Crowley, Chabot Again Call on Burmese Authorities to Immediately End Violent Attacks on Peaceful Students, Journalists

Statement

Today, Reps. Joe Crowley (D-NY) and Steve Chabot (R-OH) released the statement below calling on Burmese authorities to immediately end their violent assault on peaceful students, journalists, and monks demonstrating in Letpadan, a town 90 miles north of Yangon. Last week, Crowley and Chabot denounced a violent crackdown on peaceful student protestors in Yangon. The protestors are calling for changes to new legislation concerning higher education in Burma.

"We are horrified by the images of authorities attacking and beating peaceful protestors in Burma -- in what appears to be an escalation of attacks over the past week. These actions taken by Burmese authorities and allegedly their hired thugs against peaceful students are despicable, and we condemn them in the strongest terms. Burma's authorities must put an immediate end to violent attacks on students, journalists, monks and others who are peacefully protesting, as well as immediately release all those who have been detained.

"The violence we are seeing directed at young people in Burma runs directly counter to the pledges made by President Thein Sein to handle disagreements peacefully and to bring forth democratic reforms in Burma. We hope the United States and other nations go beyond earlier statements, speak out strongly and make it clear that these attacks must end immediately. Burma's students are simply calling for a policy change, and they should not be treated as enemies."

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