From Jeremy Corbyn's 2017 Labour conference speech in Brighton:
"[W]e also know that terrorism is thriving in a world our governments have helped to shape, with its failed states, military interventions and occupations where millions are forced to flee conflict or hunger. We have to do better and swap the knee-jerk response of another bombing campaign for long-term help to solve conflicts rather than fuel them. And we must put our values at the heart of our foreign policy. Democracy and human rights are not an optional extra to be deployed selectively.
"So we cannot be silent at the cruel Saudi war in Yemen, while continuing to supply arms to Saudi Arabia, or the crushing of democracy in Egypt or Bahrain, or the tragic loss of life in Congo. And I say to Aung San Suu Kyi - a champion of democracy and human rights - : end the violence now against the Rohingya in Myanmar and allow the UN and international aid agencies in to Rakhine state. The Rohingya have suffered for too long!
"We should stand firm for peaceful solutions to international crises. Let's tone down the rhetoric, and back dialogue and negotiations to wind down the deeply dangerous confrontation over the Korean Peninsula. And I appeal to the UN secretary general, Antonio Guterres to use the authority of his office and go to Washington and Pyongyang to kick start that essential process of dialogue.
"And let's give real support to end the oppression of the Palestinian people, the 50-year occupation and illegal settlement expansion and move to a genuine two-state solution of the Israel-Palestine conflict.
"Britain's voice needs to be heard independently in the world. We must be a candid friend to the United States, now more than ever. The values we share are not served by building walls, banning immigrants on the basis of religion, polluting the planet, or pandering to racism."
A genuine two-state solution of the Israel-Palestine conflict???
Meanwhile, back in occupied Palestine, in the illegal Gush Etzion settlement bloc, to be precise, Netanyahu and 5,000 guests have just celebrated 50 years of Israeli occupation... 'There will be no more uprooting of settlements in the land of Israel,' [Netanyahu] said to applause." (Israel holds controversial ceremony marking 50 years of settlement, Michael Blum, yahoo.com/news, 28/9/17)
Showing posts with label Aung San Suu Kyi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Aung San Suu Kyi. Show all posts
Friday, September 29, 2017
Sunday, May 24, 2015
Zio-Buddhism
Who does this remind you of?
"After a flurry of diplomatic activity, the government of Myanmar has finally agreed to a regional meeting in Bangkok next week aimed at resolving the Bay of Bengal crisis and addressing the larger issue of human trafficking. But U Zaw Htay, deputy director-general of the president's office, said that Myanmar had agreed to attend only after being assured that the term 'Rohingya' would not be used. 'The term 'irregular migrant' will be used instead,' he said. 'They can't pressure us. We won't accept any pressure.' Myanmar does not recognise 1 million Rohingya inside its borders as citizens, referring to them as 'Bengalis' and implying they are from neighbouring Bangladesh." (Myanmar: Don't say Rohingyas, New York Times/Sydney Morning Herald, 23/5/15)
"After a flurry of diplomatic activity, the government of Myanmar has finally agreed to a regional meeting in Bangkok next week aimed at resolving the Bay of Bengal crisis and addressing the larger issue of human trafficking. But U Zaw Htay, deputy director-general of the president's office, said that Myanmar had agreed to attend only after being assured that the term 'Rohingya' would not be used. 'The term 'irregular migrant' will be used instead,' he said. 'They can't pressure us. We won't accept any pressure.' Myanmar does not recognise 1 million Rohingya inside its borders as citizens, referring to them as 'Bengalis' and implying they are from neighbouring Bangladesh." (Myanmar: Don't say Rohingyas, New York Times/Sydney Morning Herald, 23/5/15)
Saturday, November 9, 2013
Speak Up, Mother Suu, We Can't Hear You!
Australia is about to get a visit from a certain celebrity human rights icon:
"Later this month Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi will receive a joint honorary degree from the University of Sydney and the University of Technology, Sydney... For more than 20 years Suu Kyi sought the release of political prisoners, advocated sanctions against the government, and tried to rally support for her party, the National League for Democracy. She was repeatedly put under house arrest and on one occasion her convoy was attacked. The insecurity associated with an authoritarian government did not weaken her voice." (No end to challenges for heroic duo, Susan Banki, Sydney Morning Herald, 7/11/13)
Susan Banki is described as "a lecturer in the human rights program at the University of Sydney." I find it curious, therefore, that she omits all mention of the following less than stirling performance from her heroine:
"Burma's opposition leader... has stopped short of directly condemning anti-Muslim violence in the country and said that it was motivated by fear. Sectarian violence between Buddhists and Muslims began in western Rakhine state last year, with hundreds killed and 140,000 people, mostly Muslims, driven from their homes... The government has been heavily criticised for not doing enough to protect Muslims, who account for 4% of Burma's roughly 60 million people, and Aung San Suu Kyi has also been accused of failing to speak out. In an interview broadcast on Thursday, the Nobel laureate insisted there was no ethnic cleansing taking place and said that both sides were afraid of each other... 'The fear is not just on the side of the Muslims but also on the side of the Buddhists as well. Muslims have been targeted but also Buddhists have been subjected to violence... Global Muslim power is very great and certainly, that is a perception in many parts of the world and in our country as well.'... During the interview she was asked to condemn Wirathu, a Buddhist monk labelled the 'Burmese Bin Laden' who has been stoking hatred against Muslims, denouncing them as 'crude and savage.' She replied: 'I condemn hatred of any kind.' Similarly, she was asked to condemn violence against Muslims and answered: 'I condemn any movement that is based on hatred and extremism.'... Aung San Suu Kyi showed frustration with her interviewer at the number of questions about the violence. 'I would say instead of asking us members of the opposition what we feel about it, what we intend to do about it... you should ask the present government of Burma what their policy is,' she said." (Burma sectarian violence motivated by fear, says Aung San Suu Kyi, Haroon Siddique, theguardian.com, 24/10/13)
(See also: Aung San Suu Kyi & the world of Buddhist Islamophobia, Maung Zarni, modernwriters.org, 3/11/13)
Aung San Suu Kyi is equally lame when it comes to an understanding of a certain other key human rights issue. When asked by an Israeli journalist if she had any message for Israelis and Palestinians, she replied: "I just wonder whether they could not sit down and think that it would be so much nicer if they could be friends." (Aung San Suu Kyi: Israelis and Palestinians could be friends, Miri Scharf, Haaretz, 26/11/10)
"Later this month Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi will receive a joint honorary degree from the University of Sydney and the University of Technology, Sydney... For more than 20 years Suu Kyi sought the release of political prisoners, advocated sanctions against the government, and tried to rally support for her party, the National League for Democracy. She was repeatedly put under house arrest and on one occasion her convoy was attacked. The insecurity associated with an authoritarian government did not weaken her voice." (No end to challenges for heroic duo, Susan Banki, Sydney Morning Herald, 7/11/13)
Susan Banki is described as "a lecturer in the human rights program at the University of Sydney." I find it curious, therefore, that she omits all mention of the following less than stirling performance from her heroine:
"Burma's opposition leader... has stopped short of directly condemning anti-Muslim violence in the country and said that it was motivated by fear. Sectarian violence between Buddhists and Muslims began in western Rakhine state last year, with hundreds killed and 140,000 people, mostly Muslims, driven from their homes... The government has been heavily criticised for not doing enough to protect Muslims, who account for 4% of Burma's roughly 60 million people, and Aung San Suu Kyi has also been accused of failing to speak out. In an interview broadcast on Thursday, the Nobel laureate insisted there was no ethnic cleansing taking place and said that both sides were afraid of each other... 'The fear is not just on the side of the Muslims but also on the side of the Buddhists as well. Muslims have been targeted but also Buddhists have been subjected to violence... Global Muslim power is very great and certainly, that is a perception in many parts of the world and in our country as well.'... During the interview she was asked to condemn Wirathu, a Buddhist monk labelled the 'Burmese Bin Laden' who has been stoking hatred against Muslims, denouncing them as 'crude and savage.' She replied: 'I condemn hatred of any kind.' Similarly, she was asked to condemn violence against Muslims and answered: 'I condemn any movement that is based on hatred and extremism.'... Aung San Suu Kyi showed frustration with her interviewer at the number of questions about the violence. 'I would say instead of asking us members of the opposition what we feel about it, what we intend to do about it... you should ask the present government of Burma what their policy is,' she said." (Burma sectarian violence motivated by fear, says Aung San Suu Kyi, Haroon Siddique, theguardian.com, 24/10/13)
(See also: Aung San Suu Kyi & the world of Buddhist Islamophobia, Maung Zarni, modernwriters.org, 3/11/13)
Aung San Suu Kyi is equally lame when it comes to an understanding of a certain other key human rights issue. When asked by an Israeli journalist if she had any message for Israelis and Palestinians, she replied: "I just wonder whether they could not sit down and think that it would be so much nicer if they could be friends." (Aung San Suu Kyi: Israelis and Palestinians could be friends, Miri Scharf, Haaretz, 26/11/10)
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