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Sample Letter to Irish Ministers of Education and/or Foreign Affairs
Sample Letter to Irish Ministers of Education and/or Foreign Affairs
Sample Letter to Irish Ministers of Education and/or Foreign Affairs
Sample Letter to Irish Ministers of Education and/or Foreign Affairs
Dear
I am writing out a deep concern for the situation in Burma where the present
military regime, the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), has under-
mined the educational system has deteriorated to such an extent that it is no
longer recognised by world standards.
In 1988 a peaceful student protest against the brutal military regime was put
down with such a show of force that over 3,000 protestors were killed, many
more than in Tiananmen Square in 1989. The present regime, the State Peace
and Development Council, views the students as a threat to their totalitarian
rule, due to their outspoken nature and protests over the denial of fundamental
rights, such as freedom of expression. Therefore, the military dictatorship has
deliberately undermined education in order to deprive the people of knowledge.
So, instead of children going to school, they are being forced into slave labour.
This is a blatant violation of Article 26 of the United Nations Universal Declara-
tion of Human Rights which states: "Everyone has the right to education which
shall be directed to the full development of the human personality, and to
strengthening respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms."
Ireland has a special connection with Burma, in light of the Freedom of Dublin
being conferred on Aung San Suu Kyi in March 2000. She is the leader of the
League for Democracy which won 82% of the vote in 1990. She has been kept
under house arrest for the last eight years. The military regime prevented her
from travelling outside Rangoon to visit her supporters in a rural area, which
was widely reported in our newspapers. Human rights are constantly abused in
Burma and the people live in fear of being crushed for their beliefs.
I am calling on you, Minister of Education/Foreign Affairs, to raise this issue with
your colleagues at E.U. level and to persuade them to seek appropriate action
against the closing of the Burmese schools which is a violation of basic human
rights.
Yours sincerely,
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