International
Freedom of city heralds call
for freedom
The City of Edinburgh will
be joined the global protests that draw
attention to the plight of Burma's pro-democracy
leader Aung San Suu Kyi as she marked her
60th birthday and 2,523rd day under house
arrest.
The Council marked her 60th
birthday by conferring its highest honour
- the title of Freedom of the City -- followed
by a commemorative tree-planting ceremony
in her honour, when UNISON also presented
Aung San Suu Kyi's son Kim Aris with a commemorative
quaich.
The Lord Provost Lesley Hinds
said, "Like Nelson Mandela before her, Aung
San Suu Kyi has come to be seen internationally
as a symbol of peaceful resistance in the
face of oppression. By honouring her Edinburgh
citizens will be publicly supporting her
tireless work for democracy and human rights.
How sad that our gift of Freedom of City
cannot include the gift of freedom from
house arrest and persecution, nor freedom
for the many prisoners of conscience detained
in Burma today."
UNISON Branch Secretary John
Stevenson said, "This was a highly
significant gesture - the placing of the
scroll on an empty seat in the city chambers
reminded us of Aung San Suu Kyi's call to
use our freedom to win freedom for Burma".
The ceremony was followed
by a celebration and birthday party in Parliament
Square.
Messages of support for the
ceremony have been received from individuals
and organisations across the world including
Sir Sean Connery, also a Freeman of the
City of Edinburgh, First Minister Jack McConnell
and Foreign and Commonwealth Minister Dr
Ian Pearson.
Guest speakers included Director
of Amnesty UK Kate Allen, Aung San Oo, National
League for Democracy and Anna Roberts, Director
of UK Burma Campaign.
top
Parliament and UNISON hosts Prime Minister
in exile
The key importance of trade
unions in supporting the International Labour
Organisation's work for civil rights in
Burma was underlined by Burma's prime minister
in exile when he met Edinburgh and Scottish
UNISON leaders at the Scottish Parliament.
UNISON City of Edinburgh Branch
was hosting an event after the Parliament's
International Development Group (IDG) welcomed
Dr Sein Win, Burma Prime Minister in exile,
and exiled MP Dr Thaung Htun.
At the IDG event, MSPs, members
of the Burma Educational Scholarship Trust
(BEST), Amnesty, church organisations and
many others had the chance to meet the visitors
and question them on the fight for freedom
in Burma.
Later, UNISON hosted an event
where UNISON Branch Secretary John Stevenson,
Scottish Secretary Matt Smith and Convenor
Mike Kirby were able to have wider conversations
with Dr Sein Win and Dr Thaung Htun, along
with Murray Forgie of BEST and Edinburgh
MSP Sarah Boyack.
Extract from letter from
Dr. Thaung Htut to Murray Forgie of BEST
"On behalf of both Dr
Sein Win and myself, I would like to thank
you for the wonderful work that you are
all doing to raise public awareness in Edinburgh
and with the people of Scotland. In particular
we want to thank you, Burma Educational
Scholarship Trust (BEST) and UNISON for
facilitating our trip to Edinburgh.
The solidarity action of 'Freedom
of the City' is an honor for our movement
and a clear signal to both the junta and
the international community, that the demand
for democracy and justice is universal.
The wonderful and imaginative
program of events that the Council's Education
Department has organized to engage the wider
public, provides a blueprint that other
cities should follow. It is reflective of
the participatory democracy, which is central
to discourse and the public engagement that
we have discovered on our Scottish visit.
Your new institutions, where
gender equality and proportionality are
central to the political process, have given
us much to think about. The active linking
of cultural institutions, civic and community
institutions, political and labor institutions
and interfaith organizations, as demonstrated
both by events and the coming program, are
to be commended.
We were particularly delighted
that everyone we met, from the Elementary
and Secondary pupils and teachers, Amnesty
International and civic and political leaders,
asked us what they should be doing next...
For Edinburgh to see this award to Daw Suu
as the beginning of the process as opposed
to an end in itself, gives us great hope
for the future and is a great boost to our
collective morale.
Education, both within the
democracy movement in exile and the international
community, is the key to action for change.
To this end we would be delighted if the
marvelous work already taking place within
Edinburgh's schools and communities could
be consolidated and extended.
By building direct links between
our youth and our communities - initially
on the Thai/Burma border, but one day inside
Burma itself - we can both gain so much
from each others experience and knowledge.
The fact that BEST is already supporting
Burmese teacher training and supplementary
scholarships for refugee students, means
that informal networks exist already, which
can be perhaps be formalized between our
institutions.
To this end, Dr Sein Win has
agreed to become BEST's patron and he would
like to extend the invitation to join him
as co-patron to the Lord Provost.
With thanks and solidarity.
Dr. Thaung Htut
National Coalition Government of the Union
of Burma,
Representative for UN Affairs
