This arrived from the Burma Campaign in my inbox yesterday.  This morning on the news there were reports that the thugs who call themselves a government had ran dawn raids on the monks who organised the protests.  They captured them and no doubt they are now undergoing some of the most horrific torture.  It is about time the rest of the world opened their eyes and did something.  It's been ignored for too long.

Dear friend

With a democracy uprising taking place in Burma, the most significant events in Burma in 20 years, you may have been wondering why you have not heard from the Burma Campaign UK.

We are a small organisation, and we have been working round the clock getting information out of Burma, briefing journalists, helping them get in to Burma, and doing media interviews. In the last 48 hours alone we have had almost 500 enquires from journalists in more than 20 countries.

Media are coming to us because we have excellent sources in the country, and can provide analysis of what is going on. The fact that we can do this is down to the financial support our supporters have given us to set up networks and build contacts.

Through the media we have been calling for international action, and governments are responding. We called on governments to warn the regime that a violent response is unacceptable. We have also been calling for stronger action by the British government. Today the British government has responded positively to our calls for action. Please read the Prime Minister's statement at: <http://www.number10.gov.uk/output/Page13312.asp>
However, while they now agree there needs to be action, they have not yet taken any.

As you can imagine, as a small organisation we are overwhelmed with the number of media enquiries we are getting, but we believe that ensuring the world knows what is going on, and, through the media, pressuring the international community to act, must be our top priority. We will update our website and send email updates as often as possible.

We hope to be posting new actions on our website soon, asking to you to write to the British Foreign Secretary and Prime Minister. See: <http://www.burmacampaign.org.uk/crackdown.php>

We would like to ask for your financial support at this critical time. The current crisis is placing a strain on our resources, and we dont want to be held back from providing maximum support at this critical time simply because of a lack of funds. Please visit our site to make a donation. <http://www.burmacampaign.org.uk/donate.html> or call 020 7324 4714 to make a donation by credit card over the phone.

Our friends in Burma are hopeful that they could be nearing the end of their repression, but they also fear a brutal crackdown from the regime. International support is more important than ever.

Demonstrate in solidarity with the Burmese people

The Burmese Community in London are holding a demonstration outside the Burmese Embassy in London every day from 12-1pm.
Please show your support if you can.

Embassy of the Union of Myanmar
19 A CHARLES STREET
LONDON W1J 5DX

Nearest tube: Green Park

For campaigns and actions in other countries, please check here:
<http://www.burmacampaign.org.uk/links.html>


Thank you for your continued support.

Anna Roberts
The Burma Campaign UK

-- Edited by Jules at 21:37, 2007-09-27

China, get your act together.  Sort your deal out with Zimbabwe and with Burma.

Dear friends,
Today, our petition to China and the UN Security Council to stop the brutal crackdown on peaceful Burmese protesters is being delivered to the world in a full page ad in the Financial Times worldwide -- but the ad was rejected by other newspapers like the South China Morning Post and the Singapore Straits Times. Our message is an invitation to China to do the right thing in Burma, not an attack -- yet even that seemed too much for media that fear Chinese reprisals.
We won't let our voice be silenced like this. We're taking our message to the streets, in an international day of action on Saturday -- details are on our petition page, and below. And we're redoubling our efforts to make our voice louder: our petition is approaching 600,000 signatures, closing fast on our 1 million goal.The petition link is below - send this email to all your friends and family and help us reach 1 million voices by Saturday!
http://www.avaaz.org/en/stand_with_burma/w.php
To organize an event for the global day of action, just follow the steps below. To attend an event, scroll down our petition page at the link above for a list of events around the world. Here's some simple steps for organizers:
Choose a public place or landmark in your town, and organize friends to go there all wearing the same maroon red clothing as the Burmese monks. Tell local media about your plans, and email the details and contact information to dayofaction@avaaz.org -- we will try to advertise your event on our petition page.
Ask people attending your event to share their feelings on this crisis and the need for action, and then tie a red ribbon or piece of cloth around fences or trees to leave a more lasting sign of your support for the Burmese.

The worldwide outcry to save Burma's peaceful monks and protesters is one more sign of how the world is getting closer, feeling increasingly responsible to each other, and for each other as human beings. We're bringing a voice of humanity to this desperate situation, and we must not be silenced.
With hope and determination,
Ricken, Paul, Graziela, Ben, Sarah, Iain, Galit, Pascal, Milena and the whole Avaaz Team.
PS Here are some great links for local reporting on the current situation in Burma:
http://www.irrawaddy.org
http://www.mizzima.com