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Dear friend
Today is the 26th anniversary of the massacre of thousands of people, many of them students, who had been protesting for democracy in Burma.
On 8th August 1988, soldiers opened fire on the protestors, and in the following weeks at least three thousand people are thought to have been killed. There has never been a full investigation into the massacre.
On Monday we asked you to email President Thein Sein, calling on him to publish his full army record, and asking what role he played in crushing the uprising in 1988.
The Burmese government is obviously very upset by the campaign as they have responded by attacking Burma Campaign UK for asking these questions.
In an interview with the Democratic Voice of Burma, Burma’s Information Minister Ye Htut said, “Based on BCUK deliberately spreading this kind of information and claiming it comes from WikiLeaks, you can pretty much judge the level of their dignity and integrity.”
Ye Htut dismissed our request for information by saying Thein Sein was in Kale, not Rangoon in 1988. However, this misses the point. The crackdown took place all over Burma. The question remains as to what role Thein Sein played at this time.
If there is nothing to hide, why won’t they publish his military record?
President Thein Sein has always denied that the Burmese Army has committed any human rights violations. They don't want to release military records of the President and ministers because they have been involved in human rights abuses which violate international law. Justice and accountability are their greatest fears - that is why they are so angry that people are asking these questions.
Thank you.
Anna
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