Petition to the UK Government

We the undersigned believe that the anniversary of the 1988 massacre that ended the uprising in Burma that year should not go unmarked by the British government.

Twenty years ago the people of Burma, led primarily by students, demonstrated peacefully against their military rulers asking for freedom and democracy. Their struggle continues to this day and conditions within the country are arguably worse than ever. Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the National League for Democracy remains under house arrest where she has been for over thirteen years.

We are concerned that the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games, which occurs on the anniversary of the massacre, should not be allowed to completely overshadow this important day. It is being marked with unanimous cross-party support at Edinburgh City Chambers by a gala performance of “The Burma Play” supported by Burma Educational Scholarship Trust, Amnesty Scotland, Unison and the Cooperative Bank.

Gordon Brown has, on several occasions, expressed admiration for Aung San Suu Kyi and support for the aims of her party, the National League for Democracy.

We believe that the Prime Minister should officially mark the massacre that took place on the 8th of August 1988, and outline how his government is fulfilling its stated commitment to the democracy process in Burma, in a statement released on the anniversary date.