggers_Day_at_4th_Oct

WTFit...

http://technorati.com/wtf/

...facebook, share it. Whatever helps to spread the word ;))

Quote:

International bloggers are preparing an action to support the peaceful revolution in Burma. We want to set a sign for freedom and show our sympathy for these people who are fighting their cruel regime without weapons. These Bloggers are planning to refrain from posting to their blogs on October 4 and just put up one Banner then, underlined with the words „Free Burma!“.

Links and Banners can be found here: http://freeburma.stots.de/doku.php

Edit/Update Sept 29, 2007: Heise.de talks about the initiative ((German)) http://www.heise.de/tp/r4/artikel/26/26303/1.html

PS: And if you think this is 'useless anyway' and not worth five minutes of your time next week, too bad.  You certainly won't achieve anything by doing nothing.

Diethelm Keller/STA Travel
Diethelm Keller Group is a private Swiss company with a wide range of investments, including Diethelm Travel, which operates holiday tours to Burma. Diethelm boasts that it pioneered tourism to Burma. Diethelm also owns STA travel. Aung San Suu Kyi has asked tourists not to visit Burma because it helps fund the regime and gives it legitimacy. Forced and child labour was used to develop many tourist facilities.

Andreas W. Keller
Diethelm Keller Holding Ltd
Muhlebachstrasse 20
8032 Zurich
Switzerland
Fax 00 411 1 265 3399
Email: info@diethelmkeller.com

SGS Group - NEW
SGS Group, headquartered in Geneva,  Switzerland, is a global leader in the inspection, verification, testing and certification industry. It has over 34,000 employees and a presence in well over 120 countries. This includes Burma where it has a subsidiary – SGS (Myanmar) Ltd which  plays a key role in the facilitation of Burma’s international trading.

SGS Societe Generale de Surveillance S.A.
1 place des Alpes
P.O. Box 2152
1211 Geneva 1
Switzerland
Fax: + (41 22) 739.98.86
Email: enquiries@sgs.com

Full list: http://www.burmacampaign.org.uk/dirty_list/dirty_list_details.html

Für Deutschsprechende. Auch das Reiseunternehmen Voegele Reisen bietet seit Jahren Reisen nach Burma an. Auf deren Homepage werden die Verhältnisse für potentiellee Touristen geschönt:

Nur wenige Teile Burmas wurden in den letzten Jahrzehnten nach und nach für Fremde geöffnet, jedoch wurde immer nur eine Woche Aufenthalt genehmigt. Mit dem »Visit Myanmar Year 1996« hat eines der letzten verschlossenen Länder Südostasiens seine selbstgewählte 40-jährige Isolation aufgegeben und die Pforten für den Tourismus geöffnet.

Man könnte auch schreiben: Seit 40 Jahren herrscht eine Militärdiktatur im Land, tönt aber in einem Ferienprospekt etwas weniger einladend.

Vögele Reisen / TUI Suisse Direct Ltd
Friesenbergstrasse 75
Postfach 9180
CH - 8036 Zürich
Telefon +41 44 455 41 01
Telefax +41 44 455 41 91
E-Mail: info@voegele-reisen.ch


Alle diese grossen, diversifizierten Unternehmen hättten es nicht nötig, dem Regime in Burma Geld  zu verschaffen, es gibt genug andere Destinationen.

Wenn sie es trotzdem tun, kann man sie ruhig mal zur Rede stellen...und bei Planung der nächsten Ferienreise nicht mehr berücksichtigen, besonders weil sie hohlen PR-Phrasen die Webseiten schmücken.

DietheImTravel und der Mutterkonzern DKHS schreibt etwa gross auf der Homepage:

We are proud of the good reputation the names Diethelm and Keller have enjoyed for generations, standing for credibility, stability and fairness."

Und Voegele bzw. TUI schreibt im Leitbild:

Unser Unternehmen und seine Mitarbeiter stehen in der Schweiz, in allen Ländern mit Tochterunternehmen sowie in den Ferienländern im Blickpunkt der Öffentlichkeit. Was wir tun und wie wir uns äussern, wird weit über die Branche hinaus beachtet.

Wir binden uns ins öffentliche Leben ein, pflegen engen Kontakt zu allen wichtigen gesellschaftlichen Gruppen und nehmen an der Diskussion der wesentlichen Themen der Gesellschaft teil.

Als Unternehmen mit engen Verbindungen in alle Welt treten wir dafür ein, dass sich Menschen aus unterschiedlichen Ländern kennen- und verstehen lernen.

Meine Herren, das Programm "Visit Myanmar 2007" sieht so aus. Sehe nicht, wie das mit Ihren Leitbildern vereinbar ist..

...?!

Edit: Auch Kuoni hat sich nach Verzicht vor einigen Jahren wieder "eingeschlichen" und die Destination  Myanmar aufgenommen. Vor 4 Jahren hiess es noch...

Drittens mussten wir uns grundsätzliche ethisch-moralische Überlegungen machen, ob wir ein Land mit einem repressiven Regime, das massivste Menschenrechtsverletzungen begeht, weiterhin anbieten wollen», erklärte der damalige Kuoni-Konzernsprecher Stephan Wehrle.

Zur Wiederaufnahme des Angebots via einen Agenten:

Auf die Frage, warum dies nicht innerhalb des normalen Asien-Katalogs und unter der Marke Kuoni geschehe, meint Graf: «Wir haben mit unserem Agenten Asian Trails eine Vereinbarung getroffen, Myanmar unter einer neutralen Marke wieder anzubieten. Damit sind wir für ‹The Burma Campaign› weniger angreifbar.

Haha. "Weniger angreifbar". Erinnert mich an die grossen Banken, die Kleinkredite via Submarken ((BankNow etc.)) anbieten, um sich das Image nicht zu beschmutzen...

Wir werden die Situation aus Sicht der Corporate Responsibility laufend überprüfen und neu beurteilen. Vielleicht werden wir Myanmar in Zukunft wieder unter der Marke Kuoni anbieten.»

Vielleicht auch nicht, wenn sie den Link über seit Jahre anhaltende ethnische Säuberungen in den Grenzgebieten Burmas anschauen ((siehe Link im letzten Post)) und die Nachrichten der letzten Tage verfolgt haben. Ist auch gar nicht mehr nötig, denn Kuoni Schweiz ist Mitte 2006 der Mehrheitsinhaber von Asian Trails. Wie praktisch, dann kann man das Burma-Geschäft über die in der Schweiz weniger bekannte Marke laufen lassen:

Asian Trails grew very successfully over the years and in August 2006, Kuoni Travel of Switzerland become a majority Shareholder in the company, while agreeing to let Asian Trails continue as a totally independent regional Destination Management company.

(( Quelle: http://www.asiantrails.info/index.cfm?menuid=2&position=top ))

Kuoni Schweiz erreicht man hier:

Informationen zur Kuoni-Gruppe (Kuoni Reisen Holding AG)
Andrea Hemmi, Head of Corporate Communications,
Tel. +41 44 277 43 63, communications@kuoni.ch

Informationen zu Kuoni Schweiz
Peter Brun, Leiter Kommunikation Kuoni Schweiz,
Tel. +41 44 277 48 28 (direkt) peter.brun@kuoni.ch

PS: Ja, mir ist klar, dass auch grosse Länder ((USA, China, Russland...)) keine Musterknaben sind und waren und Burma/Myanmar wirtschaftlich wenig vom Westen abhängt ((Die chinesische Führung ist der Hauptschuldige und Unterstützer des Regimes, siehe meine früheren Posts zum Thema...)). Aber auch in der Schweiz gibt es Unternehmen, die mit Burma - trotz des Aufrufs der Friedensnobelpreisträgerin Aung San Suu Kyi, keine Reisen mehr nach Burma zu organisieren - Geschäfte machen.
Auch existieren die Probleme nicht erst seit gestern. Ich bin sonst sehr gegen ungeplanten Aktivismus. Doch wenn die Mehrzahl der Schweizer das Land nicht einmal auf einer Karte lokalisieren kann, muss man jetzt die Gelegenheit ergreifen, die Aufmerksamkeit für einmal auf Burma zu lenken, so wie es die Exiltibeter in der Schweiz seit Jahren erfolgreich machen.