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A Letter From Burma

Note: The following open letter was written and distributed by anti-SPDC activists living in Burma who helped organize the Burma Sunday Campaign. Because of concerns about reprisals from the Burmese government, the letter's authors are not identified.

To People of Burma,

We have experienced brutal dictatorship for more than 40 years. Many of our family members, relatives, leaders and friends were and still being killed, maimed, tortured, raped or imprisoned. They have driven our country to the poorest of the world status. We are deprived of our rights to health, education and shelter. And yet again, they are trying to cover-up the truth by shamelessly promoting themselves as leaders of our country.

We braved to the streets and met with bullets. We shouted the slogans but were muted by brutal suppression. We voted them out but they ignored the results. Now is the time to turn the table. This time, we will use the power of the people, power of the number and the power of the silence. We will let the dictators know the whole country is against them. We will let the whole world know of our suffering. We will let the whole world know people of Burma can take matter into their own hands.

WE WILL PROTEST BY REMAINING INSIDE OUR HOMES ON THE FIRST SUNDAY OF EVERY MONTH (STARTING FROM THE 3RD OF AUGUST) AND WE WILL PAY TRIBUTE TO PEOPLE WHO SACRIFICED THEIR LIVES FOR US BY TWO MINUTES SILENCE AT 12:00 NOON ON THE DAY OF PROTEST.

This is the most peaceful form of protest against the brutal dictatorship. This is a form of protest people of all ages from all corners of Burma can participate. We will shout loudest by staying silent. We will make our message clear by deserting the streets.

They are ruling us by force, terrorising us by guns but they will no longer be able to scare us by using those primitive weapons. This is 21st century. We have better weapon and it is ourselves. We will conquer them by peace. We will overwhelm them by number.

This will be the clearest form of message to the SPDC generals. We want change. We want democracy. We want freedom. We want to eat decent food. We want to wear proper clothes. We want to be healthy like people of other countries. We want to be proud of being a Burmese.

Let the war on SPDC dictators begins on the 3rd of August. Let start the first step onto the righteous path.

LET THE WHOLE WORLD KNOW WE ARE PRISONERS IN OUR OWN HOMES.

Questions and Answers

Q. Is it going to work?
A. Yes. It will work if people from all corners of Burma participate in this protest. A sesame seed is not much oil but millions and millions of seeds is a lot of oil. Vital part of this protest is the participation of the people.

Q. I am still not convinced. How can we overthrow such a brutal government by just staying in our own home?
A. This is only the first step of coming peaceful protests. We can achieve tremendous psychological impact by showing empty streets to the world. If you are still not convinced, please help the protest by staying inside.

Q. Are we going to get any help from abroad for this protest?
A. No. This is peaceful war on dictators of Burma by the people of Burma. We will fight and win this by ourselves. When we let the whole world know Burma is a country where millions of people are peacefully protesting a handful of gun-wielding generals, who knows what will happen next. Even our neighbouring countries might turn against them.

Q. How can we be sure that our protest is working?
A. When you see hardly anybody on the streets on the day of protest, we win the first battle of the war. SPDC generals are living in fear of losing their power and wealth. They will be shocked to see the whole country is against them. They will send their families and relatives abroad. They will transfer their sinful wealth to hidden foreign accounts. When you hear or see evidence of those events, we win another crucial battle.

Q. I need to go out on Sunday due to religious/social/economical reasons. How can I participate in this protest?
A. People need to go out for various reasons on Sunday but you can support this protest by not staying long on the streets. Please go to the destination but remain under a roof and observe two minutes silence at noon.

Q. The first Sunday of every month? Do you mean 24 hour day or only from dawn (06:00 am) to dusk (06:00 pm)?
A. To make our message stronger and clearer, the protest will be 24-hour protest.

Q. I am a merchant (storekeeper). Do I have to close my shop on the day of protest?
A. Yes, please. You can participate in this protest by closing your shop.

Q. What are they (the military government) going to do? I am a little bit worried.
A. To tell you the truth. They have no way of preventing this kind of protest. They cannot put you in prison because of staying inside your own home for a day. They cannot jail you because you keep silent for two minutes at noon. Please be aware of the fact that this is SILENT AND PEACEFUL protest. You just need to stay at h ome all day.

Q. I am a member of (USDA/Armed forces/Military Intelligence) but I want to support this protest. What can I do?
A. We fully understand your situation. You can support us by also staying at home and not showing any hostility toward us when you are forced to. Please support us mentally for the moment but time will come when all of us can enjoy free and prosperous Burma together.

Q. The 3rd of August is so near. How can we make the whole country aware of the protest?
A. The power of people is the key to success of this form of protest. Please tell as many of your friends as you can of this protest. Please translate this message to Burmese and languages of all national races. Please tell this message to people travelling by car, train, plane, and boat. We need participation from all corners of the country.

Q. Are they going to release Daw Aung San Suu Kyi?
A. Yes, they must. If they do not release Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and other p olitical prisoners immediately, they will be very sorry for their mistake later.

Please distribute this message to:
1. People of Burma
2. All embassies in Burma
3. All news agencies of the world.
4. Ministries of Foreign Affairs of all countries.
5. Web sites, discussion groups, news groups relating to Burmese politics.