As international aid trickles in to Burma following cyclone Nargis, we six women Nobel Peace Laureates urge world leaders to speak up for democracy and freedom in Burma. We strongly believe that solutions to Burma’s current humanitarian crisis are very much tied to Burma’s on-going political crisis.  The international community should press for freedom of movement for the people of Burma, and freedom for Nobel Peace Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.

The crisis in Burma remains critical. Many Burmese still have no access to aid and millions face imminent death from thirst, hunger and disease. This desperate situation is largely the result of government-imposed restrictions on movement within the country, impeding the ability of local non-governmental organizations to provide help to those who need it most.  Burmese women in particular are impacted by limited access to food for their families.

Efforts to secure access for aid deals with the regime in Burma should not, in any way, weaken the momentum for a free and democratic Burma.  Earlier this week, the Burmese government extended the house arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi. The 62-year-old, whose National League for Democracy (NLD) overwhelmingly won a 1990 general election, has been detained in her home without trial for 12 of the past 18 years, and continuously since May 2003.  We are heartened that some world leaders have reacted in outrage at her re-arrest, and now we ask these same world leaders to also call for more freedom for her people.

We are deeply concerned for the people of Burma.  More than 130,000 Burmese have already died due to the cyclone, and restrictions on the freedom of movement for the survivors and that of the county’s many political prisoners only deepens the tragedy now unfolding in Burma.

This is not the time to lessen pressure on the regime holding power in Burma. We ask the international community to join us in asking Burma to do the right thing lift all restrictions on movement within Burma and free Aung San Suu Kyi.

LEARN MORE

UN Condemns Burma ‘camp closures’, BBC, 30 May 2008.

Burmese evicted from relief centres, The Irish Times, 30 May 2008.

World anger over Suu Kyi detention, The Press Association 29 May 2008.

Myanmar blasts aid donors for not giving more, Associated Press, 29 May 2008.

Read about Burma’s political history and repression at the hands of the military regime at our Burma Issue page.

Take Action to Support Relief Efforts in Burma.