Rapaport is a second-year sociology and design student and
Zolinsk is a first-year undeclared student.
By Jaime Rapaport and Julia Zolinsk
On Thursday, May 3, the world will celebrate World Press Freedom
Day. Had it not been for my Mortar Board calendar, this day would
have slipped by like any other one, as it will for most people. In
a country where freedom of the press and freedom of speech have
been guaranteed rights by the Constitution, Americans can ignore a
day that commemorates something other human beings can only dream
of.
But World Press Freedom Day does not include the whole world.
Many governments, such as that of Burma, restrict freedom of the
press and freedom of speech as a political tool. The silence of
their victims allows the military regime to torture, rape, murder
and enslave its people with little opposition.
 Illustration by RODERICK ROXAS/Daily Bruin A world with
such corruption may seem foreign to us, but for the past 40 years,
Burma has suffered an unbearable amount. In 1962, after gaining
independence from Great Britain, Burma fell under the rule of the
brutal Ne Win military regime. Using murder, imprisonment and
repression, the regime secured their government from the threat of
democratic activists and leaders. They continue to use these
tactics even today.
By continuing to violate the basic human rights of 50 million
Burmese people, the government has succeeded in preventing an
effective threat to its power. Its track record reveals its denial
of these rights as a means of political oppression. Burmese
citizens, including children, are often required to construct roads
and train tracks or work in factories with inhumane conditions. The
regime also forces some of its citizens to walk over mine fields to
serve as land-mine detectors.
In addition to harsh labor, the Burmese people are subject to
restrictions at home. Ownership of an unauthorized fax machine
results in seven years of prison. Possession of an unauthorized
e-mail address is 15 years imprisonment. Publication of
antigovernmental work leads to severe punishment. The military
regime has also taken its toll on the environment. Exploitation of
natural gas and mineral resources results in massive deforestation
as well as the destruction of natural habitats.
Although opposition to the government is the most punishable
crime, many democratic activists and leaders refuse to remain
silent in the face of such oppression.
In 1988, university students Min Ko Naing led a mass uprising
involving millions of Burmese citizens. This peaceful protest
resulted in the massacre of Burmese students and civilians and
forced thousands of citizens to flee to the border between Thailand
and Burma. Ko Naing is currently a political prisoner, suffering
torture and solitary confinement for the past 13 years.
The most famous member of Burma’s democratic movement is
Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize-winner who believes in
nonviolent resistance and organizing. During the democratic
elections of 1990, Suu Kyi’s political party, the National
League for Democracy, secured 82 percent of the seats in
Parliament.
Despite the fact that the Burmese people also elected Suu Kyi as
their new leader, she has not taken office. The regime immediately
placed her under house arrest for five years. Although she was
technically released in 1995, she remained under strict
surveillance and was placed under house arrest again in September
2000.
As with many military regimes, Ne Win is indirectly funded by
other countries, mainly through tourism and corporate business.
Many of the companies that Americans buy products from ““ such
as Warner Brothers, Tommy Hilfiger, Suzuki, Jordache, Marriott,
UNOCAL, Nautica, Club Med, Adidas and Nestle ““ help finance
the regime with their business. These corporations are attracted to
the cheap labor in Burma, ignoring reports of human rights
abuses.
By strengthening the regime with monetary support, large
corporations also encourage the growth of Burma’s heroin
industry, which accounts for 60 percent of the heroin that enters
the United States. In addition, the regime stands to pocket
virtually all of the money generated from the business of these
corporations.
Burmese citizens continually ask that foreign companies withhold
business from Burma. Suu Kyi herself said, “Until we have a
system that guarantees rules of law and basic democratic
institutions, no amount of aid or investment will benefit our
people.”
Forty major companies have listened to Burma’s pleas since
1988, including Kenneth Cole, Reebok, J. Crew, Liz Claiborne and
Levi-Strauss & Co. Upon leaving Burma, Levi-Strauss & Co.
stated that “it is not possible to do business in (Burma)
without directly supporting the military government and its
pervasive violations of human rights.” Several city councils
throughout America, including those of Los Angeles, Portland, and
San Francisco, have divested from Burma-related stock.
University and college groups across America are trying to
persuade their schools to follow suit and divest their stocks from
companies situated in Burma. Universities such as American
University and Bucknell have already been successful.
The UCLA Environmental Coalition is currently working in
conjunction with other UC student groups on a Free Burma campaign
to urge the UC Board of Regents to divest from Halliburton Co. and
Procter & Gamble, two companies that work with Burma. Nineteen
devoted members of the Environmental Coalition joined 94
universities in a 24-hour international fast to publicize the
plight of the Burmese people and show support for Min Ko Naing.
A Norway-based international student festival in Trondheim is
circulating a petition on the Web demanding the unconditional
release of Ko Naing. Other organizations, such as Rights &
Democracy, have been lobbying for support as well. These
organizations’ support is imperative to the permanent
downfall of the Ne Win regime.
Suu Kyi once said, “Those fortunate enough to live in
societies where they are entitled to full political rights can
reach out to help the less fortunate in other parts of our troubled
planet.”
This Thursday on World Press Freedom Day, let us join in
together at Westwood Plaza at 11:30 a.m. to publicize Burma’s
plight. There is no better day to remember our freedom and the duty
it gives us to fight for the freedom of others.